Hamilton wins title, Massa gracious in defeat

Lewis Hamilton won the first of his three world Formula One titles on his this day at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix after a wild finish to an intense campaign.

Needing to secure fifth to beat Ferrari’s Felipe Massa if the Brazilian were to take victory on home soil, the McLaren ace slipped to sixth in the closing stages of a thrilling race held in mixed weather conditions.

Meanwhile, Massa, who had been driving a stellar race at Interlagos, claimed a dominant win, and was effectively world champion for a handful of seconds until Hamilton overtook Toyota’s Timo Glock, who had stayed on slicks on a wet track, at the penultimate corner to snatch the title.

Massa was very gracious in defeat after the race and on the podium, which earned the popular Brazilian many plaudits.

“We need to congratulate Lewis because he did a great championship and he scored more points than us, so he deserves to be champion,” the 2008 Brazilian GP winner said. “I know how to lose and I know how to win and as I said before it is another day of my life from which I am going to learn a lot.”

A true class act.