History does not repeat itself at Interlagos: Hamilton's nightmare is put to rest
On 2 November 2008, Lewis Hamilton took the first of his seven Formula 1 world titles by finishing fifth at the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, the track in a suburb of Sao Paulo. It proved to be one of the most dramatic races in the history of this sport.
Just over a year on from the previous year's Brazilian round (you can read about it here), Lewis found himself in a very similar situation: with a seven point lead over Felipe Massa, he would only need to finish fifth to be world champion even if the Brazilian won the race. His McLaren team however would have to make up 11 points on Ferrari to claim a Constructors' title that had eluded it for ten years, so it was looking difficult but not impossible.
In qualifying, Massa proved to be pretty much unbeatable, taking his third consecutive pole position at his home track. Hamilton was fourth, behind Jarno Trulli and Kimi Raikkonen. It rained just before the start, which was therefore delayed by ten minutes, before the showers disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, so everyone started on intermediate tyres. Felipe took off into the distance, unchallenged all the way to the chequered flag. Ferrari appeared to be enjoying a return to form, after all the difficulties and uncertainty of the trio of Far Eastern races in Singapore, Japan and China, which had allowed Hamilton to open up a clear lead. At the track where he clinched the title twelve months earlier, Raikkonen's role was to help his Ferrari team-mate, just as he had done in Shanghai, when he let him past to pick up a few more points. The Finn did what was expected of him, with a solid, error-free drive to third place.
However, that alone was not enough for Felipe, who needed other drivers to finish between him and Hamilton if he was to achieve his championship dream. One who would be more than happy to spite the Englishman was Fernando Alonso, who produced a masterful drive to move up to second place after a handful of laps, once the track was dry enough for slicks, keeping the position through to the end. Also showing a great turn of speed was Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso, who earlier in the year had stunned everyone by becoming the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at Monza, claiming what is to date, the only victory for a Ferrari customer engine team. In Brazil, the young German drove brilliantly in the dry, as well as in the wet when the rain returned right at the end, to add to the drama, to claim fourth place.
Four of the five places that Hamilton needed between him and Massa were thus assigned and he seemed in control of the situation all race long, always just outside the top three, never particularly incisive, nor ever in real difficulty. But then the rain came on lap 63, light at first and then more insistent. That mixed things up again, with some drivers, like Germany's Timo Glock for example, gambling on getting to the finish on slicks. He had nothing to lose as Toyota's season had been nothing special, so maybe they had one last chance to pull off a sensational result.
Quite possibly, because, as at the start, the rain would again disappear as quickly as it arrived. But the others played it safe, and one by one they pitted for intermediates. The last to do so was Massa on lap 67, without losing the lead. Hamilton was still fourth, behind Glock who was running a good pace despite his tyres being quite worn on a track that was becoming ever more treacherous. Two laps later another German, Vettel, overtook Hamilton to the stupefaction of those in the McLaren garage, because now Lewis was sixth and no longer champion and he was still there on the final lap. However, the rain that had worked against him earlier, now worked in his favour as it increased in intensity. In the meantime, Massa took the chequered flag, winning the race. He had done all he could and at that moment, he was world champion. Alonso and Raikkonen crossed the line second and third and Glock was about to tackle the uphill run to the finish, still in fourth place, but the rain was too heavy for his slick tyres to deal with and he was hardly moving forward at all, so that Vettel flew past his fellow countryman to take fourth place, followed by Hamilton moments later, who now just had to get to the finish. Massa's theoretical hold on the championship title lasted just 38 seconds and 907 thousandths, the gap between him and Hamilton at the finish line. In the McLaren garage, elation replaced despair, while it was the opposite at Ferrari, although the Maranello marque could console itself with having won the Constructors' title, always very important for the teams.
On the podium, Felipe was sportsmanship personified, knowing that he and his team had given their all, but there were still tears in his eyes. Of course, he didn't lose the championship on that particular day, at the end of a season in which countless incidents might have made the difference. The Ferrari team duly gathered under the podium to cheer their race winner at what was a special moment. They held a banner which read “Ferrari Pride,” and why not as the team and car had taken the Constructors' title identifying it as the strongest in the field. That day, there were many who were heartbroken for Felipe, who had experienced the feeling of being world champion for a handful of seconds, added to the awareness that an opportunity like that might never present itself again.
On the podium, Lewis was in a world of his own, wrapped in the Union Jack, enjoying the plaudits of his team. And rightly so. He had driven like a true champion that year, although maybe not on that particular Sunday and he deserved the title for the simple reason he scored the most points. The previous year's nightmare had been put to rest.
P.S.: there's a post-scriptum to this story, but it only came to light a year later in Singapore. It took nothing away from Hamilton's achievement, but Felipe would always be left with the feeling that something strange had happened. However, that's another story to be told when all its loose ends are wrapped up.
