Massa won 2008 Brazilian GP but Hamilton is World Champion

In a thrilling race of season ending 2008 F1 season, Ferrari's Felipe Massa won the Brazilian Grand Prix but McLaren's Lewis Hamilton clinched 2008 Driver's Championship title by a single point at Interlagos circuit, Sao Paulo. Ferrari won the 2008 Constructor's Championship.




In the final lap Massa set to be champion as he drived superbly from start to finish as Hamilton was sixth but a very slow last lap from Tim Glock gave him the fifth place he needed and effectively decides the championship.

Fernando Alonso took the 2nd place and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished third to clinch the 2008 Constructor's Championship for Red Ferrari. Torro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel finished fourth followed by Hamilton at must needed fifth.

Race Summary:

Top 3 Drivers at 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

Felipe Massa - Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - Renault

Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari


Standing after 18th Races in 2008:


Driver's Championship

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - 98 Points

Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - 97 Points

Robert Kubica (BMW) - 75 Points

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 75 Points

Constructor's Championship

Ferrari - 172 Points

McLaren-Mercedese - 151 Points

BMW - 135 Points

Massa takes Pole in 2008 Brazilian GP - Hamilton 4th in final race

Ferrari's Felipe Massa claims the crucial pole in the final race of 2008 F1 Championship and the fellow title contender and leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren starts from the fourth position for the Race Day on Sunday in 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit.

Trailing Hamilton by 7 points, Massa put a brilliant performance to take pole and now overwhelming favorite to lead from the front and take the chequered flag on Sunday, barring mechanical issues, and then it becomes a question of where Hamilton finishes.

Massa and Hamilton go the same way before Brazilian used a new set of tyres to record a lap of 1m 12.368s and clinched pole. Raikkonen finished 3rd with 1m 12.825s and bisected two Ferrari's by Toyota's Jarno Trulli with with 1m 12.737s.

Heikki Kovalainen lines up fifth on 1m 12.917s in the second McLaren followed by Renault's Fernando Alonso with the timing of 1m 12.967s. Torro Rosso's drivers Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais finished 7th and ninth place respectively and bisected by Nick Heidfeld in BMW Sauber. Timo Glock completed the top 10 for Toyota.

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix Preview - Hamilton or Massa?

1 race to go in 2008 Formula One season and two driver are in the race of winning 2008 F1 Driver's Championship, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa and they will try their luck in the season ending Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton leading by 7 points to Massa.

If Hamilton win, he will become the youngest driver to win the title and only the second driver to win the championship in his second season, and the first Briton to take the crown since Damon Hill 12 years ago.

Hamilton also leading the season last year but lost Raikkonen in the last race. Technically, Hamilton needs only finish fifth even if Massa wins, in order to beat him by a single point.

For Massa, he has to win by 8 points difference with Hamilton and good thing is that his partner kimi is ready to help in the race if situation demands.

In the Construction Championship, Ferrari leading by 11 points to McLaren. McLaren needs one-two finish to have any realistic chance of securing both titles, whereas a third and eighth would secure the constructors’ crown for Ferrari.

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix - Circuit Details:

Sao Paulo

Race Date: 02 Nov 2008

Number of Laps: 71

Circuit Length: 4.309 km

Race Distance: 305.909 km

Lap Record: 1:11.473 - JP Montoya (2004)

Singapore Grand Prix - Massa takes Pole, Hamilton 2nd

In the inaugural 2008 Singapore Grand Prix - the 1st race in under lights, Ferrari's Felipe Massa displayed a stunning performance to take pole position for Sunday's Race Day while title rival Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton took 2nd position.

The Ferrari driver clocked a time of one minute 44.519 seconds in his final lap under the floodlights on the Marina Bay street circuit to finish sixth-tenths of a second faster than McLaren's Hamilton. Overtaking will be difficult in this circuit and its going to be crucial as Lewis Hamilton leading the 2008 Driver's Championship by just 1 point.


Kimi Raikkonen in 2nd ferrari finished strongly to take third. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica will start in fourth place on the grid while McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen is in fifth.

Nick Heidfeld, of BMW Sauber, took sixth place while Italian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel will start seventh in his Toro Rosso. Toyota's Timo Glock and Williams duo Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima complete the top 10.

Bad session for two-time world champion Fernando Alonso after the Renault driver's qualifying session was brought to a disappointing end.

Massa won 2008 Belgian Grand Prix after Hamilton penalised for 25 sec

Massa won 2008 Belgian Grand Prix after Hamilton penalized for 25 sec

In one of the most dramatic race of the 2008 season Ferrari's Felipe Massa awarded the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix after stewards imposed a 25 second penalty to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, as he had taken the chequered flag but he was penalized into an incident on lap 42 of the 44-lap race.

Hamilton was penalized after stewards decided he had gained an advantage by cutting the final chicane in his late-race battle with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen crashed out shortly after the incident, having the led the most of the race. The final result of the race was Massa 1st, BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld promoted to second place and Hamilton falling to third.



With six laps remaining rain started and increased the thrill in the race as Hamilton and Raikkonen battled to win the race and with just 2 laps to go Kimi slid off into a wall, out of the race.

Fernando Alonso took fourth place in his Renault, followed by Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso, Kubica for BMW Sauber, Sebastien Bourdais in his Toro Rosso and Toyota's Timo Glock, finished 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th respectively.

Race Summary:

Top 3 Drivers at 2008 Belgian Grand Prix

Felippa Mass - Ferrari

Nick Heidfeld - BMW

Lewis Hamilton - McLaren


Standing after 13th Race in 2008


Driver's Championship

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - 76 Points

Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - 74 Points

Robert Kubica (BMW) - 58 Points

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 57 Points


Constructor's Championship

Ferrari - 131 Points

McLaren-Mercedese - 119 Points

BMW - 107 Points

Felipe Massa won the 2008 French Grand Prix - Kimi 2nd

Brazillian Feilepe Massa won the third race of the season as he won the 2008 French Grand Prix, he also took over the lead of the F1 world championship for the first time. Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who came home second at the Circuit de Nevers.

Lewis Hamilton, a drive-through penalty early on - after starting from 13th on the grid - wrecked his bid for points, with the 23-year-old finishing 10th, and he now trails Massa by 10 points. The Brazilian trailed team mate Kimi Raikkonen for the first 38 of the 70 laps.

Jarno Trulli of Toyota finished 3rd and McLarens Heikki Kovalainen finished 4th followed by Robert Kubica in BMW and Mark Webber of Renault got 5th and 6th place. Renault's Nelsinho Piquet and Fernando Alonso finished 7th and 8th respectively.

Race Summary:

Top 3 Drivers at 2008 De French Grand Prix

Feilepe Massa - Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari

Jarno Trulli - Toyota


Standing after 8th Race in 2008


Driver's Championship

Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - 48 Points

Robert Kubica (BMW) - 46 Points

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 43 Points

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - 38 Points


Constructor's Championship

Ferrari - 91 Points

BMW - 74 Points

McLaren-Mercedese - 58 Points

Felipe Massa takes Pole, Kimi 2nd at Monaco GP, Monte Carlo

Its all Ferrari in the front row at Monte Carlo as Brazilian Felipe Massa takes pole position followed by team mate Kimi Raikkonen as they got off to a great start in qualifying on Saturday for the Race Day on Sunday, 25th May, at 2008 De Monaco Grand Prix.

Massa lapped in 1m 15.787s to snatch pole from Raikkonen (1m 15.815s) in the dying seconds, and if he wins on Sunday he will be the first Ferrari driver to do so from pole here since Jody Scheckter in 1979.

McLaren shared the second row as Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen timed 1m 15.839s and 1m 16.165s respectively for 3rd and 4th place.

Robert Kubica in BMW was fifth with 1m 16.171s while Nico Rosberg carried his excellent practice form into qualifying with sixth on the grid for Williams in 1m 16.548s.

Fernando Alonso lined his Renault up in seventh place with 1m 16.852s, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber and David Coulthard were eighth and 10th.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil (1m 17.225s) and Giancarlo Fisichella (1m 17.823s) completed the order, with the latter looking set to start his 200th Grand Prix from last place after receiving a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox chang.