The 2008 Formula1 Brazilian Grand Prix was the best and dramatic race I've ever witnessed on TV. Ferrari's Felipe Massa on the first slot of the grid. Followed by Jarno Trulli, Kimi Raikonen on third and then title leader Lewis Hamilton (Who eventually became the 2008 world champion).
Lewis Hamilton only had to finish the top 5 position to win the title but Felipe on the other hand had a much bigger job to do in which he had to finish and cross the line 1st for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Felipe being the local boy and hero for the Brazilian Fans was cheered on for the rest of the afternoon. It was amazing how noisy it was. Unlike in other places and circuits where you can actually here the blowhorns of the fans to cheer when the cars pass right by them. But in Brazil it was a different story. It's like watching the world cup (soccer) where you can hear everyone singing "Ole ... ole ole ole" (Does anyone know the title?) and sometimes screaming for Brazil! You can also hear them play the batucada drum beats which is amazing! That's how noisy and great it was out their at Interlagos! Really shows how passionate Brazilian fans are when it comes to sports.
Back to the Race, since Thursday (October 20, 2008) that week. Teams already knew that on the race day Sunday (November 2, 2008) it was gonna rain. When exactly and how heavy the rain will be is the biggest question for most of the team. The race was delayed for 10 minutes because of the heavy rain. And after a minute, the sun came out! That's how crazy it was out there! Lewis only had to finish 5th to clinch the title. At the start of the race everyone gambled on putting the grooved slicks for most of the race. It was in the dying moments of the race where it got alot scary where it started to rain again. Felipe, Fernando (running 2nd) and Kimi (3rd) drove straight through the pits to change tires. Lewis, who was in constant threat from Sebastian Vettel who was really on his gearbox. While Lewis was pitting, Timo Glock who took 4th place away from Lewis as he drove pass the the start/finish straight. As Lewis and Sebastian went back on the track after the pits. It was Sebastian who had the upper hand and showed everyone how good he is in the rain as what he did in Monza during the Italian Grand Prix where he won it on a wet race. At the final lap particularly the final sector of the lap. Sebastian overtook Lewis when he ran wide to snatch 5th and push lewis back to 6th. That moment everyone was on their heels thinking Lewis is gonna loose it and Felipe will become world champion. That happened in the final few corners of the lap. When Felipe crossed the line to finish 1st, everyone thought that Felipe has done it and is now the world champion. The Massa family was already screaming and shouting for joy inside the Ferrari garage. Only to find out that there was going to be another bullet that's ready to hit their hearts. It was Timo Glock of the Toyota F1 team whom passed Lewis and Sebastian while pitting. Timo Glock passed them because he did not pit and did not change to wet tires. He was using the grooved slick tires to finish the race where it was already raining hard! At the last 3 corners of the circuit Timo Glock was struggling to find grip on the wet track on his Toyota to clime the uphill part of the circuit approaching the last corner. It was at that part where Sebastian and Lewis took back the 4th and 5th position because they had better traction mainly because of their wet tires. When Lewis crossed the line he was deemed 5th and was 1 point ahead of Massa and was deemed the 2008 World Champion. It was then when Felipe was told about it and really felt the pain inside him. On the radio you can hear him cry and say "Thank you guys and so proud of this team" He "thanked" his team for doing a perfect job that weekend. But luck wasn't really on their side as Lewis managed to grab the title.
You could really feel what Felipe felt as he drove pass all the fans cheering for him. It was so warm and was so great for him to have been cheered by his country and for him to win the race. As soon as he reached the "Parc Ferme" he was crying inside his helmet and even took time to reflect to himself before climbing out of his car. Felipe took a very painful hit in his heart knowing that he could have won the title when he crossed the line only to find out seconds after that Lewis still managed to finished 5th and win the title. Felipe vowed to his countrymen, hugged his race engineer ....
Here's a clip of the final lap of the Brazilian GP where Lewis managed to sweep pass by the Toyota of Timo Glcok (White & Red car)
Formula 1, 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, F1 World Champion // TAGS
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