Armaan 3rd in rookie session

A1 Team India had a solid start to the third round of A1GP World Cup of Motor Sport at Sepang, Malaysia with Armaan Ebrahim finishing third in his first rookie session in their new Ferrari-powered car on Friday.

Narain Karthikeyan too finished third in the lead driver practice session, according to a news release.

Armaan finished fourteen laps with his quickest lap time at 1:52.739 behind Nicolas Prost of Team France coming second and Danny Watts from Team Great Britain taking pole position with a fastest lap time of 1:51.096.

The first rookie session was far more successful than the second where the temperature of the engine rose sharply.

Mark Webber breaks leg in bike crash

Formula One driver Mark Webber has broken his leg after colliding head-on with a car while riding a bike at his own charity event in Tasmania.

The Australian, 32, who drives for the Red Bull racing team, was airlifted to hospital where he underwent surgery on a broken right leg.

"The surgery is complete, a pin inserted and the recovery begins," said the event's director, Geoff Donohue.

The accident happened south-east of state capital Hobart on Saturday.

Webber was taking part in the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge, a 250km endurance event consisting of mountain bike riding, kayaking and trekking on the Australian island.

He was riding a bicycle along a road near historic Port Arthur when he collided with a four-wheel drive vehicle at 1240 local time.

"Mark's in good spirits," said Donohue. "The broken leg is the injury, and beyond that, he's in really good shape.

"He has a little bit of a graze on his left forearm, but he has had full scans and everything else is clear.

"He'll be in hospital for at least three days, for sure under a week. I was speaking to him before the operation, and he was already thinking about his rehabilitation."

Sergeant Jon Ford, of Tasmania Police, said: "We received reports of a collision between a bicycle and a motor vehicle on the Fortescue Bay Road on the Tasman Peninsula.

"He was airlifted from the scene by helicopter and taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital where he is now being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

"He suffered a broken leg and other injuries and is reported to be in a stable condition."

Webber, who is also a BBC Sport columnist, finished 11th in the Formula One drivers' world championship standings this year.

Red Bull have already begun testing ahead of the 2009 F1 season. The team's next testing session is scheduled to take place in Jerez, in southern Spain, from 9 December.

"That date obviously will be an issue," said Donohue.

"But I suspect that as soon as Mark is able to fly, they will be keen to get him back to Europe.

"They will have people working out his rehab program now with a view to getting him up and going as soon as possible."

McLaren not to impose drivers on Force India

McLaren management said they might suggest preferred drivers for their new partner Force India but made it clear that they would never try to impose their will on the Vijay Mallya-owned Formula One outfit.

Force India announced its new ‘ground-breaking partnership’ on Monday which would see the Silverstone-based outfit running on Mercedes engines, using gearbox and hydraulic systems provided by McLaren. Speculation was rife that McLaren might push for the appointment of Paul di Resta and Pedro de la Rosa in place of Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil for the next season.


Speaking to autosport.com, McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh, however, made it clear that everything would be discussed with Force India but it was Mallya who would eventually be calling the shots. “There’s nothing off bounds in this partnership,”
Whitmarsh said, when asked if McLaren would suggest new drivers.

“Vijay has shown a lot of confidence in his commitment and investment in this partnership and us. We’ll sit down and talk about every aspect of the programme, and that extends beyond the process development and the powertrain. We’ve got to work together on all those things,” he said.

“We will make proposals and recommendations that we think are enhancing the prospect of good performance. Vijay is an enormously successful entrepreneur in his own right in many fields, and if he turned all of those attentions to Formula One, he would be an awesome competitor for all of us,” Whitmarsh said.

“The reality is that I suspect he has some staggering business commitments outside of Formula One and he would expect us, as a specialist professional in this field, to make all of the recommendations that are necessary to go forward,” Whitmarsh said.

The McLaren top official also ruled out the possibility of Force India becoming a McLaren B-team. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to be respectful that Force India are a team in their own right. They are a partner, but although there will be a range of strident suggestions and recommendations, his team has to decide. It’s in his hands. It hasn’t been taken over by McLaren. This is an independent team that we happen to be partnering, and I hope that we can bring business benefit to this organisation,” he added.

Mallya to lead Force India team

Force India owner Vijay Mallya is to replace Colin Kolles as team principal in a major shake-up for next season.

Chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne, former technical director at Jordan, Renault and Toyota, has also left.

"Force India is my most difficult project and requires more direct input from my side and greater performance accountability," Mallya said.

"We have come a long way this season but we need more and that requires a radical reorganisation."

Indian billionaire Mallya bought the Spyker team along with Dutch businessman Michiel Mol in 2007 and the outfit raced under its new moniker for 2008.

However, Force India failed to win a single point in their first season with Giancarlo Fisichella's 10th place at the Spanish Grand Prix their best result.

Team-mate Adrian Sutil was running in a brilliant fourth place in Monaco before Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen slammed into the back of him in the closing laps, forcing him to retire.

Now Mallya, who has stuck with Fisichella and Sutil for 2009, has initiated a major management restructure as he seeks success on the track.

"Force India's senior management structure will be streamlined with immediate effect," the team said.

Mallya added: "I would like to thank Colin Kolles for his tireless efforts in keeping such a small team alive and to Mike Gascoyne for bringing his wealth of technical experience.

"But on Monday (10 November), I will announce the new technical direction of the team."

Force India have also ended their deal with engine suppliers Ferrari and are tipped to switch to the Mercedes engine used by world champion Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.

Mercedes are expected to fulfil Mallya's wish of supplying an engine, gearbox and the required Energy Recovery System (KERS) in one package.

Hamilton in McLaren career pledge

World champion Lewis Hamilton says he intends to drive for the McLaren team for the rest of his Formula One career.

Hamilton made the pledge at a "welcome home" event staged by McLaren at their base in Woking, Surrey, on Wednesday.

"I'm with the team I've always dreamt of driving for, and I've got the car I always wanted - so why change?" said 23-year-old Hamilton.

"I don't know how long I'll be in F1 - but I want to see my career out with this team, and that's my plan."

Hamilton, who won his first world title in a nail-biting climax to Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, was welcomed at the McLaren Technology Centre by the team's 1,000-strong workforce, plus another 500 ancillary staff.

He drove his F1 car around the Norman Foster-designed building's ornamental lake, parked it outside the main entrance and entered to huge cheers from the McLaren staff and applause from the media.

Standing in front of a collection of the trophies McLaren have won during their 40 years in F1, he made a composed, eloquent speech to the employees and described how he had still not fully come to terms with the magnitude of his achievement.

A congratulatory message from The Queen was read out, and on the morning Barack Obama was elected the next President of the United States, Hamilton was asked about the historic parallels of two mixed-race men making such landmark achievements in their respective fields.

"I tried to watch it," he said. "I've got a huge amount of respect for both candidates and I'm very happy and proud to see Obama out front. Congratulations to him."

But he added that, like Obama, he did not see himself as a role model exclusively for minorities.

"I don't sit here and say I want to be an inspiration for one generation or race," he said.

"The great thing is it opens up doors for all groups – anyone can get into it. I want to be as positive a role model as possible because I don't believe there are that many out there."

He added: "I never go around the track thinking I'm the only one here. We've always been well treated and well respected and I'm proud I have managed to achieve this."

Hamilton was joined at McLaren by his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, singer with the pop group the Pussycat Dolls, who posed for photographs with McLaren employees.

He arrived back in Britain from Brazil on Tuesday morning, and said he had spent the intervening 24 hours laying low "at home" in Stevenage, Hertforshire, the town in which he grew up.

"My heart's still racing – it hasn't really hit home yet," said Hamilton, whose career has been guided by McLaren since he was 12 years old.

"I'm out of breath. I can't believe there are so many people here. To know I have made so many people happy, I'm a bit overwhelmed.

"I've been thinking about my time with McLaren, all the landmark moments, just the whole journey. I love this team, and I ain't going nowhere.

"When I was 13, I went to the old headquarters [in another part of Woking] and I used to go to the museum and see the old cars.

"I used to touch Ayrton Senna's car and imagine what it would be like to drive it and be in his position.

"That day has come, and I'm very proud."

Hamilton acknowledged that he had made winning the title more difficult than it might have been this season by making too many mistakes.

His error count was a stark contrast to his performance in his debut season last year, when he was virtually flawless until letting the title slip through his fingers in the final two races.

"It was easier to a certain extent last year. In the state of mind I was in, it was easier to just jump in the car and enjoy myself and go well and be consistent," he said.

"This year, new things kept coming out. I'd be leading a race and at the end of the pit lane everyone stopped or something. I haven't sat at traffic lights for a while.

"It's just something you have to deal with. Through life, I'm sure next year and the years to come I will make many more mistakes. It's how you learn from them and grow [that's important].

"I will analyse this year and really try next year to make less."

McLaren chief executive officer Martin Whitmarsh paid tribute to Hamilton's "humility, his character and his star quality.

"It's Lewis's championship and he is a true, true star."

Lewis Hamilton's girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger celebrates Formula One title win

Scherzinger was trackside to watch Hamilton's amazing victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix. "I nearly broke down, it was so thrilling. I thank God," she said afterwards as she showered Hamilton with kisses.

The pair met at the MTV Europe Awards in Munich last November and have been inseparable ever since. At 30, Scherzinger is seven years older than the racing driver.

She says: "I love his soul. When I saw him for the first time, I was located in an enormous crowd. He asked me, 'How do you deal with all this bustle?' I said to him, 'Stay close to your family. It gives you everything that you need and keeps your feet on ground.' At that time I didn't suspect that Lewis is exactly the same family person as me. We are soul mates."

Hamilton previously dated Miss Grenada beauty queen Vivia Burkhardt and was spotted out in the company of supermodel Naomi Campbell, although he insists: "There's most certainly nothing going on between me and Naomi.

"She's like a big sister. Anyway, she's way too old for me."

His first girlfriend was Jodia Ma, a restaurant receptionist whom he met while a student in Hertfordshire. They were together for four years but split when Hamilton started in Formula One.

Scherzinger has been welcomed into the Hamilton family and stays regularly at the F1 star's home in Switzerland.

The only thing he doesn't like about Scherzinger is her driving. "I have a Bentley but Lewis doesn't like it. He's scared of my driving. I don't know why," she says.

The Hawaiian-born singer – full name Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger – owes her exotic looks to a Filipino father and Hawaiian/Russian mother.

After attending stage school and singing backing vocals for rock band Days Of The New, she got her big break in the television talent show Popstars, becoming a member of all-girl group Eden's Crush.

When the band split, Scherzinger briefly went solo before joining the Pussycat Dolls in 2003.

The Dolls started out as a burlesque dance troupe, performing with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra, before moving into the music business.

Their debut single, Don't Cha, topped the UK charts in 2005 and was nominated for a Grammy.

Scherzinger embarked on a solo career again in 2007 and released an album, Her Name Is Nicole, but it failed to match the group's success.

Lewis Hamilton is the Clark Kent of Formula One champions, heroic but humble

He drank water most of the night at the knees-up to celebrate his title triumph and on his first morning as Formula One's youngest world champion confessed to his father that he did not know what was going on. Someone had better tell the boy next door he has just become a global superstar.

The Hamilton phenomenon was debated on phone-ins from Hatfield to Hong Kong. Any who might not have heard of him last week know all about him now. Even our political leaders are on his case. Congratulatory messages pinged out of No 10 and Conservative Central Office. On the ground in Brazil, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell was first out with the camera in the McLaren hospitality suite after the race.

His significance as a sporting icon/ethnic totem/cultural envoy is largely lost on him. It is enough that he has acquired a No 1 on his car. "That's the coolest thing ever," he said. Hamilton is happy to leave the business of weaving a narrative around his achievements, of classifying his significance and impact at large, to the rest to us.

The fresh-faced 23-year-old giving us his take on a remarkable 24 hours and the gladiator who negotiated the Brazilian car chase form hell were, like Clark Kent and Superman, impossible to square.

There must be a beast sewn into his overalls. The marketing men seeking to package our hero as the new Beckham have got their work cut out. He wasn't playing ball on Monday, despite being told he is speeding towards a £1 billion windfall on the back of the most dramatic title decider in the history of Formula One.

Asked if he would be treating himself with the proceeds, Hamilton offered a flat "nope".

"It would be nice to have a house at some stage. I have a nice apartment, nice drum kit, nice guitars. I don't need anything more. I have won the world championship. What else do you need?

"I'm comfortable in life and of course its amazing to realise you have money. I didn't have £100 to buy some trainers when I was younger so to think we can do those things now is great but it does not particularly motivate me. I would have done this for free. It just so happens I get paid to do my hobby."

There was little encouragement either for those who would have him an agent for social change, though he did offer his support for Barack Obama, who is poised today to become the first black American voted to the office of president. "I have been watching it closely. If I was there, I do like Obama, so I would give him all the support I could. I do hope he gets it."

Of course Hamilton recognises the important of race. How could he not given the persistent reminders from Spain? But that is not why he goes racing. "I have never turned up to a race and thought I'm the only black dude here. I love to race and I enjoy the experience. Hopefully by wining the world championship it can open doors to other cultures and youngsters can see that dreams can come true. I'm still living mine."

What about knocking Michael Schumacher into the nether regions of Formula One's record book. "I don't plan or try to reach any of his records. It's not something that appeals to me. Records don't mean a huge amount to me.

"I love being in the car and winning. That's a great feeling, a fulfilling achievement. Just to get to one world title has been unbelievably hard. Hopefully I'll grow as a driver and if that means winning world championships so be it."

In resisting the heroic storyline Hamilton is in fact revealing the genuine elements of a nature that define all great champions. There is an essential humility about him. Despite his obvious gifts, his remarkable ability behind the wheel, his status as the youngest world champion in F1, he does not see himself as special.

This modesty irks his detractors even more. Resentment is the natural reflex of the inferior being. They look for outlandish reasons why he succeeds at the expense of the obvious reasons why they don't. This is how the cocky, brash, arrogant, conceited, lucky, undeserving Hamilton passed his championship night. Not up to his neck in birds and booze.

"Apart from a couple of glasses of champagne I mostly drank water. Towards the end of the night I just sat there on the side. A song came on, We are the Champions. I just saw all the team members, my mechanics, the engineers, catering, the bosses, my dad, everyone was so happy.

"I could just sit there and take all that in. It was a feeling you can't put into words. To see how happy you have made everyone after the work they have put in. Seeing that was my present last night. Then I left and went to bed. I learnt my lesson from last year. It was only the third party I have been to this year."

Most in the audience would have benefited from an intravenous drip to counter the after-effects of adrenalin and alcohol. "You guys are looking more tired than me," he said, demonstrating that he is made of different stuff. Every ounce of it was laid out across the Interlagos track as he reached out for the world drivers' championship, which two laps from home suddenly turned into a bar of soap.

The subsequent hunting down of Timo Glock has become the definitive symbol of a sporting life. Everything, it seems, goes to the wire with Hamilton. Championships are won or lost by a point. Fasten your seat belts; there could be another 15 years of this. "I won't change my driving style. It is what got me here. I always take it to the edge. I'll never step back from that."

Black Britons who broke down the barriers

Roland Butcher: The dashing Middlesex batsman and brilliant fielder was born in Barbados, made his life in England and became the first black cricketer to play for England – against the West Indies in Barbados in 1981.

James 'Darkie' Peters: Orphaned son of a well-known Jamaican circus performer who was killed by a lion. Peters was the first black rugby player to represent England when he played outside-half against Scotland in 1906 but was 'rested' later that season when the Springboks complained about his possible selection against them.

Walter Tull: Also of Barbadian ancestry, Tull was another orphan and was the first black footballer to play professional First Division football as an outfield player and later became the first commissioned black officer to serve in a British regiment.

Viv Anderson: Tull was the pioneer but Viv Anderson – then playing for Nottingham Forest – became the first black footballer to represent England in a full international when he played against Czechoslovakia in 1978, the first of 32 caps for the gifted defender

World Champion Lewis Hamilton could have been withdrawn from F1 over racist abuse

Anthony Hamilton, father of new Formula One world champion Lewis, said racial taunts and abuse had made him consider pulling his son out of the sport.

In the build-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton was racially abused on a Spanish website - taken down hours before the Interlagos race - while he was also the prank of two Brazilian comedians, who had handed the British driver a black cat as a symbol of bad luck.

"I did think maybe this is not the place for my family," Hamilton said. "I have never said it to Lewis, you just go home and think 'I didn't think the world was like this'.

"I don't believe it is a racist thing in all honesty. If it is then I don't understand it. I don't think it is just me that's shocked, I think everyone is shocked.

"As a parent you want to make sure you do the right things for your kids, put them in the right places, and my family has taken a lot of stick this week, not just this week but in the past few months."

The 23-year-old became Formula One's youngest world champion when he finished fifth in Sunday's dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix.

In the countdown to the race, the McLaren driver was targeted by hate messages posted by racist fans on a Spanish website.

"The positive aspect of this (weekend) is not just for people of our colour, it is for everybody," said Anthony. "The world is in turmoil and I like to think we set an example to remain dignified, have respect for everyone, be honest.

"The booing in the crowd here (Brazil) is maybe something we might not have got in the UK."

Hamilton senior also shrugged off the cat prank as "extremely unprofessional", adding: "But do you know what they fail to realise? We've a black cat at home and she has been extremely positive for us."

Despite the negativity, Anthony Hamilton said he would not spoil the enjoyment of witnessing his son finally becoming world champion after coming so close last year, the driver's first season in the sport.

"We came into this to do a decent job and we deserve to be here. If people like us, then great. If (they) don't, then I am sad for them and maybe God will forgive them."

Hamilton will be hard to stop now, says Hill

Damon Hill hailed McLaren's Lewis Hamilton as Britain's newest Formula One champion on Sunday and said the 23-year-old McLaren driver would be hard to stop now.

"I think it's a tremendous result," the 1996 champion told Reuters Television after watching Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix with race fans at Britain's Silverstone circuit.

"He's come out on top after nearly winning it in his first season. Youngest ever world champion, Britain's new world champion and first one for 12 years.

"He's put Britain back at the top and we are very proud of him," added Hill.

"Lewis is a tremendous talent, a great ambassador for British motor sport and possibly one of the greatest drivers we have had in this country.

"He has got a world championship in the bank and I think he is going to be difficult to stop from now on."

Fans cheered and whooped as Hamilton finished fifth at Interlagos to beat Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa to the title by a single point.

Hill was joined by five-times race winner John Watson, South Africa's 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter and Hamilton's aunt Vanessa and family.

"Massa had the pace, he couldn't do anything about it but you know Lewis deserved the championship. That's what it comes down to, if you look at the whole year, he definitely deserved the championship," said Scheckter.

"Lewis went by and quite simply went from being runner up to being 2008 world champion," said Watson of the last lap move on Toyota's Timo Glock that secured the title.

"You couldn't write a script, you couldn't write the movie. I have never known a finish to any world championship, Formula One, that has been as exciting as that. I am almost speechless, almost speechless."

Italian media graciously accept Hamilton victory

Italian media paid gracious tributes to McLaren's new world champion Lewis Hamilton on Monday after the Briton beat Ferrari's Felipe Massa to the title on the final bend at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Massa won his home race on Sunday and for a moment looked to have snatched the title before Hamilton overtook Toyota's Timo Glock to seize the fifth place he needed to become Formula One's youngest champion at the age of 23.

Italian television did not realise Massa had been denied the title for almost a minute.

Italy's main sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport, was unsure how to react after Italian team Ferrari wrapped up the constructors' title.

"Honour to Ferrari. Felipe Massa did not deserve to lose like that, with a cruelty that a wizard in a thriller could not even have imagined," read the front page.

However, the paper praised Hamilton inside and absolved German Glock given that his Toyota slowed down considerably because he was on dry tyres in the wet.

"He stole nothing and Glock gave him nothing. We honour his skill," it said.

Reports said Glock had been insulted by Brazilian fans at the end but he protested his innocence amid accusations he had done Hamilton a favour.

"What? Are you taking the Mickey? I had dry tyres, what could I do?" he was quoted as saying.

"When it started to rain it was always difficult to find the right line with dry tyres. At the end the track was totally wet. For five laps we asked if it was better to come in but I stayed out."

Italian daily Corriere della Sera also put aside its love of Ferrari to congratulate the sport's first black champion, who won the title by one point just as he lost by a single point to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen last season.

"We bow to Lewis Hamilton, who deservedly won the first title of his career. Other world championships will follow for this 23-year-old blessed with talent," read its main story.

Corriere, which said it was wrong to blame Glock, also called on Ferrari to sign Renault's former double world champion Fernando Alonso to replace the struggling Raikkonen.

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton: I felt as though my heart was going to explode

He stood there beaming, and pleading speechlessness, which was probably not what a clamouring throng of TV reporters needed to hear. Hamilton's last-gasp fifth place secured less than half a lap from the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix, made him the youngest world champion in the 59-season history of the Formula One world championship.

"I don't think it has hit home yet," said Hamilton, edging ever close to his team's garage wall to avoid being consumed by the media scrum. "It was the most intense race of my life and my heart is still pumping. I'd like to thank McLaren for giving me a wonderful car and my family for being here to support me. I'm thankful to everyone who has given me this opportunity.

"Honestly, I felt as though my heart was about to explode in the closing stages of the race. I don't know how I kept my cool. I was fortunate on the last lap, but I've done it. It was such a tough race, the toughest of my life."

He blamed tyre problems for the lack of pace that made him easy prey for Sebastian Vettel shortly after both drivers had switched to wet tyres in the race's final moments. Vettel moved ahead on lap 69, knocking Hamilton back to sixth and giving Massa the advantage in the title race. On the final lap, though, Toyota driver Timo Glock – who had gambled on sticking with dry tyres – slowed in the increasing rain and Hamilton recovered the extra point he required.

"My tyres were beginning to grain," said Hamilton, "and it was all I could do to stay on the track. My heart was in my mouth, but then I had a chance to get past Glock. We came, we saw and we did what we needed to do."

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis denied there was any particular sinking feeling when Vettel passed his talisman. "This is a heroes-to-zeroes sport," he said. "This was a day when you just had to make the calls as the race evolved. We were fairly sure there was a lot of rain coming and in the end our strategy turned out to be right. Lewis is a very special talent. He's the youngest-ever world champion and he's done it so well."

Hamilton's father, Anthony, was, like his son, struggling to find the right words. "This is the culmination of 16 years of hard work," he said, "and we have to hope this is inspirational for other families and kids. We had no money when we started out but now we're here on top of the world. The reality is that it can be done."

Emotions were running high in another family, too. The Massa clan momentarily believed their man had done enough and were just starting to celebrate when the reality of the final half-lap dawned.

The race winner, Massa – who has been victorious in six grands prix this year, one more than Hamilton – crossed the line 13.2sec ahead of Fernando Alonso and then faced an interminable wait to learn how his rival had fared. He was in tears at the end and happy to admit as much.

"I don't cry a lot," Massa said, "but today it was difficult not to. Perhaps it's my age. I had really mixed emotions, racing at home here in front of the Brazilian people. We did everything absolutely right. We can be proud of our race and our championship campaign.

"Now I need to concentrate on celebrating this victory and then looking ahead to next year. It's another day in which I'll have learned a lot and yes, for sure, I'm very emotional."

This time last year Hamilton left Brazil having missed the title by one point. Massa, another worthy loser, now knows how that feels

Brazilian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton was overwhelmed by emotion after capturing the 2008 world championship by a single point at a thrilling season finale in Brazil.

"It's pretty impossible to put into words," said the 23-year-old, who is now the youngest ever F1 champion.

"It's been such a long journey and I'm so speechless. After all the sacrifices we've made I am so thrilled to be able to do this for everyone.

"It was one of the toughest races of my life - if not the toughest."

Hamilton clinched the title when he passed Timo Glock accelerating out of the final corner of the race to snatch the drivers' crown from Felipe Massa, who took the chequered flag ahead of him.

With Massa winning at Interlagos, the Englishman knew he had to finish fifth to claim the title but he had slipped to sixth with one lap to go.

In one final twist, however, Hamilton overtook Glock's slowing Toyota to clinch the fifth place he needed - and with it the title.

BRITAIN'S WORLD CHAMPIONS
Mike Hawthorn (1958)
Graham Hill (1962 and '68)
Jim Clark (1963 and '65)
John Surtees (1964)
Jackie Stewart (1969, '71 and '73)
James Hunt (1976)
Nigel Mansell (1992)
Damon Hill (1996)
Lewis Hamilton (2008)

"The team didn't say anything so I thought I was shot," said Hamilton, who became Britain's ninth world champion and the first since Damon Hill in 1996.

"I didn't know where Glock was and Vettel was the guy to beat and I couldn't catch him, so at that point I was going to finish sixth. My heart was in my mouth," said Hamilton

"When it started to drizzle, I didn't want to take any risks but at the final corner I got past Glock and I couldn't believe it.

"I thought 'do I have it, do I have it?' When they told me, I was ecstatic.

"It was absolutely fantastic, an amazing achievement on one of the most troubled days.

"It was such a hard race and I'm ecstatic, very emotional, very thankful for my team and my family and everyone who has supported me.

"I have done enough and we made it. I can forget everything else.

"I need to rest because my heart is on edge. I want to shout out to all my supporters at home - I love them all."


Glock insisted he had not handed the title to Hamilton and explained how his decision not to change tyres as the rain began to fall ultimately cost him fifth place.

"Six laps from the end I asked about the tyre situation and about the weather conditions, and I said every time I'll stay out, 'one more lap, one more lap' and at the end I stayed out for the whole race," the German told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"That last lap just cost us the chance to be in the top five, and in the end (decided) the world championship."

After a record-breaking rookie season, Hamilton continued to rack up the landmarks with his feat in Brazil.

The Englishman joined Canada's 1997 winner Jacques Villeneuve as the only other driver to claim the championship in just their second season.

At the age of 23 years and 301 days, he succeeded Fernando Alonso, who was 122 days older when he won the title in 2005, as the sport's youngest champion.

He is McLaren's first world champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999, and joins a club that includes his hero Ayrton Senna and all-time greats Alain Prost and Niki Lauda.

Hamilton paid tribute to McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who has mentored him for a decade.

"It's a fairytale story that he gave me that opportunity years ago and he had the foresight to bring me in and groom me to get to this position," Hamilton said.

"I've grabbed it with both hands and I've paid him back. I've paid him back in full so I'm happy with that."

When asked if the title would be the first of many, Hamilton said: "I hope so. I don't know if my heart will be able take that final lap for many more seasons but I'll try to do it in a bit of style maybe."


Massa claimed his sixth Grand Prix win in Brazil but saw the title slip away
Massa struggled to hold back the tears after winning his home Grand Prix but losing the world crown by the smallest of margins.

"I had completely mixed emotions because by the time I had crossed the line, I was still the champion, and then suddenly my engineer was telling me everything on the radio," said the 27-year-old, who was racing in his hometown of Sao Paulo.

"He told me when I was already in turn three that Lewis had passed Glock.

"It was a completely mixed emotion because I was still waiting to hear the confirmation (of the title) and then we didn't have (what we wanted)."

The Ferrari driver had been aiming to become the first Brazilian since the late Ayrton Senna in 1991 to win the drivers' title.

"It was an emotional day for me," said Massa. "The race was perfect, we did everything fantastically in such difficult weather.

"We finished in front and we have to be very proud of that but unfortunately we missed [the championship] by one point.

"But that's racing - we need to be proud of our job, our race, our championship.

"We need to congratulate Lewis because he did a great championship and he scored more points than us, so he deserves to be champion.

"I know how to lose and I know how to win and it is another day of my life from which I am going to learn a lot."

Lewis Hamilton joins long list of British Formula One champions

Great Britons - the nine home grown Formula One world champions:

Mike Hawthorn

1958 world champion

Aged 29

Blond, bow-tied hero from a dashing age. Saw too many friends killed on the track and retired after winning the title; killed in a road crash shortly thereafter.

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Graham Hill

1962 and 1968 world champion

Won first title aged 33

Slighted by some as a journeyman, but won in Monte Carlo five times and added victory in the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 hours to complete a unique triple crown.

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Jim Clark

1963 and 1965 world champion

Won first title aged 27

Perhaps the greatest natural talent in the sport of all time, would surely have won more world titles if not for his untimely death in an unimportant Formula Two race in 1968.

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John Surtees

1964 world champion

Aged 30

The only man ever to become world champion on two wheels and four, Surtees was a motorbike legend before switching to F1 with Ferrari. Later ran his own F1 team.

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Jackie Stewart

1969, 1971 and 1973 world champion

Won first title aged 29

Greatly gifted, determined and disciplined, Stewart was a pioneering campaigner for safety in the sport. Only F1 champion to later become a race winner as a team owner.

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James Hunt

1976 world champion

Aged 29

Charismatic wild boy made his name with the bubbly Hesketh team and became world champion with McLaren. Later a budgie breeder and popular TV commentator; sadly died young.

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Nigel Mansell

1992 world champion

Aged 39

"Our Nige" was regarded by his fellow drivers as the bravest of them all. Charismatically challenged off-track but a racer's racer. To Italian fans, will always be "Il leone".

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Damon Hill

1996 world champion

Aged 36

Former bike racer and gifted test driver who made the most of his late graduation to the grid. Only son ever to emulate an F1-title-winning father, but inherited no silver spoon.

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Lewis Hamilton

2008 world champion

Aged 23

Formula One's youngest-ever world champion, beating the record set by his Spanish rival Fernando Alonso. Talented go-karter with Senna-like speed, nurtured by the Mclaren machine.

Lewis Hamilton has written Formula One's most glorious chapter

Watching Lewis Hamilton should come with a health warning. Dish the sedatives. After the closest finish in grand prix history, one that made Manchester United's Champions League win in 1999 appear routine – Jonny Wilkinson's World Cup winning dropped goal in 2003, too, for that matter – Hamilton redefined our ideas of what is possible.

He was dead in the water, literally. Felipe Massa crossed the line first in a wet Brazilian Grand Prix believing he had nailed a remarkable victory of his own. With only two corners of the race remaining he had. The BBC website declared it so and the scenes in the Ferrari garage, where Massa's father was in the early stages of delirium, appeared to confirm it.

What they couldn't see was Hamilton arrowing in on history and the fading Toyota of Timo Glock. Hamilton had surrendered the fifth place he required to secure the title to Sebastian Vettel with two laps to go as returning rain forced a chaotic finale. Glock chose not to come in, a move that seemed to have torpedoed Hamilton's coronation.

Then, as the rain started to pour, the world came back to Hamilton. Glock lost 18 seconds in that final lap before surrendering in the dying moments. Hamilton might not even have known he had pulled the mother of all rabbits out of the hat as he crossed the line. The message eventually filtered through on his in-lap.

Hamilton fell into the emotional embrace of his mechanics. Ecstasy fizzed through the McLaren garage. And then the meeting with his father in the weighing room. The import of what he had achieved took his legs away. His father put an arm around him as he sat in the chair and the tears flowed. Hamilton had won by the same margin, one point, by which he had surrendered the championship a year ago.

At 23 Hamilton has changed the grand prix world. His youth is the least if it. A frontier has fallen, the last great colour bar in mainstream sport shattered by a mixed race kid from Stevenage.

It was the outcome motor sport needed. No disrespect to Massa. He contributed fully to the piece, pushed Hamilton to the limits of his talent, to the last seconds of a compelling duel. But this was the kind of historic moment that a Massa championship could not have delivered.

Nerves cannot survive a career full of this. An hour before the race began lightning ripped across a leaden Sao Paulo sky. Peels of thunder momentarily drowned the din urging Massa forth. This was one race that had no need of a celestial atmosphere boost.

As the clock counted down, Hamilton talked quietly with his father at the back of the garage. At the front a couple of mechanics high-fived. Team-mate Heikki Kovalainen wished Hamilton well. How different the scene a year ago with Fernando Alonso fomenting alongside.

Hamilton was at the sharp end of the most expensively constructed championship campaigns in F1. Since his win in China a fortnight ago McLaren had thrown the GNP of a minor monarchy to get across the line first. All sleep was cancelled. Every nook and cranny of the car was re-considered in pursuit of extra speed. Engines ran 24/7 on space-age dynos.

Team principal Ron Dennis claims the gargantuan effort put an extra tenth of a second in Hamilton's tank. You wondered if this were not overkill. If any team can overcomplicate a simple equation it is McLaren. A better response after China might have been to send Dennis, an inveterate control freak by his own admission, on holiday for a fortnight. McLaren's ranks here were swelled by extra staff, including heightened security to protect against the threat of skulduggery.

There was a lot resting on the result. A barren run stretching back 10 years in the constructors' championship and nine in the drivers' was becoming an increasingly toxic detail for a team who spend on the high side of £200 million a year. As F1 would have it, all the planning was rendered meaningless by a shower on the stroke of kick-off. "Typical," said Bernie Ecclestone, "nothing in Brazil arrives on time."

A 10-minute delay allowed a change to wet tyres. When the lights went out Nelson Piquet spun through the Senna Esses ending his race and, cruelly, the career of David Coulthard. Heart rates soared. The safety car was out for three laps, nowhere near long enough for the pulse to dip back below a hundred. That would take a little longer, until the cars began to spread and Vettel drew back from Hamilton's tail pipe.

After eight laps the dash for dry tyres began. The variable Hamilton didn't want was in play. Massa was the first of the leading group in after 10 laps, Hamilton 11. The episode dropped him to seventh. Jarno Trulli went wide a lap later. Hamilton was up to sixth. Then a move reserved for heroes to dispatch Giancarlo Fisichella.

The manoeuvre through turn one, and the one at turn 12 that accounted for Glock, bookended a process that began a year ago. The long march to the summit started in a Sao Paulo hotel room 24 hours after falling off the 2007 championship cliff. Food poisoning and heartbreak had brought Hamilton low. It was an act of cruelty to force him to answer for his nosedive. He took his lumps and, between lunges for the toilet bowl, mapped the coming weeks. "There are 22 until Melbourne," he said. "When I get to Australia I'll be a better driver; fitter and stronger than before."

Too right, blue. Hamilton won from pole. What followed was typical of a season that would contort through any number of narrative twists. The blue sky script perished immediately in Malaysia and Bahrain. What had been a nine-point lead over Raikkonen after the first race was now a five-point deficit after three.

Hamilton's confidence evaporated. He talked of trying too hard. At a dinner in Brazil last week a McLaren executive opened a window into Hamilton's churning psyche in April. He believed the trauma of the championship failure five months earlier had cut deeper than any imagined. He could not offer a definitive account, but felt the matter had not been resolved. Hamilton was knee deep in his first crisis in F1. He was the man on whom responsibility rested. His team-mate, Kovalainen, was new to McLaren. Hamilton was growing up on the front line. His challenge then was not the championship but to rediscover himself. We got him back in Monaco.

Reputations are forged in the rain. Hamilton raced in Senna's orbit that day; peerless. It was a display to end all debate about his credentials as a grand prix man. Or it should have been.

Hamilton polarises opinion. When he shunted himself and Raikkonen out of the race in the Canadian pits Hamilton thought he had simply made a mistake. He hadn't. He had folded in battle, according to the anti-Hamilton lobby. Questions about his temperament were raised. It is the reductio absurdum of F1 that Hamilton cracks under the cosh, but on his detractors raged.

He erred for sure. It was not pressure that did for him but youth. Enthusiasm for the fight was his failing, not a vulnerable psyche. A susceptibility to pressure inhibits performance. Hamilton wasn't shrinking in the Canadian pit lane, he was surging. Hamilton was back in the stocks on the eve of his home grand prix after two pointless finishes. The best story to drop in British sport for years was rapidly turning rank. This was it, a career litmus test with the potential to break him. If ever a bloke was under pressure it was Hamilton at Silverstone. His answer was emphatic, the critics smoked, as they were in Sao Paulo. Hamilton is a winner. Get used to it.

Massa was magnanimous in defeat. It cannot have been easy to have had a lifetime's achievement yanked from his grasp in such circumstances. He was three corners into his lap of honour when he was told his dream was over.

A year ago Hamilton's world had spun similarly off its axis. He didn't deserve to sink as he did. A new chapter opens with his championship success. The way he took his chance reinforced his credentials as an athlete of singular standing. No Muhammad Ali? Flavio Briatore might wish to reconsider. This was Hamilton's rumble in the jungle, a timeless moment in the history of sport.

Lewis Hamilton's historic journey can herald new era in Brazil

A pair of comedians, invoking the spirit of dullard brothers Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, jumped out from behind a virtual tree at The Museum, an oh-so-chic fixture of the Sao Paulo scene that was hosting the Hamilton show. One presented him with a Vasco Da Gama football shirt, the inveterate bridesmaids of domestic football here. The other gave him the cat, a symbol of doom that ranks highest in the hierarchy of Brazilian superstitions.

Hamilton looked suitably bemused by a shirt intended to insult by association, which deepened the sense of accomplishment felt by the perpetrators. These boys have form. Two years ago, on the occasion of Michael Schumacher’s final race, they presented the Weltmeister’s Brazilian team-mate Rubens Barrichello with a tortoise to commemorate his contribution to Ferrari and Formula One.

The cat was less problematic. Though the master of ceremonies screamed hysterically at Hamilton not to touch it, it was too late. Hamilton clasped it in his mitts and smiled broadly; the symbolic value of black felines in Britain flipping the stunt on its head from bad omen to good. Cats are cool with Hamilton. He has a Pussycat Doll on his arm and a black pet at home, Jessie. Hamilton’s father, Anthony, rescued her eight years ago after she was viciously attacked.

“We took her in. Paid for the vet bills,” Anthony said. “She’s not been well. Fingers crossed she makes it through this weekend.”

The episode was more slapstick than menacing. At least we were spared the component raging in Spain. The hit count on the racist Spanish website reached 50,000 following the exposure given to the issue yesterday. Hamilton’s father sensibly had no more oxygen to give it as he watched his son shaping his own response at the head of the field during first practice.

Outside the McLaren hospitality suite Hamilton’s brother, Nick, spent most of the lunch break breathlessly reconfiguring Rubik’s Cube. Anything to take the mind off the matter at hand. Talk of the world championship is almost taboo. The team have taken their cue from Hamilton, whose demeanour is set to bomb-disposal mode. Don’t ask him to up the anti. “You just do the same as you do every other race. You approach it the same way. I will try and do the best job I can,” he said.

Behind the stoic mask, Hamilton’s heart is pumping like the blazes. A world championship awaits. Not the drivers’ championship that Felipe Massa might also win. But one that carries historic import; that plants an altogether different flag on the surface of F1.

Massa, as far as we know, has never been the victim of racist abuse, he has not travelled the same road, he cannot offer the same quantum leap inherent in a Hamilton triumph. A victory for Massa pleases him, Ferrari and Brazil. Hamilton takes the story global. He reaches out to an audience way beyond F1’s traditional constituency.

Johnnie Walker, the sponsor whose brand Hamilton was pushing when the jokers pounced, did not require the input of McLaren’s other driver, Heikki Kovalainen. That is no coincidence. Hamilton is driving this ship already. Ask yourself which racer F1’s commercial godfather, Bernie Ecclestone, would like to take the chequered flag tomorrow. He could work with the youngest champion in the history of the sport, that’s for sure, with its first ethnic standard bearer, the rainbow child of F1.

Even the location is perfect. Nowhere is the global gene pool better represented than Brazil, the host to any number of ethnic variations. Time spent in Sao Paulo, the biggest metropolis in the southern hemisphere, amounts to urban electric shock treatment. Highway 70, the main artery that connects the airport to the action, bears the name of Ayrton Senna; a misnomer since nothing moves quickly on this asphalt.

Mini townships built of unadorned breezeblock topped with corrugated iron, home to the Sao Paulo underclass, are a feature of the roadside furniture. Lorries that would not get an MOT in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fill the ether with their toxic cargo.

The Brazilian flag bears the logo Ordem e Progresso – order and progress. Not in this city, a maelstrom of priapic concrete arranged without the input of a town planner. The random sprouting of self-seeding flora camouflages the essential ugliness of the interior. The favelas are beyond nature’s titivating. But it is inside these walls that Brazil’s dispossessed are nurturing Hamilton fever.

The son of Stevenage slots effortlessly into this mix-raced melting pot, his perceived resemblance to the Manchester City’s Brazilian footballer Robinho reinforcing the connection. Hamilton wears his growing popularity lightly. It is part of an evolving strategy designed to give him the best chance of getting the job done.

Predictably, the pressure question arrows in, the principal string to the journalistic bow. He packages his responses patiently. “I am not fighting any of my natural impulses. I don’t feel

I have to prepare myself any different to any other race but just approach it the same as I did the last race.

“In China I think I had the right package. I come here with great discipline like I did at the last race. We went into China to win but if we didn’t win, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world and it’s the same here. We come here to win. If we don’t, it’s not the end of the world.”

Bunkum, of course; a mental shield to keep the lid on the fires raging below.

In the Hamilton unconscious it’s Guy Fawkes night, rockets going off in all directions. Hamilton was crushed by his failure a year ago to convert a 17-point lead over Kimi Raikkonen with two races remaining. He takes a seven-point lead to the grid tomorrow and none of the baggage that attached in 2007.

The performance to which he alluded in China is the template McLaren are working to in Brazil. Hamilton ended yesterday fourth quickest behind Fernando Alonso, Massa and Jarno Trulli. First up in the morning, none could match Hamilton’s pace until Massa edged past in the final minutes before lunch.

Massa has to finish at least second to make Hamilton sweat. Fifth will be enough for Hamilton.

A new era beckons in F1. The Hamilton years are upon us. As he stepped from his chariot, his day’s work done, he was met by the Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger. The cat to top them all is attending only her second race. At her first, Monaco, Hamilton won. Sound like an omen to you?

McLaren on glory trail:

Nine years have passed since Mika Hakkinen clinched McLaren’s last Formula One world title, and 10 since the team were crowned champion constructors.
Tomorrow will be McLaren’s 648th grand prix. Since company founder Bruce McLaren wheeled out his first F1 car at Monaco in 1966, the team have won 162 grands prix and 19 world titles – eight for constructors and 11 for drivers.
Lewis Hamilton will be crowned champion if he finishes fifth or higher, something he has managed in 12 of the previous 17 races.
David Coulthard, who retires at the end of tomorrow’s race, believes Felipe Massa is this season’s most improved driver and for that the Brazilian can thank a British ally, Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley – a Middlesbrough-born Manchester City fan.

Massa pips Hamilton in first Brazil GP practice

Home hero Felipe Massa made a perfect start to his Formula One title showdown with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton after lapping fastest in Friday's opening practice at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver, seven points behind Hamilton and embarking on the final stage of what some see as a Mission Impossible to wrest the title from the 23-year-old's grasp, lapped the Interlagos circuit in one minute 12.305 seconds.

Hamilton, who can become the sport's youngest champion after blowing his chance last year, was second and just 0.190 off his rival's pace in a cool and overcast session in which he had set the early pace.

Ferrari's outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn who made up a seven point deficit in Brazil last year to beat the Briton by a single point, was third despite a spin.

Hamilton need only finish fifth on Sunday to be champion, even if Massa wins his home race as expected, and will be unlikely to push too hard in what will be the second race for his Mercedes engine.

Both the Ferraris have new engines for Brazil, a boost for their bid to retain the constructors' championship. They lead McLaren by 11 points.

"We don't have to win (the race) so that is a pressure off our shoulders," Hamilton said after his arrival at the circuit on Thursday.

"We have not come here to finish further down the order but we obviously know that it is not do or die."

Felipe Massa not to be underestimated

Felipe Massa can go from being one of Formula One's more underrated drivers to world champion against the odds in his home Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Only this season has the 27-year-old Ferrari driver, who would be Brazil's first world champion since the late Ayrton Senna in 1991, managed to emerge as a genuine contender.

Even if the seven points separating him from McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton prove a gap too far at Interlagos, Massa can still end the season as the driver with most race wins.

He has already eclipsed team mate and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen to emerge as Ferrari's leading driver with a contract to the end of 2010.

It is all a far cry from his early days with Sauber and, more recently, as a supporting act for Michael Schumacher and Raikkonen at Ferrari.

Massa's talents have always been evident, but so too have his flaws.

Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi tipped the Brazilian for greatness when he first saw him drive a Formula One car, maybe because the fast and furious Frenchman saw a kindred spirit.

"I think he's a future champion," Alesi said before Massa's race debut with Sauber as a 20-year-old in 2002. "I've watched him testing... and he's mad, fast and clever."

As Sauber soon discovered, he was also expensively crash-happy.

Hired to replace Raikkonen, Massa failed to replicate the Finn's impressive debut season and was dropped after a year.

Managed by Nicolas Todt, son of then Ferrari team boss Jean, Massa was rescued by the Italian team who appointed him test driver for 2003.

At Maranello, the Brazilian learned his craft from the master -- seven times world champion Schumacher -- in a year that he has likened to being at university. The close relationship forged with the German continues to this day.

He returned to Ferrari-powered Sauber in 2004 and when Ferrari's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello moved to Honda at the end of 2005, it was Massa who was given a one-year contract to replace his compatriot as Schumacher's loyal number two.

With Raikkonen's move to Ferrari from McLaren an open secret and Schumacher still undecided about retirement, Massa was still in danger of being squeezed out after just one season with the champions.

Schumacher's departure ensured he stayed in 2007 but even then speculation about Massa's future refused to go away after double world champion Fernando Alonso fell out with McLaren.

Massa has never wavered, answering those who dismissed him as championship material by going faster than ever. He has won five races this season, adding to five from previous seasons, and notched up a string of pole positions.

It has not all been plain sailing, with the Brazilian failing to score in the first two races of 2008, but he has enjoyed changing perceptions.

"People always put me completely out of the game. Nobody expects you to do a good job and then you do a better job than everyone thinks and it's even nicer," he said recently.

"I'm sure if I started my career as a Ferrari test driver my reputation would have been completely different. Because of the first year, which was bad, my reputation was bad for so many years.

"I made some good results, scored some good points and made some good races," he said of that first year.

"But I made some very bad races as well. That was not a great thing for my image and it took very long to recover and change my image in Formula One. But, fortunately, I think we changed it."

Sao Paulo is where Senna was born and buried but Massa was much more of a Schumacher fan as a youngster.

The Brazilian started in karting, while also driving his father's car in Sao Paulo long before legally allowed, and moved into full time racing in Europe after abandoning his marketing studies.

His parents were comfortably off but not wealthy. When he arrived in Italy in 2000 to enter the Formula One Renault championship, he had a budget only for the first six races.

Massa overcame that by winning his first two races, a success that led his team to continue their support. He went on to win the title and the European championship.

Hamilton expects a fair fight in Brazil

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed fears that his bid to become Formula One's youngest world champion could be wrecked by underhand tactics in Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

"We're here to race, I believe every driver that's here is a great sportsman and we're all very competitive," the 23-year-old McLaren driver told a news conference at the Interlagos circuit on Thursday.

"So I just have to trust and believe in everybody and hope that we can have a fair, straight race.

"That's what motor racing is all about and that's why I race, that's what makes it so exciting."

Hamilton leads Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa by seven points, meaning that the Briton need only finish fifth to take the title even if his Brazilian rival wins the race.

The two collided in Japan this month, with Hamilton failing to score points after being penalised for a wild start and then having to fight back from last position following the Massa incident.

Massa denied deliberately colliding with his rival and said at Fuji: "I have a good relationship with Lewis and would not do anything to destroy someone on purpose."

However, Formula One has been plunged into controversy in title-deciding races in the past, notably between Michael Schumacher and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 and Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989 and 1990.

NO ASSISTANCE

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, whose Honda team have been so far off the pace this season that he is unlikely to be in any position to assist his compatriot, predicted a straight fight and urged local fans to show their sense of fair play.

"I don't think I can help him (Massa) much, unfortunately," said the former Ferrari driver. "I would be willing to get some help from him.

"All I would ask of the guys who come here to cheer Felipe on is to respect Lewis.

"Imagine me doing something against Lewis -- would Felipe be happy with that? Would he be a worthy champion? I don't think so," added Barrichello.

"I think the guys have fought the whole championship by themselves and that's the way it has to be. I would not get in the way."

While Massa must aim to win and hope for the best, Hamilton is under pressure to make up for his failure last year to become the first rookie champion.

The Briton drew a blank in China and then allowed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to make up a seven point deficit and win the title at Interlagos in 2007 and he has vowed not to let that happen again.

"Last year we came here and I'd had one bad race, so it was all a bit hectic and the pressure of being at the last race was upon me and perhaps it got to me," said Hamilton, who this time arrived in Sao Paulo on the back of a dominant win in Shanghai.

"But this year I feel it's just another race. We've come from a great race in China and I know here that we will be just as strong if not a little bit stronger.

"It looks positive and again, my approach is the same as in the last race," added the Briton, who would be McLaren's first champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 and his country's first since Damon Hill in 1996.

"We are just here to do the best job we can and we're not looking at it and saying that we have to do anything again."

Montreal mayor hopeful Canada F1 GP can be saved

Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay said he was hopeful the axed Canadian Formula One Grand Prix could be reinstated next year after meeting the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday.

"We've had a constructive meeting, we have a better understanding of the issues," he told reporters.

"We still have a lot of work to do to evaluate all the options, but it is still possible to hold the grand prix in Montreal in 2009 and subsequent years."

Tremblay was accompanied by Quebec economic development minister Raymond Bachand and federal international trade minister Michael Fortier.

The race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was dropped from a revised calendar this month, leaving North America without a grand prix for the first time in 50 years.

Ecclestone told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend that there was no way back for Canada next year, despite France subsequently dropping off the calendar for financial reasons.

"They want 17 races, the teams, and that's what they've got," he said.

Canadian Grand Prix organisers denied at the weekend that they had defaulted on payments owed to Ecclestone for past hosting rights.

"It is true that we have a commercial disagreement regarding our monetary obligations, but only for 2008," said Canada Grand Prix marketing vice-president Paul Wilson in a statement.

"This is the result of an historical difference within the contractual understanding between the two parties.

"We were working hard to resolve the matter in order to meet our 2008 obligations when Mr. Ecclestone, without notice, surprised everyone by unilaterally dropping the Canadian Grand Prix from the 2009 FIA schedule last October 7."

The decision dismayed the teams, with Canada and the United States being important markets for the manufacturers that dominate the sport.

"It's the opposite of what we want to see," BMW-Sauber team boss Mario Theissen, whose team took their first win in Canada this season, said at this month's Japanese Grand Prix.

"The intention should be not to step out of this market but just the opposite -- to use Montreal as door opener for a future U.S. race as well."

My job more straightforward than Hamilton's - Massa

Felipe Massa has said the pressure is off for next Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix because he knows exactly what he has to do to snatch the title from British rival Lewis Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver is seven points behind McLaren's 23-year-old, who only needs to finish fifth at Interlagos to become the sport's youngest champion, having won in China last weekend.

However, Brazilian Massa believes his task is more straightforward as he bids to clinch his first world championship on his home track in Sao Paolo.

"Yes it's true I have a tougher job than Lewis in terms of the points situation but my own objective for the weekend is much more straightforward than his," Massa told Ferrari's website (www.ferrariworld.com).

"I only have to focus on winning the race on Sunday afternoon, hopefully with my team mate (world champion Kimi Raikkonen) second behind me.

"The only thing I am thinking about is winning. After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won."

Massa has been on pole in Brazil for the past two seasons, winning in 2006 and finishing second last year after allowing Raikkonen to go past and win to become champion by a point.

Hamilton threw away his chance of the title in that race.

"It is impossible to predict what will happen at the Brazilian Grand Prix but I think our car has always been very good at this circuit. Another plus for me is that I will have a huge following here in my home town," Massa said.

"For sure, Lewis will try and put pressure on me, but I have zero pressure, because I have nothing to lose.

"I have my people behind me and all the pressure will be on him, especially when you think about what happened at this race last year. I can't wait for the final Sunday of the season."