[RacingForIndia]

Congrats to Lewis and McLaren for winning the WDC and Ferrari for the WCC.
Lets not mar the occasion by needless comments on the credibility of Glock or Lewis. This is racing and as McLaren fans have learnt it over the years, loosing hurts but one should take such blows on the chin.
Hope this is the title which brings McLaren back into regular championship winners.

[anachronix]

What a WONDERFUL race to end the season!

Congratulations to Massa & the Ferrari team who did their job to perfection to win the Constructors title! Proud of you Massa as you are the worthy one out there for this season.

Congratulations to the new champ Hamilton. Worthy!? Ask Vettel

Now we have to roll through this boring winter break for F1!

[normally_crazy]

Yaayy !!

Lewis managed to win the WDC !! But it was TENSE stuff in the last 2 laps. LH almost managed to loose it in the end and if that would happened 2 years in a row then....

Vettel - what a performance - simply AWESOME !!

And how can we forget Alonso - superb as always !!

Massa - almost there after a flawless performance but for Glock's slowing down. Happens but he drove much much better than Kimi this year. Great going.

[kartikkumar]

Originally Posted by kiku007

I wonder what LH would have said? "My Team didn't support me blah blah blah. They supported Driver 2 blah blah blah. The Car was not at it's best to drive today blah blah blah". I still can't forget his childish comments in the last season on Mc Laren!

I think you have you drivers and facts mixed up my friend. It was Alonso that did the crying last year not Lewis, who has always been a complete team man.

[rranjith_kum]

Lewis was told over the radio by McLaren that he wasn't racing Vettel but he had to catch and pass Glock and they knew he'd catch him on the last lap based on his slowing pace. So Lewis knew he didn't need to fight Seb and possibly go off etc etc


I think Lewis deserved that win, he didnt want to fight against Vettel and hit the boards

Things are over no use debating, Lewis Hamilton The Youngest World Champion.

[suman]

My heart went out to Massa - a flawless drive, perfect "10". Would have been great if he got the WDC, then you'd have seen 3 consecutive WDCs on the podium yesterday

Feel bad for Massa cos this was his only chance to make it, can't see a repeat of this in the near future.

A long & boring wait now.....till March 2009!

[RacingForIndia]

Alonso won the 2005 WDC by staying in cruise control mode after the IMOLA GP. I think thats how WDC's are won and we should not devalue Lewis's WDC by judging him by the last 2 laps of the Brazalian GP. If anything I think it was amazing of him to have the mental calmness to keep the car on track once Vettel passed him and overtake Glock at the penltimate corner of the race.
This is pure campionship material stuff and if keeps his head like he did in the last 2 laps for the next races, we are looking at a very boring and one sided championsip for years to come.

[Maverick1977]

You have to give credit to LH for keeping his nerves in the last 2 laps. Unfortunately he is the dark horse in this race (quite literally) & what RK did is quite questionable. I am sure LH lost his concentration after RK didnt allow him to go through.
At the end of the day Mclaren won the drivers title by the same margin with which it had lost the title last year.
I am sure all Mclaren wanted was this guy to finish & that too in the top 5.
But it was also good to see that the old days of taking out your rival are over.

[Dippy]

What a nerve wrecking finish to the season. My heart was in my mouth on the last two laps. In the heat of the excitement I didnt even see the "Glockiness". . I was jumping when Massa crossed the finishing line only to see the actual result a few moments later. Finally Hamilton wins the championship. Congratulations to him and the Mclaren team.

My heart goes out to Massa and his family. I really thought he had nailed it there. I think this was one of his best drives. A perfect race from start to finish. I dont know if he will ever get a chance at the championship again but I hope he does. This was a matured drive.

Vettel put in an awesome performance in this race. I really hope this guy makes it to a top team in the near future. He is definately championship material. Alonso put in a very good drive to come second. As much as I am not an Alonso fan, it cant be denied that he is a brilliant driver. Somehow the BMWs were not in the limelight in this race. It was also sad to see Coulthard's career end the way it did on the first lap.

Ther are no arguements now on stirring up controversies and penalties for Lewis. He won and now he is champion. It is an accepted fact. I am a hardcore tifosi and yes I am disappointed that Massa lost out but there is a bright side to this too. Ferrari are Constructors Champions once again and I am very happy for this result. 7 titles in the past 9 seasons.

The current season now gives way to 2009. Kimi should be back with a bang. Lewis will be basking in title glory wanting more. Alonso should get back to his winning ways. Robert Kubica might spring a surprise from nowhere. I hope Massa does well too. All in all an action packed season to look forward to. Will the no. 1 remain on the Mclaren next season? We will know only once the five red lights go out at Melbourne.

Congratulation to Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. You both gave a us a great show.

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by RacingForIndia

This is pure campionship material stuff and if keeps his head like he did in the last 2 laps for the next races, we are looking at a very boring and one sided championsip for years to come.

While I agree that McLaren and Hamilton deserved the win considering their overall performance during the season, I beg to differ that LH will have a cakewalk in the seasons to come.
If Vettel's driving is any testimony, I see a future champion in him, who knows with Ferrari in 2-3 years time-frame! An absolute cracker of a race he drove, I am mighty impressed.
Also, don't just write off Raikonnen. The bloke has had an off-color season, but he will come back strongly. He is too good a driver to kept off the radar so soon.
And don't also forget the Spaniard Alonso who has grown from strength to strength in the last few races this season. He is championship material if he has the right car and team behind him and I reckon Renault will be back in the hunt in 2009.

Amidst all the Ferrrari-McLaren hullabaloo, I can't be surprised about the fact that BMW Sauber's season ended on a weak note. They have struggled to get going in the last few races in 2008 with Robert Kubica not even in reckoning for the top 10 dash in qualifying (Q3) in the last two races! Something's seriously wrong with the BMW-Sauber team.

2009 certainly promises to be a cracking one with as many as four teams vying for top spot. Apart from the usual suspects, McLaren and Ferrari, BMW and Renault should come back stronger next season. Rubbing my hands in glee at the prospect of a 4-way fight

Also heartening to hear was Karun Chandok's commetary during the entire race. He seems a level-headed guy who knows the nuances of motor-racing at the highest level. He harbors the dream of driving a Formula One car in India in 2011, who knows maybe with Force India who could be a force to reckon with by then! We will wait for that day, Karun. Good luck!

[suman]

Originally Posted by Dippy

In the heat of the excitement I didnt even see the "Glockiness". . I was jumping when Massa crossed the finishing line only to see the actual result a few moments later.

Ditto, we were all jumping with joy only to be stunned into silence the next minute & wondering what the hell went wrong with Glock!

But, two years in a row, adrenalin pumping stuff in the last race of the season! Wish we had more of this kind of stuff

@wanderlustindia - couldn't have expressed it better myself!

[rranjith_kum]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Will the no. 1 remain on the Mclaren next season?

Lewis has contract with Mclaren till 2012 !! all I am awaiting is the news from Alonso who said he will announce his deal after the Brazil GP !!

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by rranjith_kum

Lewis has contract with Mclaren till 2012 !! all I am awaiting is the news from Alonso who said he will announce his deal after the Brazil GP !!

Ranjith,

What I said meant by saying that was if Lewis would remain champion at the end of 2009 or some other driver would take the crown.

[speedzak]

Me too!
Expecting some great races and an amazing season ahead in 2009.
Other than the 4 teams mentioned above, I also see Toyota gaining some places and maybe a top slot at the podium too. More the better!
And with some good locales lined up ahead, it is going to be simply superb!
All cheers for a nailbiting, exciting, amazing 2009!

I cried my heart out when Hamilton was just going to loose it. And the Ferrari crew jumping up in joy just sealed my sorrows perfectly. Until I saw the finishing line and Hamilton in the 5th position. I almost had a heart attack situation then. My breathing was stopped for a few long seconds. I jumped up and yelled out so loudly that the whole of Calicut should've woke up! :cheering:
This is exactly how a season should end. Excitement, anxiety and what not... till the last lap and last corner of the season!! Not like a few years back that we would have a champion even before half the season is complete and rest of the races were just for a mere namesake existance!
Hope the same continues forever ahead!

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by suman

But, two years in a row, adrenalin pumping stuff in the last race of the season! Wish we had more of this kind of stuff

@wanderlustindia - couldn't have expressed it better myself!

Exactly. This is the sort of finish that we want each year. Dosen't matter who wins in the end. Otherwise it just gets boring.
2007 was awesome. 2008 lived up to expectations too.
You should have seen my reactions last night.
Hamilton running 4th / 5th for most of the race.
Me: Hands joined and saying, "Keep going and don't take unnecessary risks."
After the third pit stop, 4 cars ahead of Hamilton and Vettel closing in.
Me: On the edge of my seat, hands on my nose, waiting for Glock to pit.
Vettel passes Hamilton and pulls away.
Me: Hands on my head thinking, "Mar gaye."
Hamilton passes Glock.
Me: Yaahooooo!
Spoke to speedzak immediately after. He said he had high blood pressure. I'm sure I did too.