Sunday, November 16, 2008

F1 world champion Hamilton earns right to party

The McLaren team celebrate Lewis Hamilton
The McLaren team celebrate Lewis Hamilton's triumph


LEWIS Hamilton was still coming to terms with being crowned the youngest-ever F1 world champion the morning after his dramatic title success in Brazil.

The 23-year-old from Herts snatched the trophy in the dying seconds of a thrilling race at Interlagos.

He climbed into fifth place at the final corner to deny Brazilian Felipe Massa the title in spectacular fashion.

After celebrating at a party hosted by the McLaren team on the Sunday night, Tewin hero Hamilton felt "absolutely fantastic" the following day having achieved his childhood dream.


Lewis Hamilton celebrates his world title triumph (Pictures courtesy of www.mclaren.com)
Lewis Hamilton celebrates his world title triumph (Pictures courtesy of www.mclaren.com)

He said: "It doesn't really sink in straight away, but then it hits you again and again: 'Wow, you are world champion!' It's a cool feeling."

Hamilton enjoyed the previous night's celebrations and appreciated what it meant to the rest of the McLaren set-up.

"It was a fantastic night for the whole team.

"I walked into the party as the DJ played the theme from Star Wars and it all rolled on from there.

"I remember partying hard last year but this time I took it a bit more easily.

"I didn't want to lose this feeling, and it meant I could take everything in until the end of the evening.

"By the end, the DJ was playing 'We Are The Champions' by Queen and I can remember everyone - the mechanics, engineers, catering people, even the bosses - singing along.

"You can't put into words how happy you've made everyone.

"They've put in so much work along the way that they needed that night to bring everything to a close.

"After seeing that, I knew I was ready for bed. I'd learned my lesson from last year!

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Lewis Hamilton: The whole world in his hands



Barring cries of “Yes we can”, the homecoming of Lewis Hamilton to McLaren
headquarters last week could have been mistaken for another notable
celebration across the Atlantic. The production was every bit as glitzy and
stage-managed as Barack Obama’s acceptance speech for the American
presidency in Grant Park, Chicago, a few hours before.


McLaren cannot let the mask drop for a second, so the whole workforce was
dressed in fluorescent orange tops and Steve Rider was imported to
choreograph the press conference. There was even a radiant first lady,
Nicole Scherzinger, reduced from chief Pussycat Doll to part of the chorus
line for the day. And throughout the show, the youngest-ever Formula One
world champion did not put a foot wrong or let a syllable slip out of place.
Ron Dennis, the team boss who had invested millions in developing his
potential, who had insisted that the 13-year-old should spend more time with
his books than at the go-kart track in preparation for his anointment as
world champion, had a right to feel proud.

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Being F1 world champion makes Lewis Hamilton the special one

Lewis Hamilton with his F1 trophies (Pictures courtesy of www.mclaren.com)
Lewis Hamilton with his F1 trophies (Pictures courtesy of www.mclaren.com)

WORLD champion Lewis Hamilton is already looking ahead to next season when he will drive with number one on his McLaren car.

After being kicked out of the constructors' championship at the end of the 2007 season following the 'spygate' affair, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes were handed numbers 22 and 23 for the 2008 campaign.

However, as Formula 1 champion, Tewin race hero Hamilton will proudly have one painted on the front of his machine next year.

Looking ahead of the 2009 FIA World Championship, 23-year-old Hamilton said: "I won't have number 22 on my car next year, I'll have the number one - and that's the coolest thing ever!


Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton


"And I want to have an even stronger season next year.

"I want to train hard over the winter; I really want to be at the peak of my fitness when we turn up in Australia next year.

"But I want to move everything forwards and I think I've learnt plenty over the last two years that will allow me to build and learn from my experiences.

"You learn from your mistakes and I want to continue to grow as a driver.

"I would like to have the most complete season of my career next year."

* Buy this week's WHTimes for a pull out commemorative poster celebrating Lewis Hamilton's F1 world title success.

There is also a special Lewis Hamilton colouring competition for children to enter.

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Massa victorious, Hamilton champion after nail-biting finish in Brazil








McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is the 30th - and youngest-ever - world champion. Lady Luck was on his side after title rival Felipe Massa dominated at Interlagos. The Brazilian crossed the line first after a pluperfect performance - and seemed to have achieved the impossible - as Hamilton trailed in sixth.

Rain in the closing stages had prompted the first five - Massa, Renault’s Fernando Alonso, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel - to pit for wet tyres. Crucially, Timo Glock, running sixth for Toyota, did not.

Massa, Alonso and Raikkonen resumed in first to third places, but Hamilton and Vettel fell behind Glock. That was still good enough for Hamilton. But then, under pressure on the 70th lap, he made a crucial mistake and slid wide. It was all Vettel needed and the Toro Rosso driver pushed through to snatch away the fifth place that Hamilton needed to become champion.

Even as Massa crossed the line, Hamilton was only sixth and the Brazilian was the champion. But as Vettel and Hamilton slammed out of the final corner, Glock’s Toyota was slowing in front of them, the German struggling for grip on his increasingly unsuitable rubber. From the jaws of defeat, the British driver snatched back the crown in one of the most dramatic title deciders in history. No Hollywood script could have been more exciting.

Rain at the start had added to the drama, and saw Red Bull’s David Coulthard make an undignified exit from his last Grand Prix after he was tapped into a spin by


Williams’ Nico Rosberg, which then involved Rosberg’s team mate Kazuki Nakajima.
Coulthard was out on the spot, while Renault’s Nelson Piquet went off in Turn Three and was also out.

Massa controlled things throughout, with Toyota’s Jarno Trulli soon falling back from an initially strong second-place run as everyone began changing from wet to dry-weather tyres after seven laps. Vettel, running a different fuel strategy to the other leaders, was always a threat, running second ahead of Alonso and pressuring Massa several times before stopping earlier for fuel. Raikkonen ran some way behind this trio, but closed in rapidly on Alonso in the final stages and was close to him as Massa crossed the line 13.2s ahead.

Hamilton took few chances, was always around fourth or fifth, and looked easily on target until that dramatic battle at the end. Glock finished sixth, limping across the line well ahead of McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen, and Trulli, the final points scorers.

Mark Webber brought his Red Bull home ninth, ahead of the BMW Saubers of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, the team thus failing to score for the first time in 2008. Rosberg was 12th ahead of Honda’s Jenson Button, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais (whose chances of points were ruined after a clash with Trulli in Turn One), Honda’s Rubens Barrichello, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, Nakajima and Giancarlo Fisichella. The Italian Force India driver was the first to stop for dry tyres on Lap Two, and ran as high as fifth before the inevitable decline as faster machinery hit its stride.

After those gripping final laps there was almost disbelief at McLaren as Hamilton scraped home, but Massa had that covered as he graciously conceded defeat.

“We need to congratulate Lewis,” he said. “He did a great championship, and he scored more points than us, so deserves to be champion.”

Ferrari’s consolation was to win the constructors’ world championship but, ultimately, and in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable, this was Lewis Hamilton’s and McLaren’s day.

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