Formula One hailed a new champion at Interlagos on Sunday, but not the one the whole of Britain wanted. Kimi Raikkonen, seemingly out of the title race three weeks, ended the season where he began it eight long and turbulent months ago with a triumphant drive to victory in Brazil, taking his sixth win of the year and, at the very last gasp, his first world title.
Lewis Hamilton’s gallant drive back through the field after a traumatic start will live long in the memory. Like the beaten rugby world cup finalists, he gave everything, but he could not reach the fifth place he needed to overhaul Raikkonen in the three-way race for the world title. There will be plenty more years for the 22-year-old, but this will be a bitter blow to his confidence and to McLaren, who have ended a torrid season with nothing. Raikkonen ended an extraordinary championship on 110 points, one point clear of Hamilton and Alonso. Andrew Longmore, TimesOnline
If Hamilton had wrapped up the title in Shanghai the fairytale would have been complete, the unthinkable achieved. Instead he kept us on tenterhooks until today. Grand Prix racing is not a national sport, yet after defeat against Russia and South Africa, Hamilton was England’s last chance of restoring its pride. The boy from Stevenage went to Interlagos to do a job today, to finish the debut season he’s spent most of his life preparing for. Carrying the weight of his country just added to the burden and in the end he made a rare mistake. That error didn’t cost him the title, but it didn’t help his cause.
Lewis Hamilton has not become the first rookie to win the world championship, but he’ll take many more records over the coming years. There are some who cheer at his disappointment, claiming his season is tarnished, that because of the controversies that have dogged McLaren his achievements have come by less than fair means. But let’s be honest - those calls are from people who were rooting for their own national heroes. Sadly this year, it just wasn’t Hamilton’s - or England’s - turn for glory. Guardian.co
There was always likely to be one final extraordinary twist to the most astonishing of seasons in the 58 years of the sport, and so it proved at Interlagos.
Hamilton endured a nightmare race, finishing only seventh after running wide on the first lap and then seeing his McLaren suffer mechanical problems.
After leading the championship since May, he finished on 109 points, with Raikkonen on 110.
Two-time defending champion Alonso also ended with a tally of 109 points but finished third overall in the championship due to Hamilton’s greater number of second-place finishes. FoxSports
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