British driver Lewis Hamilton clinched his first World Championship by finishing 5th in the Grand Prix of Brazil held in Sao Paolo.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa won the race for Ferrari and looked set to take the title until Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) slipped past Timo Glock's Toyota and into the crucial fifth place at the final corner of the very last lap.

Felipe Massa

Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) completed the podium finishers, ahead of Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel, whose penultimate lap pass on Hamilton had looked set to hand Massa the title.

However, Glock's gamble of staying on dry tyres in a late race shower failed, causing the Toyota to slip from fourth to sixth within sight of the flag and giving Hamilton the title after all.

Grand Prix of Brazil results:

1- Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2008) - 1h34:11:435
2 - Fernando Alonso (Renault R28) - 13.298
3 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F2008) - 16.235
4 - Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso SRT3-Ferrari) - 38.011
5 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/23-Mercedes) - 38.907
6 - Timo Glock (Toyota TF108) - 44.368
7 - Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren MP4/23-Mercedes) - 55.074
8 - Jarno Trulli (Toyota TF108) - 1:08.433
9 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB4-Renault - 1:19.666
10 - Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber F1.08) - 1 lap
11 - Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber F1.08) - 1 lap
12 - Nico Rosberg (Williams FW30-Toyota) - 1 lap
13 - Jenson Button (Honda RA108) - 1 lap
14 - Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso SRT3-Ferrari) - 1 lap
15 - Rubens Barrichello (Honda RA108) - 1 lap
16 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM01-Ferrari) - 2 laps
17 - Kazuki Nakajima (Williams FW30-Toyota ) - 2 laps
18 - Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India VJM01-Ferrari ) - 2 laps

Drivers' championship :
1. Hamilton 98; 2. Massa 97; 3. Raikkonen 75; 4. Kubica 75; 5. Alonso 61; 6. Heidfeld 60; 7. Kovalainen 53; 8. Vettel 35; 9. Trulli 31; 10. Glock 25; 11. Webber 21; 12. Piquet 19; 13. Rosberg 17; 14. Barrichello 11; 15. Nakajima 9; 16. Coulthard 8; 17. Bourdais 4; 18. Button 3.

Constructors' championship:
1. Ferrari 172; 2. McLaren-Mercedes 151; 3. BMW Sauber 135; 4. Renault 80; 5. Toyota 56; 6. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 39; 7. Red Bull-Renault 29; 8. Williams-Toyota 26; 9. Honda 14.


Photo Credit : WRI2