So here we go, it is time to start, it is time to find a champion and I am sitting ready to watch. I will do some updates as I watch it as I think it’ll be good to read back on down the line as this could be a pretty historic day.

Pre Race -The start has been aborted until 3:10 local time due to a down pour on the grid putting the teams into panic mode. The chance of rain was 50/50 but it’s 100% now. Teams will start in the wet, it will be interesting to see how long this lasts and T.V. is saying it is already starting to clear. This is one of the many cats to land amongst the pigeons that I talked about. The rain has gone off and it is due to stay off for 45 minutes. What do you do if you’re the driver, what tyres do you start on? 

Formation Lap -The formation lap is underway and various drivers are on various tyres, it is going to make this very interesting. Half the track is dry, half is wet and it is going to dry up soon then get wet later. This is going to be very interesting and Massa has pressure to get it right and keep the car on the track. The pressure is on Hamilton to make sure nobody runs into him trying something daft. Lets get ready to go.

Lap 1 -A very clean start for the first four, no big changes but an accident down the back of the field has brought out the safety car already. Coulthard was in the accident and that unfortunately brings an end to his long F1 career. Not a nice way to leave the sport. I’ve never been a huge fan of his but it’ll be sad to lose old square jaw from the grid, he is one of the last of the ‘old guard’.

Lap 2 - Someone is going to get a nice break on dry tyres. The track is steadily drying and when it does they are going to be flying while anyone not on dries has to change. That could hurt Massa who isn’t on dry tyres.

Lap 4 - Turns out everyone is on intermediates except maybe Kubica. The safety care has come in and we’re racing again. Lets go . . .

Lap 6 - Ironically it was Williams that brought David Coulthard into F1 and it was a Williams that took him out of it on the first lap of this race. No change up front.

Lap 10 - Massa comes in for dry tyres but Hamilton stays out for another lap. This is going to be interesting. I think Hamilton is playing it cautious while Massa knows he has to still win the race so is reacting to what others around him are doing.

Lap 11 - Hamilton comes in for his dry tyres now. 7.5 seconds stop. When will the rain come back again? Leaving it late to come in has cost Hamilton, he has dropped back behind quite a few drivers now to about 7th place meaning that if the race ended now, Massa would be world champion. Hamilton will have to react now because the race doesn’t end now.

Lap 12 - Hamilton moves past Trulli to take a place back. I believe he still needs another place or two so this will be fun to watch.

Lap 17- Hamilton back in the world title seat. He makes an excellent pass on Fisichella to take the spot back. Great passing move, there was a risk but he had to take it. The ball is back in Lewis’ court.

Lap 18 - No more rain expected. 53 still to go.

Lap 33 - No major drama up front so I have been keeping quiet. Hamilton is still on for the world championship unless something major happens but with so many laps still left that is a possibility.

Lap 38 - Massa in for his second stop of the day and it looks like he’ll have to come in again at some point. He stays ahead of Hamilton though and although things look good for him and the race win, things look very good for Hamilton and the World Championship. I have a feeling we might get some drama before the final 33 laps are out.

Lap 40 - Hamilton is in for his next stop and it looks like he will have to come in again also. Hamilton playing it cautiously today and rightly so, it could lead him to a World Championship. He comes out in 6th spot but others have still to stop.

Lap 50 - I cannot see Hamilton losing this baring mechanical melt down. Vettel has just took his pit stop and allowed Hamilton into 4th now. Hamilton has his team mate in 6th to fend anyone off and so can take it relatively easy to the title here.

Lap 56- It is currently 1:28 p.m. here and definitely much nicer watching the racing at this time of the day then 7 a.m. which I have had to get used to since coming to Canada. It also is nice to see a championship finale in the middle of the afternoon. We have had that the last few years but I remember the late 90’s waking up in the small hours of the morning to fight to stay awake and watch the Japanese GP as the final race of the year and Michael Schumacher gunning for a world championship. I usually went back to sleep disappointed as Hakkinen won the title two years running. Finally in 2000 things swung and I could wake up on Sunday happy that Schumacher had won the title. He went on to win many more after that. I love title deciders.

Lap 58 - Rain due in 10 minutes. With 13 laps to go this could make for a very interesting finish if it proves to be correct.

Lap 60/10 to go - Hamilton has matured a lot from twelve months ago. He has been cautious, he has refused to take risks to win the race and played for 4th spot which as it stands will earn him the title. Still no rain just yet.

7 to go - This has definately been a season for wet races, especially late in the race like in Spa. If we got something like that now it would cause huge drama. There is talk of some spits of rain but nothing serious yet.

6 to go - We have some rain and Heidfeld who is down in 10th takes the big risk and puts wets on already. If it rains for real he could end up on the podium. The tension is huge here and it is properly raining now. Do you come in? Do you take the risk? Big decisions as Vettle is right up behind Hamilton. Hamilton is fighting him off when he doesn’t need to.

5 to go - Raikkoneon in for intermediates while Massa stays out. Hamilton doesn’t take the risk and he has come in. This is huge. Hamilton needs it to rain hard now and not dry up.

4 to go - Massa comes in for his changes but still the rain hasn’t come down hard. Some guys still on dry tyres could catch Hamilton unless it really rains in the next few laps.

3 to go - Hamilton down to 5th now and he must keep Vettel behind him to win the title. This is madness, I haven’t seen afinish to a world title like this before.

2 to go - Vettel passes Hamilton and he drops to 6th… This has handed the title to Massa as it stands. I don’t believe this. Glock is on dry tyres and Hamilton needs to slip back for Hamilton to win it unless Hamilton re-takes Vettel. Hamilton has nothing to lose.

1 to go - Last lap.. Massa comes over the line to win. Hamilton has a handful of laps to win this race. Listen to the crowd go ballistic for Massa. Two corners to go and Massa won’t catch Vettle but Glock has slowed down… Glock has slowed down, he has a problem and Hamilton goes past him into 5th. I don’t believe this, Hamilton has crossed the line and won the World Championship.

Finish - Lewis Hamilton is the world champion. Glock slowed for some reason I do not know, he feel right back and Hamilton passed him with a corner to go but he managed to finishthe race 5.4 seconds ahead of Glock who lost 18 seconds in the final lap. Was there a problem, was there a conspiracy? This is the greatest end to a title fight in the history of the sport.

The Ferrari garage was celebrating as was the McLaren garage. Both convinced they had won it. Then suddenly the Ferrari garage stopped as they seen the finishing positions. What emotion.

Glock has just shook Hamilton’s hand as some cars are on fire from break over heat. Hamilton is struggling to get his steering wheel back on, the man is just so excited. On the podium Massa looks emptional and im sure amazinly disapointed but he did everything he could today and luck just wasn’t on his side. I have never seen anyone come so close. He crossed the line as world champion then suddenly lost it again. He is in tears right now, his team have won the Constructors Championship but the World title goes to 5th place Lewis Hamilton.

I suspect there will be some kind of enquiry into why Glock suddenly lost speed in the dying laps but I don’t forsee there being a major reason for it other than mechanical. The crowd are stunned, I am stunned, that was a wild finish.

Press Conference - Massa is a very gracious loser. He says that it all part of racing, the race finishes at the checqured flag and that he will learn from this but that he did all he could, that he knows how to lose just as he knows how to win. He could have been bitter but he has taken it well and although disapointed. I wouldn’t have put it past Massa to smash up the press conference in a tirade of swear words but he has been gracious in defeat. He has also congratulated Lewis Hamilton.

In the End - Lewis Hamilton is the youngest ever Formula One World Champion and the first black man to win the World Championship. Congratulations to Lewis on what is surely the first of many.

Category: My Sports » F1, Felippe Massa, Hamilton v Massa, Lewis Hamilton |

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