Hamilton is only the second driver to win the title in his second season Lewis Hamilton was overwhelmed by emotion after capturing the 2008 world championship by a single point at a thrilling season finale in Brazil. "It's pretty impossible to put into words," said the 23-year-old, who is now the youngest ever F1 champion. "It's been such a long journey and I'm so speechless. After all the sacrifices we've made I am so thrilled to be able to do this for everyone. "It was one of the toughest races of my life - if not the toughest." Hamilton clinched the title when he passed Timo Glock accelerating out of the final corner of the race to snatch the drivers' crown from Felipe Massa, who took the chequered flag ahead of him. With Massa winning at Interlagos, the Englishman knew he had to finish fifth to claim the title but he had slipped to sixth with one lap to go. In one final twist, however, Hamilton overtook Glock's slowing Toyota to clinch the fifth place he needed - and with it the title. BRITAIN'S WORLD CHAMPIONS Mike Hawthorn (1958) Graham Hill (1962 and '68) Jim Clark (1963 and '65) John Surtees (1964) Jackie Stewart (1969, '71 and '73) James Hunt (1976) Nigel Mansell (1992) Damon Hill (1996) Lewis Hamilton (2008) "The team didn't say anything so I though I was shot," said Hamilton, who became Britain's ninth world champion and the first since Damon Hill in 1996. "I didn't know where Glock was and Vettel was the guy to beat and I couldn't catch him, so at that point I was going to finish sixth. My heart was in my mouth," said Hamilton "When it started to drizzle, I didn't want to take any risks but at the final corner I got past Glock and I couldn't believe it. "I thought 'do I have it, do I have it?' When they told me, I was ecstatic. "It was absolutely fantastic, an amazing achievement on one of the most troubled days. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "It was such a hard race and I'm ecstatic, very emotional, very thankful for my team and my family and everyone who has supported me. "I have done enough and we made it. I can forget everything else. "I need to rest because my heart is on edge. I want to shout out to all my supporters at home - I love them all." After a record-breaking rookie season, Hamilton continued to rack up the landmarks with his feat in Brazil. The Englishman joined Canada's 1997 winner Jacques Villeneuve as the only other driver to claim the championship in just their second season. At the age of 23 years and 301 days, he succeeded Fernando Alonso, who was 122 days older when he won the title in 2005, as the sport's youngest champion. 606: DEBATE I'm delighted for Lewis - just the best end to a championship ever
Twelveyearsasleep He is McLaren's first world champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999, and joins a club that includes his hero Ayrton Senna and all-time greats Alain Prost and Niki Lauda. Hamilton paid tribute to McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who has mentored him for a decade. "It's a fairytale story that he gave me that opportunity years ago and he had the foresight to bring me in and groom me to get to this position," Hamilton said. "I've grabbed it with both hands and I've paid him back. I've paid him back in full so I'm happy with that." When asked if the title would be the first of many, Hamilton said: "I hope so. I don't know if my heart could take that final lap in many more seasons." Massa struggled to hold back the tears as he weighed up the mixed emotions of winning his home Grand Prix but losing the world crown by the smallest of margins. The Ferrari driver had been aiming to become the first Brazilian since the late Ayrton Senna in 1991 to win the drivers' title. "It was an emotional day for me," said the 27-year-old, who was racing in his hometown of Sao Paulo. Massa claimed his sixth Grand Prix win in Brazil but saw the title slip away "The race was perfect, we did everything fantastically in such difficult weather. "We got here and we almost did everything perfectly but then we saw Lewis pass Glock and there was mixed emotion. "We finished in front and we have to be very proud of that but unfortunately we missed [the championship] by one point. "But that's racing - we need to be proud of our job, our race, our championship. "I know how to win, I know how to lose, we are going to learn a lot from this day."
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Felipe Massa at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix
The Autódromo José Carlos Pace aka Interlagos track of the Brazilian Grand Prix
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa won yesterday's FIA Formula One (F1) 2008 Grande Prêmio Santander Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil.
Lewis Hamilton won the championship
Lewis Hamilton, who drives for McLaren, was able to hold on to take the F1 Driver's Championship. He had a seven point lead in the season standings entering the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso came second while his Renault team mate Nelson Piquet Jr. slipped in the Senna's S-curve and broke his car's rear due to the wet track.

Massa's teammate Kimi Räikkönen came third.

On the final lap, Sebastian Vettel passed Lewis Hamilton, with help from the lapped Kubica, seemingly taking the championship chance from the McLaren driver.

However, in the short straight before the final corner "Juncao",Timo Glock lost traction due to being on dry weather tyres in the wet conditions and lost his position to Vettel. Hamilton also passed him to win the Drivers' championship of the 2008 Formula One season.

Massa missed out on the season title by just one point. Ferrari maintained the lead over McLaren to win the F1 Constructors' Championship.