LEWIS HAMILTON recently became the youngest world champion in Formula One history after he won a thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix by the skin of his teeth.

His title rival, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa did what he had to do and won the race but Hamilton grabbed the fifth place finish he needed at the last corner to pip Massa for the title by a single point. The race wasn’t without drama.

A late downpour in Brazil saw Hamilton and his McLaren team take a late pit stop to change from dry tyres to wet ones. When he came out of the pits Hamilton was still in fifth, where he needed to be to guarantee winning the world title, assuming Massa won the race. Hamilton then lost that position when Vettel passed him at the start of the penultimate lap.

Hamilton tried to overtake the German, but could not get close enough. He would have thought the title was lost until he came to the second last corner.

There, Timo Glock, who started the last lap a massive 18 seconds ahead of Hamilton, was struggling with the wet track on dry tyres. The McLaren slipped past the Toyota as it accelerated up the hill towards the finish line. It was one of the most nail biting finishes in F1 history and even Hamilton thought he had blown it. “I thought… do I have it? Do I have it? And when they told me, I was ecstatic”, he said. Massa’s camp thought the Brazilian had won not only the race but also the championship as they watched the intense last lap.

They were jumping up and down and had even told Massa over the radio that he was the champion until the heartbreaking scenes of the last turn unfolded.

Massa, visibly emotional, gracefully accepted defeat and vowed to be back in the hunt again for next season’s championship. “Unfortunately we missed out by one point but that’s racing. We need to be proud of our race and our championship. It’s one more day of my life, I will learn a lot and come back stronger.” His only consolation was that his victory helped secure the Constructors’ title for Ferrari.

Hamilton’s success buries the ghosts of last year, when after a remarkable debut season he let slip a massive lead in the final two races and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen sneaked in to win the title. But, that experience paved the way for Hamilton’s title victory this year.

Throughout his two years in Formula 1 Hamilton has faced criticism and abuse. From a very public fall out with his team-mate, Fernando Alonso last year, to the racist remarks directed towards him at this year’s Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton has had a lot to take for a 23-year-old.

He attempted to put into words what the title meant to him, “I am speechless, I am struggling to say anything,” he gushed. “I’m just thankful and proud of the team and everyone around me. I am so thankful I could return the favour.”

Judging by this year’s Championship it looks as though next year has all the ingredients for an even more sensational outcome.