Brazilian Grand Prix 2008 - Race Schedule and Countdown

The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos produced the most dramatic, heart-stopping, and emotionally devastating final corner in Formula 1 history as Lewis Hamilton snatched the World Championship from Felipe Massa's grasp with a last-gasp overtake of Timo Glock on the penultimate corner of the final lap of the entire season. Massa won his home race from pole position, set the fastest lap, and crossed the finish line as world champion - or so he believed for 38 agonizing seconds - while Ferrari, his family, and all of Brazil erupted in celebration. But as torrential rain lashed the Interlagos circuit, Hamilton desperately hunted down Glock's struggling Toyota, finally passing the German at Juncao corner to claim fifth place and the championship by a single point, 98-97, in the cruelest and most dramatic conclusion to a title fight the sport has ever witnessed.

Massa drove the perfect race under unimaginable pressure, converting pole position with a lap of 1:12.368 into a commanding lights-to-flag victory while managing the championship mathematics and the emotional weight of his entire nation's hopes. The Brazilian controlled every lap with precision and composure, knowing that victory plus a Hamilton finish of sixth or lower would deliver his dream. As the rain began to fall in the closing laps, creating treacherous conditions, Glock gambled on staying out on dry weather tires while others pitted for intermediates, a decision that would define the championship. When Massa took the checkered flag, Hamilton was running sixth behind Glock - meaning Massa had won the title. Ferrari's garage exploded in celebration, mechanics waving flags and embracing, while Massa's father wept tears of joy in the grandstands. The Brazilian was world champion. For 38 seconds.

But those final corners told a different story. Glock's Toyota, skating on slick tires in the intensifying rain, had lost over 20 seconds per lap and was barely clinging to the track. Hamilton, on intermediate tires with superior grip, closed the gap with desperate fury, the McLaren pit wall screaming "We need one more position!" As they approached Juncao, the penultimate corner, Hamilton drew alongside the helpless Glock and swept past, crossing the line in fifth place. The scenes that followed remain the most emotional in Formula 1 history - Hamilton and McLaren erupted in hysterical celebration as the 23-year-old became Britain's youngest world champion; simultaneously, Ferrari's joy turned to confusion, then horror, then anguish as the results became clear. Massa, still celebrating in his cockpit, heard the devastating news on his radio. His father, moments earlier crying with joy, collapsed in tears of heartbreak. Fernando Alonso finished second, Kimi Raikkonen third, but no one remembers the podium. This was Hamilton's coronation and Massa's crucifixion, decided by one position, one point, one corner, on the final lap of the final race. The image of "Is that Glock?" going slowly - the moment that changed everything - is seared into F1 consciousness forever. It remains the greatest, most dramatic, and most heartbreaking season finale in motorsport history.