2008 F1 Season
18 races · McLaren MP4-23
The 2008 season produced the most dramatic finish in memory. The championship between Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari) was decided on the last lap of the last race, at a soaking Interlagos.
Massa did everything he could: he won his home race and, for a few seconds, was world champion in front of his fans. But Hamilton needed to finish fifth and was running sixth on the final lap; at the penultimate corner, with the rain intensifying, he passed a Glock on the wrong tyres and grabbed the decisive point.
Hamilton was thus crowned champion by a single point and became the youngest in history at the time, as well as the sport's first Black champion. The image of the Ferrari garage celebrating and collapsing within seconds was etched forever.
Drivers' Champion
Lewis Hamilton
McLaren MP4-23
Constructors' Champion
Ferrari
18 races
Key moment
"Last lap of Brazil: Hamilton passes Glock at the last corner. 1 point final difference."
What if 2008 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 2008 grid — every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating — and re-ran the full 17-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamiltonreal championMcLaren | P1.1 | 88% |
| Kimi RäikkönenFerrari | P1.9 | 12% |
| Felipe MassaFerrari | P3 | 0% |
| Heikki KovalainenMcLaren | P4.1 | 0% |
| Fernando AlonsoRenault | P4.9 | 0% |
| Robert KubicaBMW Sauber | P6.3 | 0% |
Lewis Hamilton wins 88% of the simulated championships. Runner-up Kimi Räikkönen manages 12%: with that machinery, the real result was very nearly the only one available.
Tags
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2008 championship-winning car?