Lewis Hamilton secured his first F1 world championship in dramatic circumstances on this day 16 years ago.
On this day 16 years ago, one of the most dramatic grand prix unfolded as Lewis Hamilton won his first F1 title in astonishing fashion.
The then-McLaren driver was in just his second F1 season and was hunting for his maiden championship after narrowly missing out on the title in his rookie campaign.
Entering the final round of the season in Brazil, Hamilton was seven points ahead of Felipe Massa who was also seeking his first championship.
It was Massa who got the early advantage by claiming pole position ahead of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, while Hamilton had to settle for fourth.
The race
The start was held in damp conditions with Massa retaining his lead into the first corner and managing to build a lead over the opening laps.
Hamilton settled into his fourth-place starting position, which at the time, was enough to ensure he would seal the title.
Massa opted to make a pit stop on lap 10 to switch to the dry tyres as the circuit began to lose moisture, with Hamilton following him in on the following lap.
However, Hamilton lost multiple positions in the pit stop which put him out of position, forcing him to go on the offensive after being in a more relaxed spot during the opening laps.
Massa continued to lead out in front as he cruised towards the win and he seemingly needed luck to go his way to secure the championship.
With weather often being an unpredictable factor in Brazil, Massa was thrown a lifeline when it began to rain on lap 63.
Hamilton pitted for wet tyres as a fast-charging Sebastian Vettel behind him also boxed. Massa responded on the following lap.
With Timo Glock opting to stay out and try to make a run to the end on dry tyres, it demoted Hamilton to fifth place – the lowest position he needed to ensure the title.
Vettel continued his assault on Hamilton and with three laps to go, the McLaren driver ran wide at Turn 12 and ceded position to Vettel.
It seemed the title was lost as they rounded the circuit – but in the minutes that followed, the rain intensity increased, leaving Glock in a difficult position on dry tyres.
As Massa took the chequered flag and momentarily the championship, Hamilton caught Glock at the final braking zone and passed his rival to move back into fifth place. With only seconds to spare, Hamilton reclaimed the title to break Massa’s dream and the hearts of many local Brazilians as he secured his first title.
What Hamilton said
Hamilton suffered a difficult championship loss the year before and had resigned himself to another defeat after slipping behind Vettel.
“The most dramatic race of my whole life. It’s pretty much impossible to put this into words: I’m still speechless,” Hamilton said at the time.
“It’s been such a long journey, but I’ve always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans. We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I’m so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone.
“Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, and I was just focused on having a clean race. Then it started to drizzle and I didn’t want to take any risks – but Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him. I couldn’t believe it.”
Hamilton later revealed that he wasn’t aware he had passed Glock for position to move back into fifth place.
“I didn’t know I had passed Glock. I knew there was some commotion, a bunch of cars, I thought they were backmarkers,” Hamilton told ESPN in 2018.
“I came up that hill [not knowing]. It was the worst feeling I can remember having, and when I crossed the line I was shouting ‘do I have it, do I have it?’ and then as I went into Turn 1 they told me. I was ecstatic. I’ll never forget that moment.”
