walk.run.FLY___________
Monday, November 03, 2008
True champions don't always finish first.




Last night, I witnessed what was probably the most exciting, nail-biting, exhilarating and emotional roller coaster 30 seconds of Formula One racing history ever. It was suspense, shock, surprise, happiness, sadness and so much more rolled into one - one moment that defined the 2008 F1 season.



Going into the race, Lewis Hamilton had a 7 point lead upon his closest adversary Felipe Massa, and needed to secure 5th position at the minimal to ensure the championship. Meanwhile, Massa needed to win to give himself the best hope of doing what seemed to be almost impossible - snatch the championship from Hamilton.



Dark clouds thundered overhead as the race started 10 minutes late, and spray landed all over the track and onto the drivers' visors. Felipe Massa in true classic fashion, exploited the limits of speed as he sped away from the start and widened his distance from the rest of the field with every metre covered. Meanwhile, Hamilton was satisfied to linger constantly in 4th and 5th position, playing a safe strategy to ensure his security of the championship.



Things remained constant throughout the race as the track slowly dried up and the incident all fans at Sao Paulo were waiting for never occured, until ten laps from the end..



It started to rain again. First it was small drops, and teams were content with staying on their dry tyres. Subsequently teams decided grip levels were too low and brought their cars in for intermediates - all except Toyota, who took a gamble and wanted to push the limits of tyre grip to the chequered flag.



As all the drivers (with the exception of the Toyotas) came out of the pits with their intermediates fitted on, Lewis Hamilton laid in p5 with Vettel within touching distance behind him. On they raced for a few laps, but Hamilton's defence was too much for Vettel to crack - until 2 laps from the end. In the midst of Kubica trying to unlap himself, Hamilton failed to get up to speed out of a corner and Vettel seized the inside line, easily taking the position from Hamilton.



He now had 2 laps to undo the overtaking move or his world championship was lost.



And he did not. Rather, he caught up with Timo Glock's Toyota at the last corner of the last lap, which was sliding around in his slicks, and stole p5 right at the death before crossing the finish line. It was heartbreak for Massa, who had thought he won the championship. Even the Ferrari garage had erupted in celebration - only for it to be cut short half a minute later as Hamilton crossed the line in p5.



The huge roar that was Sao Paulo's suddenly entered into a chilly silence and tears flowed everywhere - from the Ferari garage to the fans to even the drivers themselves - Massa heartbroken and Hamilton in utter shock and disbelief. These were two men who dedicated their lives to racing, and did so with the passion of a lion.



Sadly, racing, like all sports, is a cruel game sometimes and the path from hero to zero is all in the blink of an eye. Hamilton, plucky you may call him, but certainly the talented racer that the whole world has come to recognize. Massa, the hardworker, the raw speedster was the one on the losing side last night, but then, champions are never always the one who finish first, and Massa is a champion in his very own right.



Congratulations Lewis, congratulations McLaren. It's been a year of hard racing and they've emerged triumphant. I cannot wait for 2009.
5:17 PM;

WALKING.
Wong Yew Liang
15 11 1989
Male
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Chinese
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