Lewis faces his destiny

By James Disdale

28th October 2008

The gloves are finally off! After 17 rounds and nine months of racing, the fight for the F1 championship will go down to the wire.

Both Lewis Hamilton and rival Felipe Massa go into the final race of the season at Interlagos, Brazil, with a chance of snatching the title. But it’s Lewis who enters the encounter as a strong favourite, thanks to a seven-point cushion over second-placed Massa.

However, the British star will still be feeling the pressure. This time last year, the 23-year-old went into the race in exactly the same position in the title chase, only to lose out following an error and technical problems with his McLaren. That resulted in Ferrari’s  Kimi Raikkonen seizing the title by a single point. This time, he is better prepared. “Last year I went to Interlagos with the title battle still up in the air and all my emotions just bubbling up and down,” said Lewis. “It was a very emotional time, because I knew it would end with either great success or huge disappointment. In the end, things didn’t end up too well for me. This time out I want a straightforward weekend that allows me to just focus on my car and my driving.” However, he will face tough opposition from Ferrari’s Massa.

The Brazilian will have home advantage as he guns for a race win and hopes that Hamilton fails to finish in the top five. Despite having to haul back that seven-point deficit, Massa is relaxed about his prospects. “For the final race I have a tougher job than Lewis in terms of the points situation,” he admitted. “But my objective for the weekend is absolutely straightforward. I only have to focus on winning the race on Sunday afternoon.”

He continued: “After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won.”

You can expect there to be drama further down the grid, too. Sebastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso, Renault’s Nelson Piquet, veteran Honda ace Rubens Barrichello and both Force India drivers have yet to be confirmed for next year. This will be their last chance to impress.

As ever, Auto Express will bring a full race report in next week’s issue, which hits the shelves on 5 November.