Sweet Bernie of Ecclestone, what a race!

First things first: Brazil produced a wonderful, scary, thrilling, unpredictable, dramatic race. If ever it felt like a good time to dust off the old “sport is the real winner” cliche, now is that time. Bernie Ecclestone couldn’t have asked for a better climax to an already memorable season.

Was it the greatest grand prix of all time? Yes, without a doubut, especially given what was at stake. The last few laps, when the rain started to fall again, were some of the most tense minutes in sporting history. For Hamilton fans, never has a scratchy fifth place felt so good. For Massa fans, their man drove the perfect race, but what a hollow win it was.

So, congratulations to Lewis Hamilton, who deserves to be crowned world champion… just. He made mistakes throughout the season (Montreal, Spa, Brazil), but then every driver did - and it’s too easy to forget that this is only his second season in F1. More importantly, he also drove quite brilliantly at times (Monaco, Silverstone and Shanghai), making his peers look mediocre.

Gridcrasher bonus! Watch the nail-biting final lap below (if you dare):

F1 Brazil GP 2008 The final lap
Uploaded by Markbel

More on Hamilton’s triumph throughout the day, natch.