2008 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

The championship was decided in the final corners of the final lap in Brazil. Felipe Massa won brilliantly at home, but Lewis Hamilton passed the struggling Timo Glock to reclaim fifth and secure his first World Championship by a single point.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Pole time	1:12.368
Fastest lap	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:13.736 on lap 36
First	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Second	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
31 October 2008	Practice 1	10:00
31 October 2008	Practice 2	14:00
1 November 2008	Practice 3	11:00
1 November 2008	Qualifying	14:00
2 November 2008	Race	15:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 18 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 94 points, with Felipe Massa on 87. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 156 points.

Race entries

The teams retained their race line-ups for the finale. David Coulthard prepared for his final Grand Prix appearance with Red Bull Racing, while Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa arrived as the only remaining contenders for the drivers’ title.

Free Practice

Felipe Massa set the fastest time in opening practice, narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton, as occasional dampness made the surface slippery. The two title contenders therefore began closely matched. Ferrari and McLaren both completed competitive running while monitoring conditions that could complicate the championship-deciding weekend.

Fernando Alonso led FP2, with Felipe Massa again close behind, but Lewis Hamilton struggled with grip and locked his wheels on the way to ninth. Heikki Kovalainen was also down the order. McLaren therefore had work to do after a less convincing afternoon, while the changing surface made fuel-load comparisons difficult.

A warmer track greeted final practice, and Fernando Alonso again went fastest. Both McLarens improved to run close behind him, with Felipe Massa also competitive. Kimi Räikkönen failed to improve on his earlier time and remained further down the order, leaving qualifying to establish how the championship rivals would line up.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 31 October 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:12.305	24
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.190s	23
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.202s	18
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.569s	24
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.620s	20
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.756s	26
7	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.993s	24
8	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.073s	39
9	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.121s	28
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.161s	33
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.295s	24
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.316s	23
13	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.344s	30
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.371s	28
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.461s	13
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.501s	24
17	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.531s	30
18	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.556s	19
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.399s	21
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.516s	21

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 31 October 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.296	43
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.057s	41
3	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.139s	44
4	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.304s	32
5	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.354s	45
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.391s	47
7	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.407s	44
8	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.465s	42
9	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.531s	33
10	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.590s	42
11	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.600s	38
12	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.675s	48
13	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.742s	49
14	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.745s	39
15	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.917s	37
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+0.925s	39
17	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.977s	41
18	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.045s	49
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.132s	32
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.395s	33

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 1 November 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.141	19
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.071s	18
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.084s	18
4	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.171s	17
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.248s	19
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.261s	19
7	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.285s	18
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.312s	18
9	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.316s	24
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.316s	19
11	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.484s	16
12	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.557s	18
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.571s	22
14	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.830s	22
15	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.913s	19
16	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.917s	22
17	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+0.994s	24
18	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.137s	23
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.319s	22
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.539s	22

Qualifying

Felipe Massa secured his third consecutive Interlagos pole, with Jarno Trulli producing a superb lap to join him on the front row. Kimi Räikkönen qualified third and Lewis Hamilton fourth, a position that would be sufficient for the title if he could maintain it in the race.

Lewis Hamilton carried a different fuel strategy from the cars ahead and did not need to chase pole at all costs. Robert Kubica struggled with grip and qualified 13th, while David Coulthard started his farewell race from 14th. The scene was set for a tense contest with uncertain weather.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 1 November 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:11.830	1:11.875	1:12.368	17
2	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:12.226	1:12.107	1:12.737	15
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:12.083	1:11.950	1:12.825	19
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:12.213	1:11.856	1:12.830	14
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:12.366	1:11.768	1:12.917	17
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.214	1:12.090	1:12.967	18
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:12.390	1:11.845	1:13.082	20
8	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:12.371	1:12.026	1:13.297	18
9	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:12.498	1:12.075	1:14.105	16
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:12.223	1:11.909	1:14.230	24
11	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:12.348	1:12.137	—	13
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:12.409	1:12.289	—	13
13	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:12.381	1:12.300	—	13
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:12.690	1:12.717	—	16
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:12.548	1:13.139	—	14
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:12.800	—	—	9
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:12.810	—	—	9
18	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:13.002	—	—	8
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:13.426	—	—	9
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:13.508	—	—	9

What happened in the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix?

A shower delayed the start and sent the field onto intermediate tyres. Felipe Massa led away, while David Coulthard’s final race ended in an opening-lap collision and Nelson Piquet also crashed. As the circuit dried, the switch to dry tyres shuffled the order; Lewis Hamilton had to pass Giancarlo Fisichella before settling back into a championship-winning position.

Felipe Massa controlled the race ahead of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen, but rain returned in the closing laps. Most frontrunners stopped for intermediates while Timo Glock stayed on dry tyres and moved ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel then passed the McLaren, dropping Lewis Hamilton to sixth and putting Felipe Massa provisionally on course for the title.

Felipe Massa crossed the line first, but the championship was not yet settled. Timo Glock lost grip as the rain intensified, and Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton caught and passed him in the final corners. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth to win the title by one point, while Felipe Massa’s victory and Kimi Räikkönen’s third place secured Ferrari the constructors’ championship.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 98 points, followed by Felipe Massa on 97. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 172, with McLaren on 151.

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 2 November 2008, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	71	1:34:11.435	10
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	71	+13.298	8
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+16.235	6
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	71	+38.011	5
5	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	71	+38.907	4
6	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	71	+44.368	3
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	71	+55.074	2
8	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	71	+1:08.433	1
9	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	71	+1:19.666	0
10	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	70	+1 lap	0
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	70	+1 lap	0
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	70	+1 lap	0
13	16	Jenson Button	Honda	70	+1 lap	0
14	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	70	+1 lap	0
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	70	+1 lap	0
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	69	+2 laps	0
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	69	+2 laps	0
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	69	+2 laps	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	0	Accident	0
Ret	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	0	Collision	0

Robert Kubica started the race from the pitlane.

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	36	1:13.736	210.377
2	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	32	1:14.057	209.465
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	59	1:14.117	209.296
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	31	1:14.159	209.177
5	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	40	1:14.167	209.155
6	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	36	1:14.207	209.042
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	25	1:14.214	209.022
8	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	39	1:14.229	208.980
9	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	61	1:14.375	208.570
10	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	41	1:14.652	207.796
11	16	Jenson Button	Honda	59	1:14.759	207.498
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	35	1:14.934	207.014
13	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	57	1:14.951	206.967
14	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	40	1:15.033	206.741
15	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	36	1:15.212	206.249
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	35	1:15.414	205.696
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	60	1:15.773	204.721
18	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	50	1:15.865	204.473

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	98
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	97
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	75
4	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	75
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	61
6	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	60
7	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	53
8	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	35
9	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	31
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	25
11	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	21
12	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	19
13	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	17
14	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	9
16	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	8
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	4
18	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	172
2	McLaren	151
3	BMW Sauber	135
4	Renault	80
5	Toyota	56
6	Toro Rosso	39
7	Red Bull Racing	29
8	Williams	26
9	Honda	14
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November