Lewis Hamilton Reigns Supreme

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton became the youngest world champion in Formula One history by the skin of his teeth after a thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix. The 23-year-old Englishman's title rival Felipe Massa won the race in his Ferrari but Hamilton grabbed the fifth place he needed at the last corner.

A late-race rain shower looked to have cost Hamilton the title when he dropped to sixth after a stop for wet tyres.
But he passed Toyota's Timo Glock as they entered the pit straight. Not even the rains of Fuji, where James Hunt had angrily denounced his McLaren team's pit-stop strategy in 1976 before he could be convinced that he had indeed won the world championship against all odds at the Japanese Grand Prix, could compare with the confrontation in Brazil this year that finally crowned his fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton. His fight with Felipe Massa in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix was the greatest championship climax in Formula One's illustrious history.

Renault's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest champion, was second ahead of Massa's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton's success buries the ghosts of last year, when after a remarkable debut season he let slip a massive lead in the final two races and Raikkonen sneaked in to win the title.

"It's pretty impossible to put into words," Hamilton said."I thought do I have it? Do I have it? And when they told me I was ecstatic."

Hamlton became the first Black driver in the history of Formula One Grand Prix Racing to win the Championship. WELL DONE LEWIS ! ! !

McLaren F1 Boss, Dennis says He is Not Racist

BBC News - Mr Dennis, 61, said he had come to the hearing in Southampton to rectify the accusations made by his former air steward Peter Boland.

Mr Boland, 27, who was sacked by Mr Dennis in May 2007, said the tycoon had boarded his luxury executive jet in the Middle East and said that he must wash his hands because he had been "shaking hands with Arabs all day".

Mr Boland from Stowmarket in Suffolk is alleging discrimination and victimisation due to sexual orientation at the hearing in Southampton. He has accused three companies controlled by Mr Dennis called McLaren Group Limited, Absolute Taste and Greyscape of the offences.

But giving evidence Mr Dennis, whose drivers include Lewis Hamilton, said: "I feel very strongly that some statements that have been attributed to me are just lies that have damaged my reputation.
"My primary purpose for being here are to ensure these untruths are rectified." He called the racist allegation an "absolute lie" and "ridiculous".

"I am here to defend my reputation which has been badly damaged. I am massively frustrated that things can be said and not challenged until they have been put into print. " The businessman said that Mr Boland had been sacked because he was not doing his job properly, had fallen asleep while working on his private jet and had been rude to important guests.

He accepted that he did not follow procedures when dismissing Mr Boland but added this was done to be kind and reach an amicable settlement.

He denied that he had sacked Mr Boland because of rumours he was gay.

Honda Pulls Out of Formula One

Reuters - Honda pulled out of Formula One on Friday, dealing a major blow to the sport and ending a dream for Japan's number two carmaker.

Amid slumping car sales triggered by the global economic crisis Honda were no longer willing to bankroll the Formula One team and its estimated annual budget of 500 million U.S. dollars.

Honda Motor Co chief executive Takeo Fukui told a news conference a return to the sport could take time and added that there were no plans to continue as an engine supplier.

"This difficult decision has been made in light of the quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry," Fukui told reporters.

"Honda must protect its core business activities and secure the long term as widespread uncertainties in the economics around the globe continue to mount.

"We will enter into consultation with associates of Honda Racing F1 and its engine supplier Honda Racing Development regarding the future of the two companies. This will include offering the team for sale."

Fukui, who told Reuters earlier this year that he would "spend a trillion yen" if he could to make Honda a Formula One winner, added: "But at this stage we have no plans to return to F1. We have no plans to supply engines to other teams. We do not want to be half in and half out of the sport."

Honda would have little time to find a buyer with the 2009 season starting in Australia on March 29th.   

Hamilton is the man to beat for 2009 F1 title, says Ferrari

BBC News - Title holder Lewis Hamilton will be the man to beat as Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen set their sights on the 2009 Formula One world title. But Brazil's Massa vowed on Thursday at Ferrari's annual winter retreat in the Alps that he will give the McLaren driver Hamilton another big fight.

"The most important thing is to be world champion. I am probably in the best position in the career," he said. "Everyone starts from zero after the rule changes. But Lewis is probably our biggest rival."
Massa almost claimed the 2008 world title but Hamilton managed to hold on to his lead when he overtook German Timo Glock in the last lap of the season-ending Brazilian GP to win by one point.

The year before Raikkonen beat Hamilton (and Fernando Alonso) by one points for Ferrari's last drivers' title.
Massa said he was still haunted by the Sao Paulo events in November but vowed "to learn from this experience" in the new season which starts on March 29 in Australia.

The Finn Raikkonen also expressed his hope that Ferrari will win the title but refrained from promising anything. Raikkonen dismissed speculation about lack of motivation after the 2007 success as the 2008 campaign was below par by his standard."I wouldn't be competing if I wasn't hungry for success," he said.
Apart from Hamilton, the Ferrari drivers named the BMW pair of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld as rivals along with Renault's Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 world champion.

"Alonso is a good driver. It depends on how good his car is," said Raikkonen. Alonso, who won two races last year after Renault vastly improved the car in the second half of the season, has been frequently linked with a move to Ferrari, but that doesn't bother the current lineup.

"Its been said for 18 months that Alonso will come to Ferrari. And he is still not there. My contract runs until 2010. lets see if he comes then," said Massa.

Raikkonen also shrugged off the speculation as well, saying "I am not concerned about these rumours."