Not great, but no disaster. That’s the best way to sum up Lewis Hamilton’s final qualifying session of 2009. On a day when Ferrari and McLaren tried to outdo each other in appearing to remain calm under pressure (‘We’re treating this like any other grand prix’. Yeah, right) it was Ferrari who won out.
While McLaren continued to make changes to Hamilton’s car during the final free practice session this morning, the Ferrari crew were posing for an end-of-term photograph in their garage. The relaxed look stiffened somewhat when Hamilton then turned in a very quick lap to go faster than Felipe Massa but it seemed much harder work for the Englishman when compared to the more stable Ferrari.
So it proved in qualifying, Massa taking pole for the third year in succession – with no apparent trouble. Hamilton made a mess of his penultimate lap with mistakes at the first corner and then the Descida do Lago, the third turn where he ran wide during last year’s race. Hamilton’s final lap was an improvement all round, but not good enough to match Massa – or Jarno Trulli or Kimi Raikkonen.
Hamilton may be relieved to have Heikki Kovalainen qualifying fifth but the menacing presence of Fernando Alonso directly behind Lewis probably won’t do a lot for his sleep pattern tonight.
We feared the worst when Hamilton walked from the McLaren garage and didn’t speak to the waiting media on his way to the team’s office. But, on cue, he later emerged to stand in front of the sponsors’ back drop and say his piece.
He looked extremely relaxed, almost as if this weekend, this season, is finally drawing to a close and we’ll have an answer one way or another tomorrow.
‘I’m here to win the championship, not necessarily the race,’ said Hamilton, referring to the need simply to finish in the top five, regardless of what Massa does. ‘I’ve just got to hold position on the first lap.’
Absolutely. But easier said than done on the short sprint over the blind brow and into the downhill braking area for the blind apex Turn 1. Then steep downhill through the Senna Esses, where all manner of wheel banging and nose wing damage has been inflicted over the years.
Hamilton is in some rough company. Massa, meanwhile, can do all he has to do by having Trulli and Raikkonen hold everyone up while he wins the race and then asks how Hamilton got on.
Hamilton ought to do the job. But F1 this season has not been that straightforward. We’re in for a nerve-wracking 71 laps.
after quali Lewis said:
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (4th, Q3 – 1m 12.830s):
“Congratulations to Felipe for achieving pole position in front of his home crowd – he did a great job today. But, tomorrow, I will be focusing on my own race: it will be a tough afternoon but I’m comfortable with the fuel strategy we chose; the guys in front are probably on a different strategy. But we’re in a good position to finish in the same place as we are today – and that’s got to be our aim. We don’t need to do anything spectacular.”
where’s the arrogance in that? sounds nothing but gracious to me!
and it sounds like he’s going to run a smart race like i hoped!
GO LEWIS!!!
hang on in there whatever happens it’s been a great season and at last we have a quick Brit
GO ON MASSA
I still think Massa is light on fuel, it is the logical strategy for him.
Hopefully Lewis can stay out of trouble.
Massa to win, Fernando 2nd, Kimi 3rd & Lewis 4th.
All he has to do is stay in the best place he can (without crashing) and stay consistant (without crashing)
good luck to the lads!!!
Let us pray for the two drivers:
Dear God……..stay out of their way!
it will be a great race!!!!!
GO MASSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!
its a real shame they can’t go neck + neck for the championship: how great would that be, in the last ten laps, the two best drivers battling for the win. I would hope Hamilton would win…
Expext dirty tactics from Raikonnen, Alonso, and then Kovalenien when it al gets desperate.
Oh, and Maurice, if for example, Alonso delibrately crashed into Hamilton, forcing him out of the race, and handing massa the championship, what could the FIA do? Could they only penalise Alonso, or what?
There should be a rule about exterior motives effecting the outcome of the championship/race.
If there isn’t any rain, the whole race will come down to the start. Starting on the outside behind Hamilton, Kovalainen will immediately have to dive to the inside in order to hold off Alonso through the first turn (first two turns, for that matter) if necessary.
If there’s rain (which there probably will be), it’s a totally different story. All Hamilton will have to do is stay on the track. We’ll see if he can do it…
Adam Mead, great quote lol! as an athiest, i couldn’t have said it better myself!
catersam, i don’t think Kimi would pull anything dirty against Lewis. A lot of people close to the sport actually think Kimi isn’t “rooting” for Massa. It makes sense. Why would Kimi want to help his “number 2″ teammate take his championship from him? he’d prefer to have Massa run the number “3″ on his car next year, keeping the red camera pod on top of his car for himself. (for the noobs, the “number one” driver in a team has a red camera pod on top of their car, the “number 2″ has a yellow one).
and if Alonso takes Lewis out, McLaren better have the balls to send Heikki on a mission to take out Massa! that would be a perfect way to stick a middle-finger up to everyone. no more Mr. Nice Ron Dennis!
I love Lewis Hamilton driving his car! Hes the best. Dont let one bad race let you down. Keep on moving up!!!
Amazing job by McLaren, Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen… the whole team! GO MCLAREN MERCEDES!
WIN THE CONSTRUCTOR’S CHAMPIONSHIP AND ESPECIALLY THE DRIVERS
Alonso will better not show up! GO HAMILTON
Go Heikki! Help Lewis win the championship! GO HAMILTON
brazilian/massa fans are discracefal booing hamiltons dad and the team when they came up on the big screen HAMILTON DESERVES TO WIN.
Go Lewis show the bulldog sprit and do it.
Good luck
He will win it when he is less cocky in his attitude. If he wins tomorrow, it will be luck.
…last quali of 2009?…last quali of 08 more like
massa surely will win, but the championship has gotta go to hamilton…..unless it rains…which is likely:/
Prost, first of all, change your name. Have some respect for the real Prost and dont post idiotic comments under his name.
as for what you said, come on. Luck might win you a race once and a while. You don’t win championships by being lucky. You win them by having talent.
and why dont you try to back up what you say. show me one thing Lewis has ever said that could be called “cocky.” go look at comment number 1. those words he gave are typical Lewis. does that sound cocky to you?
My view, Everybody is overlooking David Coulthards Retirement… Lets say a Farewell to Britains Most successful driver!!
WE LOVE YOU DC!!
And the Race, If it stays Dry Massa will take the win and Hamilton will take the championship from somewhere behind… If it rains well im expecting Carnage!! Hamilton to go straight into the back of Kimi, Massa will get Throttle happy and Possibly Dump it into a wall if not he MIGHT win it … Hamilton has a lot of work to do tomorrow, Because we all know his starts are a little fiesty when he’s a bit further back…
And Marcus.. Hamilton has said Cocky things, Like in Hungary he said Nobody will overtake him on the outside.. Then Massa Nailed him FROM AROUND THE OUTSIDE… Then after the rave he said.. “That will never happen again” Sounds pretty damn cocky to me! You get your facts right before mouthing off at other people! …
All the cards are set for the grand finale the to Ferraris willjust be gone like the wind!!
Jarno A.K.A The Lcomotive closes the door.
Alonso catches Hamilton on on the first corner.
LH gets mad makes amistake and falls to the and of the line.
GO FELIPE!!!!!!!!!!BRING IT HOME!!!!!!!
Will Hamilton cock it up again???!
Oh, it looks so close that he just might not be able to make it!
Can’t tell…
And at this stage I wouldn’t really mind who wins the championship. But one thing for sure is that its gonna be one hell of a race!!
Oh and TopGear right after that!!
Oi! Why are none of you making accusations against us?
See how happy you all are with a close championship!
Same again next year?
If Massa wins the championship tomorrow, we will see a fantastic party in Interlagos… like when Senna won the 1991!!!
PISA BRUTO MASSA!!!
come on Hamilton !!!!!!
i think that he’s more focused this year and has the skill and nerve to step up to the plate and win his first championship
the only way that he wont win his first , is if his team lets him down or he get’s run off the track
otherwise its Hamilton’s all the way , and anyone who thinks massa will win it , well i’m very sorry but your not going to the the result
COME ON HAMILTON !!!!!!
it’ll be the british that will be partying and it will be a party to remember , then its just a short wait till next year when he win’s his second
COME ON HAMILTON !!!!!!!!!!
Go Massa Go!!!!
lewis hamilton, you must win the championship.
hmm doesn’t seem like the most important thing in the world but is it just me that thinks anyone using the word “noob” or even “scooby” sounds lika a complete dick?
Tim Reeve, when/where the hell did he say that? even if he did, which i doubt, since when does it automatically mean someone is cocky if theyre confident and play head games with their opposition? he could have said, “No one will ever pass me again!” and it wouldn’t be cocky, it would be psychological warfare. Senna himself used to say the cockiest stuff in the world, but who cares? It’s just head games! Oh, and we all know how Hungary turned out…not exactly a notch in Massa’s belt.
and Bob Hoskins, were you referring to me when i used the term “noob?” well, sorry to tell you, there are plenty of noobs commenting on here, like ones who think it was Hamilton and Massa going into that chicane at Spa…
in the future what term would you like me to use? novice? beginner? new to the sport? those dont have the same dimeaning tone…dick.
haha! I like this Marcus guy! first he says on the other topic he doesn’t take sides now he’s on the defensive for Lewis! then he says if anyone can come up with anything about Lewis being cocky, then he should, and when someone does, you say he could have said “No one will ever pass me again!” and it wouldn’t be a cocky statement!
unfortunately, that would be cocky if Lewis said that, though I doubt that he ever will. the guy weighs his words before saying them aloud. and if you want to take sides bro, you’re free to do so!
we need cocky aggresive driver who try to pull moves that are nt there and some tensoin between the drivers
makes for real great watchin
hope hamilton wins the championship but finishes second to mark webber in the race who is going to make an amazing move in the first corner and overtake the entire field
Surely Hamilton wouldn’t be stupid enough to loose the WDC on the last race 2 successive years in a row. Then again, I wouldn’t mind seeing that at all!
GO MASSA! FORZA FERRARI!
I hope it’s a dramatic race but without controversy and Hamilton to win. Let’s not forget it’s the last ITV race, no more commercials!!!
I hope Massa cocks it up on the first corner!
GO HAMILTON!
Thank You David Coulthard for a fantastic 14 years of Formula 1. You do deserve win at least 1 world championship, unfornuately you didn’t. Let’s just see if Lewis Hamilton can be the youngest champion!
Please FIA, NO MORE CONTROVERSY IN THIS RACE! YOU ALREADY SPOILT FORMULA 1 ENOUGH!
LEWIS HAMILTON, WIN THE 2008 DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Just fed up with the school bully hamilton comparing himself to the GREAT Senna, the only thing in common is the colour of his helmet(coppied), senna was a GOD of F1, hammy? under Mclaren contract for 12 years, of course he should be up there, where was Kovy last year, put him in a mac, what a surprise he’s in the top 3,
Lewis is the better driver of the two and that will show just as it has done all season……and that is a factual comment from someone who knows a thing or two about driving around a track…wink wink.
Hamiltono is the nerd of F1, and I honestly don’t want him to win, Fernando is going to be like a raging bull behind kovaleinen:))
It’s a shame really. For the first time in years it looked as if F1 was set to become more interesting – but at the end of the day it’s basically ended up as a slagging match. It seems LH has polarised opinion more than anyone before. You didn’t see this kind of black and white scenario with Schumacher.
Why is this? Is it because he’s coloured, or is it because a lot of people seem to think he’s an arrogant SOB? How many people have actually met him? My point of view is that he’s just another talented driver who is very confident in his own abilities. Some may see this as arrogance, but that doesn’t justify the level of hostility that a small minority have against him.
If he’s as good as he thinks he is, he’ll win. If not, he’ll lose. MAybe he’ll learn from it, maybe he won’t – but let’s give him a chance.
hamilton made a few mistakes in every session both friday and saturday; the car is not that well balanced and maybe, i said, maybe he is quite nervous tooking all this pressure, again!
if anything happens he will finish in 4th, winning the championship and massa will win the race in front of his home crowd.
maurice is a year ahead. as for hamilton don’t cock up.
Here’s a point what happens if it rains… Massa in a Ferrari (Crap in the rain) Hamilton 2nd Row (Loves rain but may crash) 73 Laps a lot can happen in that time
Lewis is in with a chanche cos Mass is BAD (not in the Michael Jackson sense) in the rain.
Lewis Hamilton To Win The Champipnship
cause lewis will win he is the best in the world and all of u thet think massa will win i think you will be very sad after the race
LEWIS 2 WIN
I think that Massa will win the race and i hope Hamilton wins the championship as he deserves it .
GO LEWIS HAMILTON
Bored F1 fan. If you’re bored go and watch something else and give up the stupid “bully” remarks
Hamilton FTW !!! lol its funny when you think it should be over and done with if it wasnt for the cheating Ferraris with spa and massa getting a point giving in japan lol technically hamilton is world champion now if i was massa i wouldnt go bragging about it if he won the championship because the FIA handed it to him on a plate anyways
GO LEWIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wat a long 2 weeks!!!!!! cant wait. hope the fia dont intervine. let the two best drivers the world battle it out. massa will win the race, lewis world champion.
Aly, when did i ever say i wasn’t taking sides?! I’m a freakin’ Lewis fanatic! that’s why i tend to end my posts with, “GO LEWIS!!!”…genius. and did you miss the part about psychological warfare? and at what point does self-confidence cross over into being cocky? in something as big as F1, i dont think it ever does. if anyone can ever say good things about himself without being considered cocky, it’s an F1 driver who’s won 9 races in his first 2 seasons, don’t you think? if he can’t, who can?!
and again, for all those people saying Lewis compares himself to Senna, have a look at this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/spo rt1/hi/motorsport/formula _one/7686562.stm
and read this line by Lewis in particularly well:
“By no means have I ever suggested that I’m better than Ayrton – for me he’s the king, and always will be,” Hamilton said.
“If I could ever get to a point of being anywhere near as good as he was, I’d feel great.”
if after reading that you think he’s comparing himself to Senna, or thinks he’s better or something like that, you’re a twit living in your own world.
if’s but’s why’s, stop saying it would be over if SPA this and that, dont forget if massa had’nt broken down while leading 2 races he would be miles in front of lewis, just wait and see what happens, 73 laps is a long time
I’M A TWIT WELCOME TO MY WORLD.
GO MASSA
Marcus i think he is better but im not saying that he said he was better than senna but i think he is i think he is his own hero lol
LH will probably choke and do something silly(hope not) but when the pressure is really on we all know what he is like, all we want is a straight race with a clear result
GO BOB (62)
Humpaz, your post was a little confusing, but i think i get the gist of what youre saying lol. i think.
and hell, I’ll have the balls to say it: i think Lewis IS the next Senna. they come from different eras, so a direct comparison is impossible, but i truly think that if anyone can be what Senna was, it’s Lewis. tell me the last time you saw a driver who gave you the same feeling of magic as Senna? when’s the last time a driver has come into F1, in a fast car or not, and absolutely shined from day one? for me, Lewis is that driver. and i’m not even british!
and brazilian fans, sorry to tell you, but the next Senna doesn’t have to necessarily be brazilian. and i’m sure Senna himself would tell you that.
and does anyone find it funny that the Senna fans love to talk crap about McLaren, when Senna won his championships in a McLaren?
anyway, GO LEWIS!!! only a few more hours to go!
Bored F1 Fan, you’re the one bringing up what Hamilton may or may not have done as a CHILD and i’m the paranoid one? you’re telling stories about what Lewis did in school, stories you heard from a “friend.” nice.
and you’re complete inability to grasp the concept of SARCASM let’s me know just how intelligent you are.
but that waterboy line was really funny. very timely. nice. did you just get that movie on blu-ray or something? dick.
Whatever Bored F1 Fan…
I don’t see what your story about Hamilton breaking someone’s arm has got anything to do with the championship, everybody has done stupid things and some will go on forever.
And please, talking about decline of the intelligence ‘in this country’ is OK and you do have a point, but Marcus is about the only one who actually uses strong arguments instead of the old ‘a friend of friend said…’
Go watch Nascar or a fancy drag race, please
what’s all this talk of paranoia? we’re on a blog comments section! who needs to be paranoid? we’re talking about F1, not global warming or ebola geez.
and Bored, i was referring to posts in other sections of this website. the world is a little bigger than the last few posts…
and i’m so sure you havent read one bad thing about McLaren on here, right?
I reckon he’ll do it….. current weather forecast for the next few days in Sao Paulo (including today, according to the BBC Weather website) is heavy showers…. and we’ve all seen what Massa’s like in the wet earlier this season, so I reckon Hamilton will come through to win the race, with a good chance of Massa having a bad race like he did at Silverstone + Singapore.
NASCAR ROCKS
GO MASSA
thanks again for the backup Finchy! normally i would even answer idiots like Bob and Bored and Dave, but i have a lot of nervous energy to get rid of before the race!
i cant wait to see what they’ll be saying in a few hours when Lewis gets the title lol
AND WHERE’S THE ITALIAN STYLE NATION BRIDE WHEN THERE AN ITALIAN RACE EVERYONE THERE CHEERS FOR THE FERRARIS AT SILVERSTONE HALF OF THEM ARE FOR FERRARI WHY DO MORE THAN HALF THE BRITISH PUBLIC DISLIKE HAMILTON.
oops, spell check anyone? lol. i meant to say “i wouldn’t even answer idiots like Bob and Bored and Dave, but i have a lot of nervous energy to get rid of before the race!”
why start on me marcus
i was going to join in but its nasty in here. someone should report that marcus.
Will you people who have turned this into a slanging match please all wind your necks in?
This isn’t your private playground to scrap on. So just let it go, watch the race and let them sort it out.
If you persist, I’ll delete all your posts.
Now have a good race.
Jamie
Trulli! hope this is a preview of what toyota are gonna be doin next year, im slightly bored of mclaren and ferrari at the top, hopefully honda’s KERS will also bring them to the front next year, Come on the underdogs!
I dont think Hamilton will win the race tomorrow, but may win the championship. Still dont think he’s quite mature enough to complete the race with no cock ups though. Definately looking forward to this race!
well said Jamie. i usually just post my opinions on the sport itself on here, and i apologize for being drawn into personal squabbles on your site.
and obviously posts 79 and 80 weren’t me
but i apologize on behalf of the riff raff.
IF IT IS RAINING IT’S IN THE BAG. IF IT ANT HE WILL WIN IT. COME ON HAMILTON
i think if lewis keeps his calm like the other week he will breeze it…
good luck lewis go give em hell
I reckon that Massa will win this race, but Hamilton will get fifth or higher and take the championship.
I reckon Jarno will definitely fall out of his 2nd place on the grid; he isn’t really a match for Filipe, Kimi, Lewis, Heikki or Fernando.
I don’t think Hamilton will try to overtake Filipe or Kimi unless Heikki goes in and attacks one of them. But if not then he is in a very good position to win the overall championship. He might even get a podium finish.
As long as the Ferraris are in front and he has Heikki behind him, he can’t be attacked and he has good backup.
I believe in him that he can do it!
Go Lewis!!!
He really desrves it, he has had alot of bad remarks thrown at him saying he is a bad driver and he can’t win becasue he is black and stuff like that, but he has proved them wrong. Skin colour is only skin deep, and he is a brilliant driver, as proven on top gear:)
Even if he doesn’t win, he has won second place, which is a remarkable feat for someone who is just 23, but of course it will be even better if he wins!
This was indeed becoming silly, let’s hope the race tonight will show a bit more sportsmanship than us lot
I can hardly wait, and, once more GO LEWIS!!!
@ posts #79,80 and 81, it’s great to see more Lewis fans, I’m getting a bit annoyed by everyone (press and fellow F1 drivers included) taking a piss at him!
To me he’s the best driver out there and Massa is not a bad driver but was he the 2nd best when schumi was still out there? I don’t think so.
I’d like to see what Alonso and Vettel would do in a Ferrari, we all might forget about Massa pretty quickly.
HAM is going to be knocked out in the first corner.
90 minutes to start. 28 degrees. Spits and spots of rain. Toyota say 50 per chance of rain in race but percentage has been reducing through the morning. Grandstands packed. Atmopshere incredible! Here we go. May the best man win and, please, no stewards’ enquiries… Enjoy it.
Can’t wait for the race to begin, it is going to be epic for sure, Massa may win the race but I have great faith that Hamilton will win the title. I think that unless something major happens, Mclaren will not win the constructors title but they may still manage it.
Good Luck Hamilton!!!
thanks for the weather update Maurice!
about an hour now until the pre-race show on SPEED channel. looking forward as always to Peter Windsor going for it and getting some prime interviews!
this is it people! Lewis is a few hours away from history! i can’t say it enough, GO LEWIS!!!
by the way, for extra dramatic effect, do what i’m doing: have the song “The Final Bell” from the Rocky II soundtrack qued up to around 13 seconds…then when Lewis crosses the line, hit play! and there you have it, perfect hollywood ending!
of cause he can do it do it because he only has finish fourth to win the championships i think that he will do it and good luck to him
I’m getting nervous now!
C’mon Lewsi you can do it – and win me some money too
http://selectabet.net/blo g/2008/11/01/f1-betting-s queaky-bum-time-for-lewis -hamilton/
let’s all spare a thought for david coulthard, who is starting his last ever formula 1 race. i hope you have a great race this afternoon, dc, and thanks for many years of fantastic racing!!
Massaaa….!!!
or someone else of unknown identity.
C’MON MASSA, good luck.
oh how i hope Hamilton makes another amateur mistake and just misses out on 5th position.
He’s just another Tim Henman… An also ran
i actually think that massa is goin to win it
hamilton is just going to make another amateur mistake on the 2nd to last lap and massa will pip it from him
HAMILTON HAS WON IT
Lewis has won it!!
all good, hammi got 5th.
Yes Hammy !!!!!! Yes Hammy!!!
That was great, my heart was in my mouth!!!!
Congratulations to Hamilton, he deserved it.
Well, maybe next year, Ferrari…
lewis did it , finally he did it
I am going to post that final 5 laps of that race on youtube!!!
and get it removed in about 5 mins lol
I think I just shat my pants.
Hahaha, you know it!!
Finally, justice has been done! Well done LH.
So Hammy, you proved them wrong. You proved that the FIA cheated you. That’s good. Enjoy your reign, and I hope know that you have fans supporting you all the way!!!
Great race. Congrats Lewis!
Ferrafi team cellebrating at the very end when they thought they won gutted
Hahaha 1 point came back to haunt Ferrari, hahahaha!!!
well now to get ready for new top gear!
Hell Yeah!!! New Top Gear!!!
The only show that is better than F1.
you’ve said 2009 shouldn’t that be 2008 or have I missed a year of my life?!
Lewis H is just the driving LORD. Congratz
Good Driver! lucky boy!
IF FERRARI DIDNT MESS UP SO MUCH, MASSA DEFINATELY WOULD HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BESIDES THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO AGREE THAT VETTEL HUMILIATED HAMILTON…
i knew haminton would win the championship and look wat happened on the last few turns of the grand prix
pity that a driver wins 5 races becomes world champion. the points system should be reviewed.
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