F1 Brazilian GP: Top 5 title turnarounds at Interlagos

1 - 2008, final corner decider

Lewis Hamilton had a point to prove after last year's race

This race was not only one of the best title deciders in Formula 1 but arguably in sports as a whole. Only Manchester City’s final minute Premier League winner in 2012 springs to mind as a challenger, in my mind.

Lewis Hamilton very much had a point to prove after being so unlucky to miss out on the title the previous year. His only challenger for the title this year was Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who had home advantage for the final race. Massa absorbed the Brazilian crowd's energy to claim pole position at Interlagos on Saturday, Hamilton started in a respectable fourth when he required fifth to win the title.

The track was damp at the start and every driver started on the intermediates, with both title challengers retaining their respective positions on the first lap. Giancarlo Fisichella, in an awful Force India, took a gamble onto dry tyres and it paid off, sending him up so far up the order that he likely got a nose-bleed. When the pit stops had shaken out Massa still lead but Hamilton was down in sixth.

Hamilton eventually got past Fisi and was up to a championship position once again. The status-quo was more or less maintained until Lap 63 when rain began to fall. Everybody had to pit for wet weather tyres, but crucially. Timo Glock took a risk and stayed out as the rain wasn't too intense and he had nothing to lose in an under-performing Toyota.

On Lap 69 of 71, Hamilton was running in fifth but Vettel was all over his heels and would love to hand a title to Maranello. Robert Kubica had a horrible race but now had solid pace and unlapped himself from Vettel and then Hamilton. However, this threw the British driver off-line and Vettel sneaked through to send the crowd into bedlam. If it stayed like this Massa would become the fourth Brazilian world champion and with just a few laps to go it looked like that would happen.

Hamilton tried everything to stay with Vettel but the Toro Rosso driver was showing his class, much like when he won in Italy earlier in the season, and he couldn't keep with him. It was all over, Massa crossed the line on his final lap, the race winner and the 2008 world champion.

Hamilton was miles back, he went into the final lap behind Vettel and about 5 seconds behind Glock with the German still doing competitive times. Lewis entered the final corner and a red and white Toyota was crawling around the last lap, it was Glock. Hamilton dived down the German's inside and was in championship position, Ferrari had celebrated prematurely because Hamilton had become the youngest ever world champion at just twenty-three years old and by a single point.

Massa, though, cemented his legacy as top sportsman, he took that title defeat with dignity and passion. Lewis won the title, but that day Massa won the hearts of millions worldwide.