What a Season? What a Drama? What High Adrenalin driven action? What a way to end the season? And what a finish line all the way to the last two minutes and then the dying five seconds? Need any more? Yeah, this was the end to the 2008 F1 racing season at Interlagos at Brazil.
Every looser becomes a better Hero than the winner. Lewis was the winner, but Massa was not the looser. He was the champ for the 90 thousand people present in the circuit yesterday and he was the champ of thousands of Ferrari fans across the world and I thought, yeah, bet he is the CHAMP.
Lewis deserved it. No question about that. He was unlucky last year, like Massa this time. This season also he dominated most of the time and was a way ahead of others by the third quarter of the season. But it was meant to be a High Dramatic, never ending breath taking finale. And there was twists, turns in every lap, every corner of the 4.3km lap at Interlagos this Sunday. However, in the end Lewis seemed to be the triumphed one above all the possibilities and become the new youngest champion of the world.
But Hail Massa! What determination, what a character. He was sitting in the pole no doubt and had the best start with a flying lap. But there was always a chance with rain playing the spoiled child. And then Sebastian Vettel was always pushing him from the back with less than 2 seconds delay. Hamilton was always hovering around fourth to sixth position. The last pit stop of five and half seconds was just perfect a strategy to put him back in front of others with five laps to go. Still it needed a miracle for him to see to the very end, to the finish which thousands of people were expecting to see. A joint but individual effort from Kubica and Vettel saw Hamilton down to sixth position with just two laps to finish. The stadium roared and my heart beat tripled at night 12.30 sitting in front of the TV alone. Massa cruised and followed him from behind Alonso and Raikkonen. Hamilton pushed and pushed but Vettel was now in fourth position and Glock was between them driving dangerously on a rainy wet last lap. As Massa crossed the finish line a volcano erupted in the stadium and I pumped the fist. Vettel crossed and then in the last corner of the finish line unfolded the most unwanted drama of the season. Glock ran out of air for the last few meters and Hamilton crossed him to touch the line fifth, just what he needed. And the history was overwritten twice in a period of three minutes.
I think Massa wished he could cry out loud with a scream from his heart. But how could he? It was his home ground and he was in front of his own people. And he was the winner for that day. Luck was not quite his side but he had his share of glory and gave Ferrari its precious constructor’s trophy. He is the Champ.
* * *
Thousands of Hearts cried with Massa today. They have their right to do so being a true Ferrari or Massa fan. But I found some kind of wired and interesting similarity between him and me today. I too lost not one but quite a few races of my life today. I lost more in last few days. But today at 12.30 in the night all these has just added up to a few more new dimensions to my life. There is a long race ahead and a very important one. It has been quite dull and down till now, but now its time to wake up, burn brightly and illuminate all the way along.
* * *
