Taking the race but not the title

Felipe Massa showed on Sunday he could fill the void left by the late Brazilian driving idol Ayrton Senna.

Massa won the Brazilian Grand Prix in one of the most dramatic Formula One finales in recent years, but failed by just one point to become the first Brazilian to clinch the overall title since Senna in 1991 after Lewis Hamilton finished fifth at Interlagos circuit.

Coming into the Brazilian GP, Massa had won five of the 17 preceding races but trailed Hamilton by seven points and had to either win the race and hope the McLaren driver finished sixth or lower or come second and hope Hamilton finished eighth or lower.

The 23-year-old Hamilton came fifth after a passing Toyota's Timo Glock on the last lap to become the youngest F1 champion and the first from Britain since Damon Hill in 1996.

Although he lost the championship, Massa has captured the imagination of Brazilian race fans. About 70,000 fans packed the Interlagos track, most of them dressed in the red colors of Ferrari. Many carried banners wishing bad luck to Hamilton. There was a football-like atmosphere, with fans chanting "Ole, Ole, Ole ... Massa, Massa!"

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pic 1: Filipe Massa Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008
pic 2: Filipe Massa Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008

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pic 1: Robert Kubica BMW Sauber Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008
pic 2: Rubens Barrichello Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008

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pic 1: David Coulthard Red Bull Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008
pic 2: Fernando Alonso Renault Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008

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pic 1: Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008
pic 2: Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008

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pic 1: Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo
pic 2: Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo

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pic 1: Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo
pic 2: Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008

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pic 1: Kazuki Nakajima Williams Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008
pic 2: Jarno Trulli Toyota Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008

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pic 1: Start Filipe Massa Ferrari Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, 2008
pic 2: Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber