2008 Formula One World Championship — 62nd season of Formula One motor racing
Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 Formula One title by a single point in the final corner of the final lap, becoming the youngest and first black world champion.
Key Facts
- Season races
- 18 races, from Australia to Brazil
- Championship margin
- 1 point (Hamilton over Massa)
- Season debut
- Singapore Grand Prix, first F1 night race
- Teams competed
- 11 (Super Aguri withdrew after 4 races)
- Traction control banned
- First season without it since 2001
- Grooved tyres
- Last season, slicks returned in 2009
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 2008 Formula One season unfolded under new technical regulations that banned traction control for the first time since 2001, adding unpredictability to competition. Eleven teams entered, though Super Aguri withdrew mid-season due to financial difficulties, and Honda also announced its withdrawal at season's end, citing financial hardship.
Contested over eighteen races from March to November, the championship culminated at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock on the final corner of the final lap to secure fifth place and the Drivers' title by a single point over Felipe Massa. Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen finished third, and Scuderia Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship.
Hamilton became the youngest and first black Formula One World Champion, a record later broken by Sebastian Vettel in 2010. The season was also marked by the Crashgate scandal involving Renault at Singapore, leading to team principal Flavio Briatore's resignation. Honda's exit led to the creation of Brawn GP for 2009, and slick tyres returned to Formula One the following season.
Result
at Multiple circuits; finale at Interlagos, São Paulo, Brazil