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Formula one: This is first of many says Lewis Hamilton as he becomes youngest champion

In a setting where his idol Ayrton Senna was once worshipped, Lewis Hamilton yesterday achieved the ambition that has gripped him since he was a six-year-old boy playing with a radio-controlled car. At the end of two years in which he has inspired a rare combination of admiration and resentment, Hamilton brought his two-year grand prix career to the first of what may be many climaxes.There are many ways to win the world championship, and the one selected by Hamilton was certainly among the most dramatic. For much of yesterday's race his McLaren-Mercedes had been sitting comfortably in fifth position behind the Ferrari of his greatest rival, Felipe Massa, another driver, Sebastian Vettel, whose Toro Rosso car had a Ferrari engine, his rival's team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, and Massa's most ardent supporter - Fernando Alonso. But as long as the situation remained unchanged and he kept his hold on the fifth place which would be enough to guarantee him the title, he did not need to mount what would have been a series of risky challenges.It was the insertion of Timo Glock's Toyota into an unexpected fourth place, the German driver benefiting from a decision to stay out on dry tyres while the rest were diving into the pits and changing to wets for the closing laps, which provided Hamilton - suddenly relegated to sixth - with a final challenge. As Glock slid around the rainswept track on increasingly unsuitable rubber, Hamilton found a way past with only a few hundred yards to go."Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, and I was just concentrating on having a clean race," he said. "Then it started to drizzle and I didn't want to take any risks - but Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him. I couldn't believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get in front of Timo. It was just amazing. I was shouting, 'Do I have it? Do I have it?' on the radio. It was only when I took the chequered flag and got to turn one that the team told me I was world champion."This was the most dramatic race of my whole life. It's pretty much impossible to put into words. It's been such a long journey, but I've always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans. We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I'm so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone."It's been a fairytale story. Ron Dennis gave me my opportunity years ago. He had the foresight to bring me in, to groom me to get to this position. I've grabbed it with both hands and I've paid him back in full, so I'm happy with that. I hope this is the first of many, but I don't know if my heart can take that final lap in many more seasons. It is absolutely fantastic, an amazing achievement, but one of the most troubled days. It was such a hard race, but now I'm ecstatic and very emotional."Perhaps there was no greater tribute than the one paid by Alonso, who arrived in the McLaren garage to congratulate the man who had just taken his title as the youngest champion in formula one history. The two have been viewed as bitter enemies since they clashed while both were in the McLaren team last season. "Well done," the holder of the 2005 and 2006 titles said, putting his arm around the shoulders of the newly crowned champion.The vanquished Massa was equally gracious in defeat. "We need to congratulate Lewis," he said after winning the race - his sixth of the season, to Hamilton's five - but missing the title by a single point. "He did a great championship. I know how to win and I know how to lose - it's part of life, part of our experience."Massa described the seconds immediately after he took the chequered flag, when he depended on his race engineer, Rob Smedley, to tell him whether or not he had won the title. "When I crossed the line, Rob was telling me, 'Calm down, calm down, I need to check Hamilton'. Then I was going into turn one and it was taking for ever. It was, 'Wait a second, he's fighting with Glock.' Then I got to turn three and it was 'OK, he's passed Glock'."Dennis, McLaren's chairman, revealed how close the call in the closing stages had been: "We just said to Lewis, 'OK, this is it. Just be careful. You will catch him.' It was heart-stopping stuff."Sir Stirling Moss, the best driver never to win the title, was effusive in his praise. "It was staggering," he said. "I thought the whole race was terrific and Lewis won the world title in a tremendous finish. He's a racer. He gets on with it. He's good in the wet, good in the dry."It's very difficult comparing drivers from my era, when it was really dangerous, to now, so it's not like for like. But if you're talking about a man's ability to control a car, I think he's up there [with the best] now."As he celebrated with his team, Hamilton said: "I'd like to thank McLaren for giving me such a wonderful car and my family for being here to support me. We came, we saw and we did what we had to do."ITV's dramatic last lapJames Allen We're expecting Massa any time now. He comes through to claim his sixth victory of the season. He has done everything he needed to do and we wait now to find out who will be the world champion of 2008. Can Hamilton do anything? Can he run it up the inside of Vettel? Only a few corners to go now and desperation starts to creep into Lewis Hamilton. Martin Brundle Raikkonen's third and ... (shouting) is that Glock, is that Glock? It is! That's Glock!JA Oh my goodness me. Hamilton's back in position again. A hundred thousand local hearts sink in the grandstand. It's handed the place back to Hamilton. He comes through. And you're right, I'm sure, that he's going to claim fifth place which is all he needs to do to become ...MB Yes! JA ... the 2008 formula one world champion. Lewis Hamilton, and you will ... well, the Ferrari boys are celebrating, they think they have won. They're wrong. They absolutely haven't. Hamilton finished fifth. And Lewis, the father realised he celebrated too early, and Nicole Scherzinger, the girlfriend of Lewis Hamilton, hugs Aki Hintsa, his head doctor. You will never see a more dramatic conclusion to any motor race, let alone a grand prix, and the result of it all is that, in the most harum scarum way possible - he doesn't make it easy for himself, does he? - Lewis Hamilton is the world champion.MB Unbelievable.Formula oneLewis HamiltonMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds