In a fantastic, exciting race, Hamilton silenced his critics with an amazing performance in the rain.
Formula One races are always better when it rains.
From fourth on the grid Hamilton almost took the lead on the first lap, but for a brave move by his McLaren team-mate Kovalainen.
Hamiltion took the lead on lap five. A crucial mistake by Ferrari on lap 21, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen within a second of Hamilton, the two title contenders pitted together. While Hamilton changed on to a new set of tyres, Raikkonen remained on his old rubber, and it proved critical as Ferrari's gamble backfired. The circuit was wet, but it was not raining, with Ferrari chiefs believing the track would slowly dry and Raikkonen's wearing tyres would give him the advantage. Within four laps the rain struck again, heavily at times and with it Hamilton cruised home, finishing an incredible 68.5 seconds clear of BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.
"It was so extreme out there, in some cases as extreme as Fuji last year," reflected Hamilton.
"Obviously, there wasn't as much rain, but they were such tricky conditions, and I had huge problems with my visor.
"I couldn't see a thing, and it was fogging up on the right side, so between turns one and two I had to lift the visor and clean it on the inside, drop it down, and then clean it again before Stowe.
"I had to do that every lap just to be able to see, especially when it started to rain. It was just so slippery, so tough, a real mental challenge.
"I just had to focus on making sure I didn't have any mishaps or mistakes, while the team did a great job, so a big 'thank you' to them."
Hamilton joins Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, John Watson, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and David Coulthard as a winner on home soil.
Lewis Hamilton photograph taken by Paul Woolrich
Drivers' Standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Felipe Massa | 48 |
| 3 | Kimi Raikkonen | 48 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 48 |
| 2 | Robert Kubica | 46 |
| 5 | Nick Heidfeld | 36 |
| 6 | Heikki Kovalainen | 24 |
| 7 | Jarno Trulli | 20 |
| 8 | Mark Webber | 18 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | 13 |
| 13 | Rubens Barrichello | 11 |
| 10 | Nico Rosberg | 8 |
| 11 | Kazuki Nakajima | 8 |
| 12 | David Coulthard | 6 |
| 14 | Sebastian Vettel | 5 |
| 15 | Timo Glock | 5 |
| 16 | Jenson Button | 3 |
| 17 | Sebastien Bourdais | 2 |
Constructors' Standings | Pos | Team | Points |
| 1 | Ferrari | 96 |
| 2 | BMW Sauber | 82 |
| 3 | McLaren | 72 |
| 5 | Toyota | 25 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 24 |
| 6 | Williams | 16 |
| 7 | Renault | 15 |
| 8 | Honda | 14 |
| 9 | STR-Ferrari | 7 |
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Wet
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) | McLaren | 1hr 39mins 09.440secs |
| 2 | Nick Heidfeld (Ger) | BMW Sauber | 1:40:18.017 |
| 3 | Rubens Barrichello (Bra) | Honda | 1:40:31.713 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) | Ferrari | at 1 Lap |
| 5 | Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) | McLaren | at 1 Lap |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso (Spa) | Renault | at 1 Lap |
| 7 | Jarno Trulli (Ita) | Toyota | at 1 Lap |
| 8 | Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) | Williams | at 1 Lap |
| 9 | Nico Rosberg (Ger) | Williams | at 1 Lap |
| 10 | Mark Webber (Aus) | Red Bull | at 1 Lap |
| 11 | Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) | Scuderia Toro Rosso | at 1 Lap |
| 12 | Timo Glock (Ger) | Toyota | at 1 Lap |
| 13 | Felipe Massa (Bra) | Ferrari | at 2 Laps |
| Driver | Team | Lap | Reason |
| Robert Kubica (Pol) | BMW Sauber | 39 | Spin in the wet |
| Jenson Button (Gbr) | Honda | 38 | Beached in the gravel |
| Nelson Piquet Jr. (Bra) | Renault | 35 | Spin in the wet |
| Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) | Force India | 26 | Spin in the wet |
| Adrian Sutil (Ger) | Force India | 10 | Spin in the wet |
| Sebastian Vettel (Ger) | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 0 | Crash |
| David Coulthard (Gbr) | Red Bull | 0 | Crash |
Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton on becoming Formula One World Champion 2008.
After a rollercoaster season of F1 races, steward's enquiries, appeals and a few crazy moments. The F1 Driver's Championship comes to the final race today at Interlagos in Brazil.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is keen for the FIA to change the rules regarding team orders in Formula One.
Fernando Alonso won the Japanese Grand Prix. After driving a perfect race to follow up on his win in Singapore.
