Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula 1 World Championship in 2008.
Hamilton claimed the title in only his second F1 season, driving for McLaren-Mercedes. He entered the final race in Brazil with a seven-point lead over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, but the championship was still undecided because Massa could become champion by winning while Hamilton finished outside the required points positions.
Massa won the Brazilian Grand Prix, apparently putting himself on course for the title. Hamilton, however, was running sixth late in the race when rain complicated the final laps. He passed Toyota driver Timo Glock at the final corner of the final lap to take fifth place, scoring enough points to win the championship by a single point.
The result made Hamilton, aged 23, the youngest Formula 1 World Champion at that time. It also made him the first Black driver to win an F1 world title. His later championships came in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.