The rankings of the 2008 season

Author of a perfect race in Brazil, Felipe Massa will not be the 2008 world champion. The big winner is Lewis Hamilton, who clinched his 5th place in extremis, allowing him to become world champion. The British driver is thus the leader of the drivers’ standings while Ferrari is the constructors’ world champion. [Standings]

As last year, there is only one point separating the top two in the championship. Hamilton has 98 points and Massa 97. This 2008 season has been fabulous as in third position, we find Kubica and Räikkönen both with 75 points.

Fernando Alonso delivered a year-end performance befitting the champion he embodies and secured a 5th place position at the expense of Heidfeld. The Spaniard finished second at Interlagos and amassed 61 points compared to 60 for the German. Kovalainen could do nothing and retains his 7th position with 53 points.

Further on, for his last race with Toro Rosso, Vettel secures 8th place in the championship. He managed to overtake Jarno Trulli thanks to his 4th place in Sao Paulo (35 points against 31 for the Italian). Trulli’s teammate, Timo Glock, secures 10th place with a total of 25 points, 3 more after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

From German, there is no change, Webber, Piquet, and Rosberg did not have the opportunity to compete for gaining positions. They remain in 11th, 12th, and 13th positions with 21, 19, and 17 points, respectively.

Barrichello has a decent 2008 season with 11 points, while his Honda teammate Jenson Button is only 18th with just 3 points. They are separated by Nakajima, Coulthard, and Bourdais. The Force India drivers did not manage to score a single point.

In the constructors’ standings, Ferrari is once again the world champion, just like a year ago. The Scuderia totals 172 points. The two titles therefore go to two different teams as McLaren-Mercedes is second with 151 points.

Third place secured with 135 points, BMW-Sauber lost ground on the two leaders at the end of the season to focus more on 2009 and did not score any points in Brazil.

Renault accumulates eight new points thanks to Fernando Alonso’s prowess. Its 4th place in the constructors’ standings was also secured with 80 points. Toyota and Toro Rosso end this season on a high note with the addition of points. The Japanese and Italian teams are respectively 5th and 6th and can approach 2009 with confidence.

Red Bull managed to hold off Williams for 7th place (29 points to 26). The Grove team started the season well with Rosberg’s podium in Melbourne but faded away, especially towards the end of the year. Honda is 9th, and Force India is hoping for better days since its uncontested 10th place.

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