Lewis Hamilton celebrates after he won the 2008 Formula One world championship title by finishing fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix Sunday. (Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press)

It will go down as one of the most dramatic finishes in Formula One history and a milestone for aspiring black drivers of auto racing.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton became the youngest world champion in F1 history after overtaking Timo Glock of Toyota on the final turn of the last lap to finish fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix Sunday and capture the title by a single point.

"I am speechless," Hamilton said. "It's been a long journey in which I had the support of many people. My team did a fantastic job during the entire year and we sacrificed ourselves a lot. I am happy for having achieved this for all of us."

Ferrari's Felipe Massa won Sunday's race in Sao Paulo, but it wasn't enough to erase the seven-point lead Hamilton held entering the season-ending race. Hamilton finished the season with 98 points, one more than Massa, while Ferrari won a record 16th constructors' title.

Hamilton, who needed to finish fifth or better to win the title, is the youngest F1 world champion at age 23. Spaniard Fernando Alonso was 24 when he won in 2005.

With Afro-Caribbean background, Hamilton is also the first and only black F1 driver.

And he is the first British world champ since Damon Hill in 1996. Mika Hakkinen, in 1999, was the last McLaren driver to win the title.

Renault's Alonso was second Sunday, ahead of Massa's Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.

Massa, who was trying to become the first Brazilian champion to win the F1 title since Ayrton Senna in 1991, cried profusely on the podium, but composed himself in the post-race press conference and was gracious in defeat.

"He scored more points than me, he deserves to win the title," said the Brazilian. "I know how to win, I know how to lose. This is another day of my life that I'm going to learn a lot from."

Massa, the hometown favourite and pole-sitter, looked to have the title within his reach as the Ferrari driver led during the final lap with a late rain shower coming down, while Lewis trailed in sixth after he made a stop to put on wet-track tires.

But Lewis passed Glock as they entered the pit straight on the final lap and went on to claim the F1 championship.

Glock's car was still on dry tires, and that forced him to slow down in the pouring rain, allowing Hamilton to blow by him.

"It was just impossible on the last lap," Glock said. "I was fighting as hard as I could but it was so difficult to just keep the car on the track, and I lost positions right at the end of the lap."

Hamilton admitted he didn't know if he had won the championship when he crossed the finish line.

"I was shouting, 'Did I win? Did I win?"' Hamilton said. "Then they told me when I was on the corner and I was ecstatic. It's a dream."

Sunday's result was sweet redemption for Hamilton, who sat on a four-point lead over Alonso and a seven-point cushion over eventual champion Raikkonen ahead of last year's decisive Brazilian Grand Prix.

Hamilton squandered a chance to become F1's first rookie champion when he made a mistake trying to pass in the first lap en route to finishing seventh in that race and second in the standings.

With files from Associated Press