The 2008 Formula 1 season was as exciting as the last. The dispute was between McLaren and Ferrari again, but the characters a bit different.
After facing problems with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, the Spaniard Fernando Alonso returned to Renault. But the most he could manage was fifth.
Without competition within the team, Hamilton found an easier way to get to the title rival Felipe Massa, who competed with the defending champion Kimi Raikkonen for the post of principal of the McLaren driver.
Through convincing victories, Massa led the fight against Hamilton. A fight that lasted until the last race. Until the last corner.
Just as the previous year, the inexperience of Lewis Hamilton nearly caused his defeat. Fifth in the GP of Brazil, he was winning the title. But at the end of the race the Englishman was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel and dropped to sixth place.
Ferrari could not contain the euphoria, because Massa was leading the GP and win the championship. But the joy lasted only a few seconds. Shortly thereafter, the German Timo Glock had car trouble and was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton taking over fifth place and won his first Formula 1 world title with a lead of just one point.
Drivers Championship Standing
| Position | Drivers | Points | Team |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 98 | Mclaren |
| 2 | Felipe Massa | 97 | Ferrari |
| 3 | Robert Kubica | 75 | Bmw |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | 75 | Ferrari |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 61 | Renault |
| 6 | Nick Heidfeld | 60 | Bmw |
| 7 | Heiki Kovalainen | 53 | Mclaren |
| 8 | Sebastian Vettel | 35 | Toro Rosso |
| 9 | Jarno Trulli | 31 | Toyota |
| 10 | Timo Glock | 25 | Toyota |
Constructors Championship Standing
| Pos | Team | Punti |
| 1 | Ferrari | 172 |
| 2 | Mclaren | 151 |
| 3 | Bmw | 135 |
| 4 | Renault | 80 |
| 5 | Toyota | 56 |
| 6 | Toro Rosso | 39 |
| 7 | Red Bull | 29 |
| 8 | Williams | 26 |
| 9 | Honda | 14 |
| 10 | Force India | 0 |
| 11 | Super Aguri | 0 |
