TWENTY-THREE-year-old Lewis Hamilton yesterday became the youngest Formula One world champion, claiming the title at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo with a dramatic fifth place secured in the dying seconds of the race, writes Justin Hynesat Interlagos

The result, in doubt as rain disrupted the race's final laps, was just enough to see off the challenge of Ferrari-driving rival Felipe Massa who fell just a single point shy of Hamilton's season total despite winning his home grand prix.

With a handful of laps left, with Massa leading, Hamilton, needing only to finish fifth to claim his first title, appeared comfortable in fourth, despite being pressured by Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso. But, as has happened so often this season, the weather intervened, the first drops falling just a few laps from the flag and forcing all the leaders, Massa, Fernando Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel to pit for wet weather tyres.

When they emerged Hamilton had dropped to fifth as Toyota's Timo Glock opted to gamble, staying on dry tyres with just three laps left. Vettel then made his move, slipping past Hamilton to relegate the title contender to sixth. The title was heading to Massa.

But on the final tour, just hundreds of metres from the chequered flag, Glock hoved into view, impossibly slow on the wrong tyres. Vettel swept past, then Hamilton. Even as Massa was crossing the line for victory the title was slipping away from him.

Hamilton held his nerve and blasted across the line to become F1's youngest ever champion.

"I didn't know when I crossed the line if I had it, then they told me in the first corner (of the slowing down lap) and I'm just ecstatic," Hamilton said. "It's amazing, I need to get my breath back. It's impossible to put into words. I'm speechless, my friends and family and my dad's here and the people at home, the team's done a fantastic job and all the sacrifice has paid off."

Hamilton's title win comes after only his second year as a Formula One driver and after just 35 grands prix. Born in Stevenage in January 1985, the English driver first alerted the sport to his talents when as a 10-year-old go-kart racer he approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and said he would one day drive for the McLaren boss' team. Three years later, McLaren signed the youngster to its driver development programme and have overseen his progress right through to the moment yesterday when he became the first black driver to win Formula One's ultimate prize.

"It's great. It was a really difficult race," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis. "He is very special you know," he added. "He has not just won a world championship, he is the youngest ever world champion.

"And he has done it so well, every statistic over the last two years, he has beaten. He has still finished this season with more points than any other driver over the last two years, so he deserved to win the world championship."

The McLaren driver came close to winning the title in his rookie season, but was denied at the final event of the season, again in Brazil. It was a season marred by a bitter battle with double title-winning team-mate Alonso and a $100 million fine imposed against his team for being in possession of a development drawing of rival Ferrari's car.

This time out, however, Hamilton was free to concentrate on racing and with five wins as part of a haul of 10 podium finishes, put himself in the perfect place to take his maiden title.

It was not without difficulty. After last year's champion, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, faded from the title battle after a mid-season slump in results, it was Massa who picked up the baton, also claiming five wins on his way to yesterday's championship decider.

Even the run-up to the final race was troubled; Hamilton being the subject of a barrage of racist messages being posted to a Spanish website in which browsers were invited to place nails on a virtual track where they wished Hamilton to crash. The website was subsequently taken down following condemnation by Formula One's governing body, the Federation International de l'Automobile and from within F1's paddock.

Yesterday, though, all the pressure was swept aside. Last year, when the same opportunity had presented itself, Hamilton had folded. This time out, there was no panic.

Even when falling behind Vettel, there was no desperate lunge, no hot-headed attempt to regain the place. Hamilton waited, remained calm, and collected what has been coming to him since he first stepped into a Formula One car some four years ago at a McLaren test session, the Formula One drivers' championship title.

In the end, Hamilton was left speechless. After pushing his way through the crowds that flooded the pitlane in the aftermath of the race to embrace his team and his family, Hamilton could only look out open-mouthed on the sea on people who had had just witnessed his triumph. "It's been a dream," he said. Now it's reality.