With just one race to go, McLaren and Ferrari find themselves battling for the drivers’ championship once again, just like the year before, with Lewis Hamilton this time going head-to-head with the Brazilian driver and local hero.

The odds, just as they were against Räikkönen the previous year, are stacked against the Ferrari driver, who not only has to win the race but also hope that Hamilton finishes sixth or lower to claim the title.

Massa does his part in qualifying, taking pole position, while Hamilton finds himself starting from fourth on the grid.

The race begins in a downpour, with both title contenders holding their positions until the switch to dry tyres. Hamilton loses a few places on the out-lap but manages to get back into the right window thanks to a mistake by Jarno Trulli, which clears the way ahead of him.

Meanwhile, Massa keeps setting the pace, pulling away to secure the win and do his part. Behind him, his teammate and Robert Kubica comfortably hold second and third, while Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso grows increasingly threatening to Hamilton as the laps go by.

The turning point in the title fight comes on lap 66, when the rain returns to the circuit, forcing the frontrunners to pit for wet tyres. Both title contenders, of course, also make their stops.

The only driver who stays out is Timo Glock on slicks, leaving Hamilton to rejoin about eight seconds behind but still in the position needed to secure the championship. Unfortunately, a mistake at the penultimate corner costs him a place to Vettel, dropping Hamilton to sixth and leaving Massa virtually as world champion.

The final lap arrives, with Massa, as expected, crossing the line first and already savoring what seems like the championship win. But in a dramatic twist, Hamilton manages to pass Glock — who is crawling on slicks — at the penultimate corner, crossing the finish line in fifth and clinching the title by a single point. He snatches it from Massa, avenging the championship he narrowly lost the previous year.

Although Ferrari and Massa had plenty to lament over the infamous fuel rig error during the pit stop, there’s no denying that the outcome of Formula 1’s first-ever night race had a huge impact on the standings, especially considering the championship was decided by just a single point.

After the scandal over Nelson Piquet Jr.’s deliberate crash to favour his teammate came to light, and following Bernie Ecclestone’s 2023 interview with F1-Insider (later retracted), the Brazilian has consistently sought justice, insisting that the race should be nullified.

The trial over the Crashgate scandal kicked off in earnest this week, with the former Ferrari team and his legal team on one side, and the FIA, FOM, and Ecclestone on the other.