Brits on Pole

Beijing Guoan took a major step towards wrapping up the first Superleague Formula title with a win and a fifth place at the football-themed series’ Italian race weekend.

Good news for everyone who’s watched the now-famous Abbey advert with the Lewis Hamilton Airfix kit and wondered whether they’d ever get the chance to buy one.

Felipe Massa won the Brazilian Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton the drivers’ championship on a day full of sporting drama - but a day, also, where the bigots, the gloaters and the conspiracy theorists were out in force.

David Coulthard’s Formula One career ended on the first corner at Interlagos when he found himself buffeted by the two cars of his former boss Sir Frank Williams.

Lewis Hamilton broke the hearts of 80,000 Brazilians at Interlagos by sneaking the Formula One world championship in the last few yards of the season’s final lap while Ferrari were already celebrating for Felipe Massa.

Liverpool and AC Milan, rivals on the football field, are shaping up as close competitors on the racetrack too after the Reds’ Adrian Valles beat the Italian team’s representative Robert Doornbos to size pole in Superleague Formula’s Vallelunga race one.

Fans cheering on Lewis Hamilton’s title challenge face a nervous start to the Brazilian Grand Prix as the British driver was only able to qualify fourth, behind title rival Felipe Massa who took a dominant pole position.

If you’ve enjoyed the live blogs, the race reports and the ’six word’ summaries we’ve produced for each race, we’re collecting them all together in a downloadable e-book that will be available as soon as we’ve incorporated our Brazilian Grand Prix coverage into the work so far.

Do not adjust your television sets: David Coulthard’s Red Bull Racing car has been repainted white for the final race of his career to promote spinal cord injury charity Wings for Life.

Championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa spent the pre-Brazilian Grand Prix Thursday press conference competing to out-cool each other about their title prospects and the pressure of the season climax.