“It’ll always be the best day of my professional life”: Former McLaren employee reminisces Lewis Hamilton’s sensational title win in Brazil in 2008

Former McLaren communications director Matt Bishop has claimed that Lewis Hamilton's first world championship in Brazil on this day in 2008 was the "best day of his professional life".

The 2008 title win is arguably the greatest in the sport's history as it was decided on the final corner of the season. Lewis Hamilton, then driving for McLaren, had defeated the home hero Felipe Massa on the last lap.

The dramatic happenings of the day are still etched in the memory of every F1 fan with the iconic track in Sao Paolo serving up an instant classic. Bishop, on his social media platform, remembered Hamilton's triumph and said:

"We old McLarenites should pause to say thank you today, dear Lewis, once again, for, #OnThisDay 15 years ago, in the Interlagos garage, we cheered like crazy as that amazing last lap unfolded & you became #F1 world champion. It’ll always be the best day of my professional life."

Lewis Hamilton gives his take on the track in Sao Paolo

Ahead of the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP, the Mercedes driver claimed that the track in Brazil is "very cool".

Speaking with The Straits Times, Lewis Hamilton elaborated on what makes the place special and said:

“I love this track. It’s just such a cool track. There’s something so special about Brazil. There’s the energy here, it’s the people, the culture, the language that I need to learn. It just makes the whole place so special. That just energizes me. We had a one-two [in 2022] but I plan to do better this weekend."

The seven-time F1 world champion also pointed out that he already started thinking about his pre-season training routine despite three races remaining.

“Right now, I’m already thinking about my winter. I’m already setting up my training camp,” he said. It’s not just training, it’s recovery, it’s meditation, it’s cleansing the body, going through all these processes and dedicating time for that and also spending time with family and re-energizing," Hamilton said.

“I’m having that stuff planned, so I can come back in the next season stronger than ever. With all this experience I have, I think I should be able to do a better job each year. And I’m trying to get that championship,” he added.

Coming on the back of two consecutive P2 finishes, Lewis Hamilton is full of confidence and will be looking to score his first F1 victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.