Whitmarsh congratulates Massa

The McLaren team gave a great homecoming reception to Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday at their Woking-based installations, where a thousand people greeted the newly-crowned World Champion.

Hamilton also gratefully recognized the work and effort every team individual put into clinching the 2008 drivers' title, which came down to an amazing teeth-clenching finish at the Interlagos circuit last Sunday.

Martin Whitmarsh, the Chief Operating Officer of the McLaren Group, also had good words to say about Hamilton's down-to-the-wire rival for the championship laurels, Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

"Felipe Massa drove brilliantly to win the Brazilian Grand Prix," he said.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the quality of his driving throughout the season and the impressively sportsmanlike way he handled the disappointment of finding out at the last minute that he hadn't won the drivers' World Championship," Whitmarsh declared.