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Hamilton wins F1 title in thrilling finish

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -Lewis Hamilton of McLaren became Formula One's youngest ever champion Sunday after finishing fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa of Ferrari won in front of his home crowd, but it wasn't enough to erase the seven-point lead Hamilton held entering the season-ending F1 race.

Hamilton needed to finish fifth or better to win the title at age 23, and he did just that after overtaking Toyota's Timo Glock on the last lap. Fernando Alonso won the 2005 title for Renault at age 24.

Hamilton had been overtaken by Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel with two laps to go, falling to sixth place and out of contention for the title. But the Briton recovered to move up one spot and finish the season with 98 points, one more than Massa.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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