Glock looked to have denied Hamilton in Sao Paulo until the final corners

Glock opted to stay on dry-weather tyres as light rain fell in the closing stages of Sunday's race and though he did not lose too much time initially, the final lap proved crucial as Hamilton passed him in the last few hundred metres to give the Briton the fifth place he needed to win the title.

Hard race

"It was a hard race. I tried my best to get some points for Toyota," Glock told Radio Five Live on Monday.

"Six laps from the end I asked about the tyre situation and about the weather conditions and I said every time 'I'll stay out, one more lap, one more lap' and at the end I stayed out for the whole race.

"That last lap just cost us the chance to be in the top five, and in the end decided the world championship."

Glock finished sixth, behind race winner Felipe Massa, the Brazilian who would have taken the title had Glock held on to fifth place.

"I think at the end I didn't give the title to Lewis, I think they worked for that the whole year, and Felipe as well," he said.

"They both did a really great job all year and in the end it was a dramatic finale.

"I think it's exactly what the fans want to see - maybe the Brazilian fans are not on my side any more but I tried my best and drove my race, and in the end I can't change it."

Media generous

Proud: Massa still celebrated a home Grand Prix victory

Italian media paid gracious tribute to Hamilton despite the defeat of Ferrari darling Massa – and absolved Glock of any blame.

Italian television did not realise Massa had been denied the title for almost a minute.

The main sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport, was unsure how to react after Italian team Ferrari wrapped up the constructors' title.

"Honour to Ferrari. Felipe Massa did not deserve to lose like that, with a cruelty that a wizard in a thriller could not even have imagined," read the front page.

But the paper praised both Hamilton and Glock inside, given that the German's Toyota slowed down considerably on dry tyres in the wet.

"He stole nothing and Glock gave him nothing. We honour his skill," it said.

Reports said Glock had been insulted by Brazilian fans at the end but he protested his innocence amid accusations he had done Hamilton a favour.

Incredulous

"What? Are you taking the Mickey? I had dry tyres, what could I do?" he was quoted as saying.

Italian daily Corriere della Sera also put aside its love of Ferrari to congratulate the sport's first black champion, who won the title by one point just as he lost by a single point to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen last season.

"We bow to Lewis Hamilton, who deservedly won the first title of his career. Other world championships will follow for this 23-year-old blessed with talent," read its main story.

Corriere, which said it was wrong to blame Glock, also called on Ferrari to sign Renault's former double world champion Fernando Alonso to replace the struggling Raikkonen.

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