Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of winning the Formula One World Championship were dashed yesterday, although only after a stewards’ investigation at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The British driver was given hope of a dramatic reprieve when the FIA, the world governing body of motor sport, looked into possible technical breaches but more than six hours after the race, Hamilton learnt that he had indeed finished the season behind Kimi Raikkonen, the new champion.

It would have been yet another twist to Hamilton’s extraordinary rookie season in Formula One but after long deliberations the stewards concluded that the result should stand.

Hamilton finished seventh and runner-up in the championship before the race stewards summoned representatives of BMW Sauber and Williams for alleged illegal fuel temperatures. Disqualification or demotion of the drivers involved - Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, of BMW, and Nico Rosberg, of Williams – would have elevated the Briton to fourth, giving him the title by two points from Raikkonen.

In the end, a poor start and a technical glitch on his McLaren MP4-22 car put paid to Hamilton’s chances of becoming the first man to win the title in his rookie year. The 22-year-old from Stevenage in Hertfordshire went into the race four points ahead of Fernando Alonso, his McLaren Mercedes team-mate and bitter rival, and seven in front of Raikkonen, of Ferrari.

“It’s been a huge rollercoaster ride,” Hamilton said of a season in which his team were fined £50 million, a record in world sport, for their part in the spying row with Ferrari. “To think I have come from GP2 and I am now ranked two in the world is a positive thing. I go into next year full of confidence.”

Alonso, who finished the race in third place, saw his dreams of a third consecutive championship shattered. The Spaniard, who is unlikely to drive a McLaren again, finished on equal points with Hamilton but was third overall on countback.

It all went wrong for Hamilton at the start. Lining up second on the grid behind Felipe Massa, he tucked in behind the Brazilian but was passed on the outside by Raikkonen at turn one and seconds later on the inside by Alonso. Hamilton’s attempt to fight back against his teammate cost him dearly as he ran wide and dropped to eighth. The Briton’s day seemed to be done seven laps later when, having climbed to sixth, his car succumbed to a rare technical failure in the gearbox.

In the space of a few seconds, Hamilton slipped to eighteenth position. Then, as quickly as it had visited him, the glitch cleared. Hamilton fought bravely but earned only two points.

“It was not a great start,” he said. “I locked up behind Fernando to avoid hitting him and went wide. But I was quite relaxed knowing I had the pace to regain position. But when I was down-shifting into turn four, the car slammed into neutral. I coasted for a long time and then it clicked back in. From then on we had to manage the engine. I kept pushing to the end, thinking we could still get it.”

The stewards’ inquiry kept Hamilton’s dream alive temporarily but they concluded that “there must be sufficient doubt as to both the temperature of the fuel actually on board the car and also as to the true ambient temperature as to render it inappropriate to impose a penalty”. As the result came through, cries of joy could be heard from the Ferrari staff still at the track. However, the row might rumble on if McLaren appeal and little can be taken for granted in this Formula One season.