Formula One is one of the most dramatically visual sports in the world but television is not always able to fully convey its full majesty. Sometimes that is because of the limitations of the location of either the cameras or the medium - it appears to slow the cars down and flattens the gradients for example - and sometimes it is because the cameras cannot be everywhere, or the stories are hidden. Over the last 20 years, Darren Heath has carved a reputation as one of the best photographers in F1. He looks for the different, the unusual, to create often stunning images that shed a whole new light on this fascinating sport. We will display one of Darren's photographs after each race this year and to start the series off is this fabulous shot of Felipe Massa saluting his hometown fans after last year's Brazilian Grand Prix. Massa has just won the race but lost the drivers' title to Lewis Hamilton in heartbreaking style after the Englishman clinched the fifth place he needed at the last corner of the last lap. This is Darren's story behind the image: "The 2008 season was a classic, a roller-coaster ride that culminated in just about the most dramatic finale in the F1's history. "The last 10 minutes or so of the race in Sao Paulo were crazy for photographers - we desperately needed to know where Hamilton would finish so as to focus coverage on the eventual world champion. "Once McLaren's man and his team had celebrated beneath the podium, I turned my attention to the scene above and selected a wide lens to fully encapsulate the dramatic vista. "Massa's Christ-like pose, the threatening sky and the crowd below seem to perfectly sum-up an incredible afternoon. "Photographing F1 is a fantastic challenge and one that I relish from race to race. "I focus on showing just what a wonderfully expressive, colourful, emotional and glamorous sport it is, using dramatic light, the speed of the cars and the drama of the occasion."
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