Felipe Massa, the former F1 driver who narrowly missed out on the championship title in 2008, has threatened to take legal action over his controversial defeat. His attempt at winning the championship was derailed at the controversial Singapore Grand Prix when his pitstop had a disastrous outcome, pushing him down the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was able to capitalize on the situation and clinched his first F1 world title by a single point later that season.
Massa’s defeat has remained a contentious issue in the F1 world, with former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone making a confession that the former was destined to win and was in fact “robbed of the championship”. Ecclestone revealed that he and former FIA boss Max Mosley had chosen not to overturn the result “to protect the sport from a huge scandal“.
The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix will always be remembered for the controversial incident involving Nelson Piquet Jr.’s deliberate crash, which helped his Renault team-mate, Fernando Alonso, snatch victory. The incident brought out a Safety Car, which was a turning point in the race. Lewis Hamilton, who was trailing behind Massa, made his pitstop without any problems while Massa’s pitstop went awry.
The investigation that followed concluded that Piquet Jr. had indeed crashed on purpose. As a result, Renault was handed a two-year ban from F1. However, the result of the race remained unchanged, which caused outrage among Massa’s supporters.
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title
The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix proved to be a pivotal moment in Lewis Hamilton’s racing career, as it played a crucial role in helping him secure his first-ever Formula 1 World Championship title. The Brit had been locked in a fierce battle with his title rival, Felipe Massa, throughout the season. Before the Singapore Grand Prix, the pair had been involved in a controversial incident at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Hamilton was penalized for cutting the final chicane and lost the win.
However, the deliberate crash caused chaos on the track and gave Hamilton some hope. He was one of the drivers who pitted before the Safety Car came out while Massa’s pit stop was botched, and he emerged behind Hamilton and the rest of the pack. Hamilton went on to win the race, while Massa finished at the back of the pack, one lap down.
On this day in 2008, Lewis Hamilton won his first F1 World Championship on the last corner of the last lap in Brazil 🏆🇧🇷
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 2, 2022
Beating Felipe Massa by just 1 point. Ferrari couldn’t believe it 😤 pic.twitter.com/7Ya3oJfePo
The Singapore Grand Prix result gave Hamilton a significant advantage in the title fight, which was ultimately decided in a dramatic final race in Brazil where he overtook the Toyota driver, Timo Glock, and went on to win the title. Hamilton battled hard amidst challenging weather conditions and secured the fifth-place finish he needed to clinch the championship title by a single point over Massa.
Who is Felipe Massa and is he taking legal action against Lewis Hamilton?
Felipe Massa began his career with the Sauber F1 team before moving to Ferrari, where he drove from 2006 to 2013. Massa came tantalizingly close to winning the Drivers’ World Championship in 2008, finishing just one point behind eventual champion, Lewis Hamilton.
The Brazilian driver went into the final race of the season in his home race leading the championship, and all he needed was a win to secure the title. As the race unfolded, Massa took the lead and crossed the finish line in first place, only for his hopes to be dashed by a dramatic turn of events.
🚨| Felipe Massa has confirmed that he is exploring whether there are any legal routes that could allow him to challenge the outcome of the 2008 F1 World Championship, that he lost to Lewis Hamilton.
— Sportskeeda F1 (@SportskeedaF1) April 4, 2023
This comes after new revelations made by Bernie Ecclestone!🤯#FelipeMassa #F1 pic.twitter.com/1AoMMBgBZT
Felipe Massa has reacted to recent remarks made by former Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone whose remarks shed further light on the controversial 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which turned out to be a crucial turning point in Massa’s pursuit of the championship that year. The outcome of that race robbed the Brazilian driver of his chance at glory.
According to Motor Sport, the former driver said “But I intend to study the situation; study what the laws say, and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do.” Massa is seemingly determined into filing a lawsuit against Lewis Hamilton who won the race by a single point to make amends for the wrongs of that crucial day hoping for some justice to his cause without any financial motives behind it.