Lewis Hamilton has seen the worst of his career recently, after failing to keep up with the likes of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The seven-time World Champion who once soared on the tracks and won championships and races struggles in the back. But with Massa’s new plans of taking legal actions, Hamilton has yet another title to worry about.
The Mercedes star won the 2008 championship, which would also mark his first championship victory in Formula 1. He was driving for McLaren while Felipe Massa drove in a Ferrari. However, during the race a controversial Renault “incident” took place in Singapore. The Renault driver, Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed into another driver in order to give Fernando Alonso an advantage.
However, this caused a “Crashgate” in which Massa ended up losing his title to Hamilton by only one point. A heartbroken Massa went on record soon to confess he will fight for his title legally after finding out that the authorities at FIA and FOM were aware of the situation before it happened. Nonetheless, Massa was told that once the prizing ceremony is done, the championship title decision is irreversible.
Lewis Hamilton’s first Championship title in danger as Felipe Massa takes legal actions
Felipe Massa has, however, taken his first step in winning back his title. This leaves Lewis Hamilton in a difficult situation as he struggles to already win back his 8th title after the Abu Dhabi controversy. According to a legal document, the ex-Ferrari driver has lawyers in the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States, Switzerland, and France.
FIA and FOM operate from these places and he has taken his first few steps to warn the federation of his legal plan of action. According to Motorsport.com, Massa’s first step of action has been to send a Letter of claim according to British law. This is marked as a mandatory first step before the legal proceedings take place. This leave Hamilton in a tough spot.
Just two years after losing his championship title, he is on the verge of losing yet another one. The 2021 Abu Dhabi win would have been Hamilton’s record-breaking title. But the controversies that took place in a series of events, left Hamilton stripped from his win. With Massa’s sudden announcement of taking back his title, the Mercedes star’s first-ever championship stays in danger too.
According to Massa’s letter, he was a victim of a conspiracy. He sees himself as a victim after authorities learned about the case and did nothing. His letter also talks about “infringement of regulations” which could cost the driver millions of euros. With the first legal step taken, FIA and Hamilton both have to watch their backs and their championship titles.