Last Updated on December 16 2024, 10:03 am

Felipe Massa came the closest of any Formula One driver to winning a championship and then having it snatched away having won the final race of the year. Brazil 2008 was the setting for the championship showdown where Hamilton led his Ferrari rival by seven points heading into the season finale in Interlagos.

Massa needed to win his home race and for Hamilton to come no higher than sixth for the Brazilian to become the champion. As Felipe crossed the line Lewis was down in sixth place, but a final corner overtake on his friend Timo Glock, who was struggling with his ageing tyres, saw Hamilton become the youngest (at the time) ever world champion.

The year had seen much controversy with Fernando Alonso’s team mate Nelson Piquet Jnr crashing ‘fortuitously’ which benefitted the Spaniard who cycled to the front of the pack under the subsequent safety car. It would be discovered later that the accident was not exactly that, but a pre-ordained plan hatched by Renault to favour their lead driver Alonso.

 

 

 

Massa sues for $80m

In an interview in March 2023 with F1-insider, the once F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone revealed both he and FIA president Max Mosely had been made aware during the 2008 season that the Singapore incident was deliberate. “We had enough information in time to investigate the matter,” he said.

“According to the FIA statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions. That means it would never have happened for the championship standings. And then Felipe Massa would have become world champion and not Lewis Hamilton.” 

Ecclestone argued they decided not to act before the championship was settled in order to “protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal”. Following Ecclestone’s comments, Massa reportedly started investigating whether he could take legal action to challenge the outcome of the 2008 championship.

In March 2024, Massa filed a lawsuit against Formula One, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone in the London High Court. He is seeking in excess of $80 million in damages and a declaration from the FIA that he would have won the championship had the governing body not breached its regulations.

Another driver set for dismissal at Alpine

 

 

 

Felipe questions Hamilton’s age

Massa began his F1 career with Sauber before being signed to Ferrari in 2006. He joined Michael Schumacher who would retire from his F1 career at the end of the season and their time together in Maranello forced Massa to realise that even the legendary German driver had issues with the Scuderia.

He was joined in 2007 in Italy by Kimi Raikkonen who pipped both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to the drivers’ championship by a single point. Massa was to cruel miss out to Hamilton the following year.

Felipe and Lewis were like magnets often finding themselves on the same piece of asphalt and often without a good outcome. Now the Brazilian claims to be eagerly awaiting Hamilton’s move to Ferrari to see if the partnership is a success.

This week in an interview with Estadao, Massa explains the difficulties Lewis will face, including those which even Michael Schumacher struggled to overcome. Speaking of Lewis’ upcoming move Massa says: “If you asked me if I would hire Hamilton, as the head of Ferrari, as a driver, yes, I would, without a doubt.

“Because of the talent he has… He is one of the most incredible drivers in F1. But because of his age, maybe not. Because of his age, if you look at the sport, age matters.”

Why? The Perez announcement

 

 

 

“…. as it did for Schumacher”

Hamilton turns 40 years of age on January 7th and with only Fernando Alonso his senior, Lewis is one of the elder statesman of F1. Once in the ascendency, his star has been in terminal decline since Lewis lost the drivers’ title on the last lap of the last race of the 2021 season.

Lewis has won just two races since then, the first being a glorious victory at his home event in Silverstone this year. Hamilton then inherited the win in Spa-Francorchamps after his team mate was disqualified for his car being under weight.

“And we have to understand how much age is weighing on him in this situation, or not” Massa continues. “I’m talking about myself, these days I need to train much more physically than I used to.

“It’s much harder to recover physically after a difficult race or an intense training session. Age takes its toll in some areas, that’s normal. Age is something that has weighed negatively on several drivers, as it did for Schumacher.”

FIA president makes fresh demands

 

 

 

Will Hamilton see out his Ferrari contract?

Hamilton became weary towards the end of this seasons campaign being comprehensibly beaten by his team mate 19-5 in Grand Prix qualifying. Following a disappointing race in Brazil he appeared to declare he was done for the rest of the year.

Yet two weeks later he returned to Las Vegas where he drove through the field to claim a 1-2 for Mercedes with Russell claiming the top step of the podium. His form has been registered as a concern in the Italian media, some of whom have criticised the appointment by Ferrari of the ageing Hamilton.

This week TJ13 reported Ralf Schumacher is certain whether Hamilton will see out his two year deal with the Scuderia. Asked if this was a realistic possibility by Sport1 the German replied, “The danger is there if everything goes negatively. I think that if Lewis realises that he is no longer living up to his own expectations, he will say so.”

Lewis in his time at Mercedes AMG F1 has smashed F1 records which have stood for decades and the partnership between the German car brand and the British driver is the most successful in the 74 years of Formula One history.

As did Samson, Lewis will haul himself up for one last hurrah with a Ferrari team who are on the up. The pushed McLaren to the last race of this year in the constructors’ championship and Lewis will hope the sleeping red giant of a Formula One team can continue their progress at the start of 2025.

Hamilton “in danger” of not fulfilling Ferrari contract

 

 

 

Zak Brown: McLaren F1 “on the brink” of collapse

McLaren F1 are the second oldest Formula One team in existence today, only Ferrari have competed in more championship battles since 1950. The team was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren first entered F1 at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix with just one entry driven by the founder himself.

Bruce qualified his Ford powered McLaren in tenth place but suffered an oil leak in the principality which forced him to retire from the Grand Prix. He was not alone as F1 was in an era where speed was favoured over reliability which saw just four drivers complete the Monaco race with Jackie Steward winning in his BRM.

When Bruce died testing a CAM-AM car McLaren at the Goodwood motor circuit in 1970, the team looked as though it may implode. Yet Teddy Mayer managed to keep the lights on in the factory and led the team to their first F1 constructors’ championship four years later along with James Hunt collecting the drivers’ title… READ MORE