On 2 November 2008, history would be written at the Brazilian GP. Lewis Hamilton would beat Felipe Massa on his home turf to secure his first F1 World Championship Title. And there begins the saga of F1’s most decorated racer.
Massa and Hamilton would contend for their first title and would clash at the season finale in Interlagos. Massa would secure a race win and would become the World Champion for 40 seconds.
But a P5 from Lewis Hamilton would be enough to award him the championship. Lewis would be crowned the then Youngest F1 Champion. But his victory was marred by Timo Glock whom Lewis overtook in the last corner to claim the title.
Timo Glock had been struggling for grip as it had just started raining. This allowed Lewis to overtake him on the last corner of the last lap.
Also Read: Would Lewis Hamilton still be 2008 champion if F1 used current points system back then?
Timo Glock and Lewis Hamilton revisit 2008 memories
Today we know Lewis as a 7-time World Champion. Back then he was battling for his maiden title, after a fantastic debut season in 2007 where he almost won the title. But this year, the McLaren driver would set the tone and make history.
But the race in Interlagos drew a lot of flack. Especially for Timo Glock who received death threats from fans for allowing Lewis to pass him. He even told Lewis that he had to be escorted to the airport by Police security.
Lewis was unaware of the controversy surrounding the incident and even apologised to Glock. “I was very young, so I wasn’t able to support you. If it was today, I would have done something.”
To Glock’s surprise, Hamilton had never watched the footage of his crowning moment. The Briton said it had always reminded him of the traumatising moment in 2007 when he lost the championship by 1 point.
“2008 was not the same as 2021”, says Hamilton
Timo Glock was intrigued by the similarities in the Season finales in 2008 and 2021. Lewis Hamilton might have won the title in the last lap in 2008, but in 2021, he lost the title to Max Verstappen.
Max overtook Lewis in the last lap to claim his maiden title. But the race will be forever marred by the Race director Michael Masi’s controversial call.
Glock asked Lewis if the 2008 and 2021 title battles were similar in any fashion. To which Lewis denied, “No it was different.”
He adds, “2008 wasn’t manipulated. In 2021, someone manipulated the result to be the way it was.” The title loss reminded him of his 2007 season where he lost the title to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen by 1 point.
