Away from the F1 tracks, the biggest point of conversation for people involved with the sport has been the lawsuit by Felipe Massa, where Lewis Hamilton could lose his first-ever world championship. The case has given way for various other similar incidents to come under scrutiny, and as things stand, one more past title could see itself changing hands soon.
2008 saw one of the biggest controversies in the history of F1 when the infamous crashgate incident robbed Massa of a driver’s championship by a single point. Ever since, the Brazilian has led a life thinking about what could’ve been, reliving the moment time and time again. Driving for Ferrari, the 2008 season was as close as Massa came to ever winning a world title, and with a 20-year-old Hamilton pipping him out by one point, the story only gets tougher for Massa.
Lewis Hamilton is not the only champion on the brink of losing a championship
Following Ayrton Senna’s tragic death in 1994, the competition blew wide open for the year’s world title. At the helm of proceedings were Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, who were both looking to register their first-ever world title. However, a collision between the two in the final race of the season retired both drivers and handed Schumacher the first of seven world championships.
In a recent update, the British driver, Hill, took to X asking for Massa’s phone number, following a report by The DailyMail.
He wrote, “Slightly surprised to discover this. Has anyone got Massa’s phone number?”
Much like Hamilton in 2008, Schumacher won his first-ever title in 1994 by a single point. However, according to DailyMail, motorsport journalist Roger Benoit believes the title should be taken away from Schumacher and be handed to Hill. “The 1994 title should be taken away from him because he only won it because of his collision with Damon Hill,” claims Benoit.
While Hill sees the humorous side of things, the case by Massa could prove to be a monumental time in the sport’s history (should he win) as it will give way to many other controversial titles going under the microscope.
Massa leading the charge to potentially revolutionize F1
After years of misery, Massa and his team of lawyers opted to go for legal proceedings to get ‘justice’ for the 2008 season. While the Brazilian has made it clear he has no hard feelings against Hamilton, he seeks compensation worth millions while potentially stripping the British driver of his first-ever driver’s title. Should this happen, it will open the floodgates to plenty of other similar cases knocking on the doors of the courts.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff will perhaps be the first one to do so, as the wounds of the ‘AD21’ incident are still fresh. Wolff previously admitted to keeping an eye on the Massa case as it would give his team a chance to reciprocate the Brazilian’s actions, should he succeed. If the 2008 title goes under reconsideration and Massa gets his hands on it, the decision would send shockwaves throughout the F1 community.
Record books will be re-written, not only once, but each time a new case opens up in front of the courts when a driver claims they won the championship instead of the champion on record.
