Lewis Hamilton’s debut in F1 was nothing short of phenomenal. Securing a top seat at McLaren for 2007, the Briton produced one of the greatest rookie seasons of the sport, not only finishing level on points with his teammate — two-time world champion Fernando Alonso — but also almost becoming the world champion.
Had it not been for his tussles with Alonso that season, Hamilton could’ve probably become the 2007 champion ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who eked out his one and only world title by a single point ahead of the McLaren duo at the Brazilian GP finale at Interlagos.
Nevertheless, Hamilton ensured he secured his maiden championship trophy the very next year. And the fact that it happened in his idol, Ayrton Senna’s backyard, at the Interlagos Circuit — the same venue where he lost a year ago — made it even more special. While this 2008 season finale race would go down as one of F1’s most controversial, it would also no doubt be a thriller.
Norbert Haug was part of that win for the Stevenage-born driver as the vice president of motorsport activities for Mercedes — the engine suppliers for McLaren back then. In a feature for Canal+, the German was asked to name his favorite race out of the 300+ F1 races he has overseen, and he chose the 2008 thriller at Sao Paulo.
Looking back at that enthralling race at Interlagos, Haug said, “It was kind of the race of my life. I think I did over 300 F1 races in my career but this is one of the races I actually remember the most.”
It was a straight fight between Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Hamilton for the 2008 drivers’ title and it went down to the final race of the season. For Mercedes, it could have been their first title since winning the Constructors’ with McLaren in 1998. For Brazil, it could have been their first world champion since Ayrton Senna.
Canal+ did a special feature, a dramatic retelling of Brazil 2008’s final laps, with interviews from Felipe Massa, Norbert Haug, TV presenters, and the F1 cameraman who recorded Lewis’ family during the race.
[Added English subtitles – with translation help from @bonotired] pic.twitter.com/6OnW7AfRFz
— sim (@simsgazette) April 26, 2025
Massa would actually cross the chequered flag to win the Brazilian Grand Prix, and at that moment in time, he was the champion. This was because, on the last lap, Hamilton needed to finish fifth or better to stay ahead of Massa on points, but he wasn’t.
However, dramatically, on the final lap of the race, and in the final corner, the McLaren prodigy overtook the Toyota of Timo Glock to secure his maiden world title, snatching it away from Massa who was champion — mathematically — for mere seconds. Naturally, Massa’s camp at Ferrari was completely distraught.
While Hamilton did clinch the championship on merit, it still stings Massa to this day. This is because, the Brazilian blames the ‘Crashgate’ debacle for losing out on points during the 2008 Singapore GP, that could have handed him the title.
As a result, he has decided to sue the FIA for the lost world title, which could’ve been his only triumph at the pinnacle of motorsport. He has filed a legal case against the sport’s governing body, worth around $125 million, for compensation and the fact that he should be named the official 2008 champion.
