Lewis Hamilton Admits Feeling Like a “Public Enemy” in Brazil After He Snatched the 2008 Title From Felipe Massa

With F1 heading to Brazil this week for the Sao Paulo GP, Lewis Hamilton has recalled about his infamous championship victory in 2008. During the press conference on Thursday, Hamilton revealed that he felt like a public enemy back then when he beat home favorite Felipe Massa to the title.

The 2008 F1 World Championship was one of the closest battles for the title in recent F1 history. Ahead of the final race in Brazil, Massa trailed Hamilton by just seven points. And with a maximum of 10 points on the line, Massa could have won his first world title if he won the race and Hamilton finished sixth or lower.

While Massa did manage to win the race, it was not enough. Hamilton managed to pass Timo Glock on the final few corners of the last lap and managed to finish P5, thereby snatching away the championship from Massa on the Brazilian’s home turf.

Looking back at the title victory, Hamilton said, “I won my first world championships here. It was kind of crazy for me back then because I kind of felt like public enemy number one. Obviously, I was racing against Felipe [Massa].”

However, as of now, the situation is quite different with Hamilton being a fan favorite in Brazil. He was also awarded an honorary citizenship of the nation back in 2022 before the Sao Paulo GP.

Lewis Hamilton is also a massive fan of Ayrton Senna and has mentioned the Brazilian great as his idol quite a few times. He has also been very open about how much he adores the country. However, with the recent developments about the Crashgate scandal coming to light, Hamilton is once again in the news for the wrong reasons.

Felipe Massa’s legal battle regarding the 2008 title

It recently came to light that the FIA knew about the Crashgate Scandal before the season decider in Brazil back in 2008. According to Massa, the Crashgate scandal played a huge role in him not being able to secure his only F1 title.

Massa is now adamant about seeking justice and also pursued legal action against the FIA for losing out on the title, claiming around $13,000,000 in compensation. However, there is limited progress that has been made in his pursuit of justice.