In 2008, Lewis Hamilton clinched the first of his 7 World Championship titles after a thrilling battle with Felipe Massa. The youngster clinched the win after securing P5 in the dying moments of the last lap of the last race of the season.
Hamilton won the title in Interlagos to become the then-youngest F1 World Champion. But his joy came at the cost of Massa who lost the chance to seal the title with a win in his home Grand Prix.
As Massa crossed the line, the Ferrari crew celebrated the win for a span of 30 seconds until Hamilton finished. The brutal news was broken to Massa who teared up on the podium.
But years later the Brazilian has revealed that he has made peace with his heartbreak. And that he wasn’t disappointed for long after the loss.
Also Read: Would Lewis Hamilton still be 2008 champion if F1 used current points system back then?
How Felipe Massa was denied the title in 2008
Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa both approached the 2008 season finale in Brazil with a shot at winning their first Championship. Massa was 2nd in the standings, 7 points behind Hamilton.
If Hamilton finished in sixth place or lower, Massa would be crowned Champion. And the Ferrari driver was off to a great start qualifying on the pole and leading the race comfortably.
Hamilton had to finish 5th or higher but was unable to pass the Toro Rosso of Sebastian Vettel. But a late rain turned the race around and gave Hamilton a chance to win.
Hamilton had fresher tyres and managed to overtake Timo Glock for P5 on the final corner of the last lap. And with that, the McLaren driver comfortably gained the required points to be crowned F1’s newest World Champion.
Massa won the race in front of his home crowd, and celebrations erupted in the Ferrari pit box. But the joy was cut short prematurely when they realised that Massa was denied the title by 1 point.
Massa says he “couldn’t do anything” to change his fate
For close to 30 seconds, Felipe Massa was the 2008 World Champion. The driver’s family and Mechanics were celebrating in the Ferrari pit box and were unaware of Lewis Hamilton’s overtake.
15 years later, Massa describes the heartbreak as “not difficult.” And the Brazilian was expecting anything could happen until the last second. So the radio message did not hurt him as much as people believe.
Massa said, “That message was normal. It was not the message I was expecting to receive. But by everything that was happening in the race, it was raining at the end, anything was possible.”
He adds, “Lewis was in the middle of the fight, so maybe it can be good, it can be bad. Then, when he said that message, I was disappointed.
The image of Massa accepting the winner’s trophy in tears in front of the Brazilian crowd is an image many won’t forget. But the Ferrari driver claims he made peace with the incident as he had don’t everything he could to have won the title.
Massa added, “I won the race. But the result was depending on the position behind me. I couldn’t do anything. I did my job in the perfect way I could.”
Felipe never won a race following his 2008 win in Interlagos. But the driver’s season and the dramatic end to the title battle would always be one F1 fans cannot forget.
