"He was never going to give Lewis Hamilton his flowers was he?": Fans react to Felipe Massa excluding the 7x champion from his top 3 list

Felipe Massa recently picked his top 3 drivers in F1 history. However, on his top three list, he did not include Lewis Hamilton, who is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers of all time. This not only surprised F1 fans, but also upset some.

Massa, in a recent video posted by RBR Daily on X, picked Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen as his top three favorite drivers of all time. His choice of Senna, his compatriot and three-time F1 champion, was understandable as the late driver's legacy is second to none.

Schumacher, who is the best F1 driver of all time for a section of fans, has seven F1 titles and 155 podiums to his name. Lastly, Verstappen, the Red Bull star and a three-time world champion also made it to Massa's list.

Some fans were surprised that Massa did not include Hamilton on the list. The Brit, has 105 Grand Prix wins and 201 podiums to his name, more than any other driver in the history of F1.

In a nutshell, fans questioned Massa's choice as they linked the Brazilian's enmity with Lewis Hamilton, which dates back to the 2008 F1 championship. Massa also filed a lawsuit against the FIA and F1 earlier this year, claiming that he should have been awarded the 2008 title.

Below are some of the reactions to Massa's top three F1 drivers pick:

A fan wrote, "He was never going to give Lewis his flowers was he."

"Mad that Brazil love Lewis more than him," another fan wrote pointing out Hamilton's popularity in Brazil.

Another fan posted, "Nothing to do with the 2008 championship."

"Bro got stuck in the past," wrote a fan, claiming that Massa has yet to forget what happened in 2008.

Another fan posted, "Is this oke still contesting the 2008 results??"

"I completely forgot to ask, how’s your court battle for the 2008 title going champ?!" another fan wrote targeting Massa's lawsuit against F1.

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Nothing against Lewis Hamilton: Felipe Massa

Lewis Hamilton is interviewed by former F1 racing driver Felipe Massa (Source: Getty Images)

Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit against F1 regarding the 2008 F1 championship which was won by Lewis Hamilton. In the lawsuit, Massa stated his belief that the 2008 F1 title should have been awarded to him.

However, the former Ferrari driver mentioned that his lawsuit was not against Hamilton, but against F1 who did not take swift action against Renault after the French team was found to be involved in the Crashgate scandal.

"I have nothing against Hamilton. This battle is about a race that was rigged," Massa said. "That world title was ours, and it was taken away by manipulation."

During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Renault asked Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash against the wall deliberately and help Fernando Alonso claim the victory. Lewis Hamilton finished the race in P3, compared to Massa's P13 and ended up winning the drivers' championship by one point.