Lewis Hamilton’s first title in peril after Felipe Massa seeks legal options to challenge 2008 F1 championship outcome

F1 Grand Prix of South Korea - Race
F1 Grand Prix of South Korea - Race - Race winner Fernando Alonso (2nd right) of Spain and Ferrari, third placed team mate Felipe Massa (right) of Brazil and Ferrari, third placed Lewis Hamilton (left) of Great Britain and McLaren Mercedes and Chris Dyer ((2nd left) the Chief Track Engineer for Ferrari celebrate on the podium following the Korean Formula One Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit on October 24, 2010 in Yeongam-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton's maiden title might be in jeopardy as Felipe Massa looks at legal options to contest the 2008 title results.

The Brazilian lost out to Hamilton by narrow margins in the 2008 Formula 1 championship.

Recent comments from former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone have spurred the Brazilian into action. Ecclestone provided new insights into the critical 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which was a massive blow to Massa's title aspirations that year.

The race is most famously remembered for Nelson Piquet Jr.'s intentional crash, which caused a safety car period that ultimately aided his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso.

The controversy also had a significant impact on the championship battle. Massa's Ferrari team made a disastrous pit stop during the safety car period, causing him to fall down the order and finish in 13th place. Meanwhile, his main title rival, Lewis Hamilton, claimed third place.

While Massa tried to get the FIA to cancel the results in Singapore, the governing body dismissed his appeal, citing that results cannot be changed once the FIA Awards ceremony is complete.

Following Ecclestone's recent comments implying that he and the FIA knew about the rules violation before the end of the 2008 season, Massa believes there are valid reasons to re-examine the situation. This is because it was still possible to take corrective action during that time to change the outcome.

Lewis Hamilton is yet to react to Massa's approach. Only time will tell how the sport will react to the Brazilian's decision.


Lewis Hamilton still feels 'disconnected' from his W14 despite P2 finish in Melbourne

At the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton claimed second place with his former rival Max Verstappen taking the top spot. Despite the chaotic conditions, Hamilton's exceptional skills and car management abilities were on display throughout the weekend.

The race at Albert Park on Sunday (April 2) was chaotic, with four red flags interrupting the 58-lap event. Hamilton started in third place, behind his teammate George Russell and two-time world champion Verstappen. Unfortunately, Russell had to retire early due to technical difficulties midway through the race.

Following the race, in a post-race interview with David Coulthard at Parc Ferme, Hamilton expressed his excitement about his outstanding performance and acknowledged the team's role in his success.

Nevertheless, the seven-time world champion admitted that he is not yet entirely comfortable with the W14 despite his impressive finish. He said:

"Unlucky for George today, really unfortunate. I didn't expect to be second so I'm super grateful for it. I still feel uncomfortable in the car though, I'm driving as best I can and working as hard as I can but still, considering we've been down on performance and in straight pace, for us to be up there fighting with Aston is amazing. We can close that gap - it's going to be tough but not impossible."

It will be interesting to see whether the seven-time world champion can win yet another race in the sport this year.

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Edited by Yash Singh
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