Lewis Hamilton could be asked to share 2008 F1 title with Felipe Massa amid championship enquiry

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Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit with a view to changing the outcome of the 2008 Formula 1 world championship. Lewis Hamilton won his first title after a remarkable final race in Brazil.

Hamilton passed Timo Glock in the final sector on the very last lap to deny Massa, who thought he was victorious after taking the chequered flag on home soil. But the former Ferrari driver’s grievances are centred on the Singapore GP just over a month earlier.

Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr was found to have crashed deliberately, bringing out a safety car that aided teammate Fernando Alonso. Pat Symonds and Flavio Briatore were banned for their role in the ‘crashgate’ scandal.

Massa pitted from the lead under said safety car, only to leave the pits with his fuel hose still attached. That dropped him outside the points, which proved to be a pivotal moment in the season.

Felipe Massa’s camp believe sharing 2008 title with Lewis Hamilton is the ‘fairest’ outcome

According to a report from Grada3, Massa’s entourage are increasingly optimistic about the driver’s chances of being recognised as the champion. A close confidante says ‘they are quite hopeful’.

But they don’t want to take the title away from Hamilton. Instead, they believe the ‘fairest’ outcome would be sharing the trophy, which would be unprecedented in Formula 1 history.

• READ MORE: ‘Experts’ rate chances of Lewis Hamilton losing 2008 F1 title amid Felipe Massa legal action

This is in recognition of the fact that Hamilton had ‘nothing to do’ with what happened in Singapore. Stripping him of the crown would be ‘pointless’.

Massa is also seeking damages, said to be around £87m. The verdict will be announced in London next month.

Could Lewis Hamilton take action over the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Hamilton won his first title on the very last lap of the season, but lost the 2021 crown to Max Verstappen at the very same stage. Like Singapore 2008, that race in Abu Dhabi is one of the most controversial in history.

In a recent interview, Hamilton said Abu Dhabi 2021 would always be a ‘scar’. Even if he manages to win an eighth world title before he retires, it may not heal that pain.

• READ MORE: Felipe Massa gives one-word answer on Lewis Hamilton’s role in FIA lawsuit over 2008 title

Then-FIA race director Michael Masi didn’t correctly apply the restart procedure when Williams driver Nicholas Latifi’s crash triggered a safety car. That gave Verstappen a chance to pass Hamilton on fresh tyres.

A subsequent investigation from the sport’s governing body found that this was a simple ‘human error’. And on that basis, there are insufficient grounds to overturn the outcome.