Follow us on

News

Timo Glock shares what he said to Lewis Hamilton after last-lap move that denied Felipe Massa F1 title

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton’s final corner overtake on Timo Glock at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2008 is one of the most iconic moments in Formula 1 history.

It earned the McLaren driver his first of seven Drivers’ Championships and denied Felipe Massa his only shot at earning that crowd in front of his home fans.

Speaking to the official Formula 1 website, Glock has now shared more details about what happened in the immediate aftermath of that crazy final lap.

Heading into the final race of the season at Interlagos, Lewis Hamilton was seven points clear of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

Both drivers were aiming to win their first Drivers’ Championship and after taking pole position on Saturday, the Brazilian was suddenly in with a shot of overturning an unlikely deficit.

Hamilton only started fourth and while he had decent pace, he struggled to make his way through the grid.

However, rain started to fall in the final few laps and although the Brit pitted for intermediate tyres, he went wide on lap 69 allowing Sebastian Vettel to pass.

This meant as Massa crossed the finish line, he had done everything he could to win the title and would have finished level with Hamilton if he stayed in sixth.

But on the final corner of the race, Hamilton pulled off an overtake on Glock to climb back up to fifth as the German had never switched off his slick tyres and could barely tiptoe around a very wet track.

It was elation for Hamilton and the McLaren garage and heartbreak for those supporting Ferrari and Massa who believed they were finally about to watch another Brazilian win the title.

Glock has now shared the brief exchange he had with Hamilton before the inquest from the press and fans began.

British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilto
Photo credit should read VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images

Glock explains Hamilton interaction after famous Interlagos overtake

Asked about the incident, Glock said: “Even when I came back after the race and I parked behind Lewis, I asked my engineer who won the championship and he said, ‘It’s Lewis’.

“I went to Lewis, said congratulations, walked away and this whole bunch of journalists ran down.

“I thought, ‘OK, they’re all going to Lewis’, so I stepped aside. Then they all came to me!

“I was asked these weird questions like, ‘Was it on purpose?’, ‘Why did you do that?’, blah, blah, blah. I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ I had no idea.

“My physiotherapist came to me, grabbed me, pulled me back to the pits and explained to me what really happened. I said, ‘OK, now I understand what’s going on’.

“It’s part of F1 history.”

It would be fascinating to see how Massa and Hamilton’s careers would have changed if the Brit hadn’t managed that overtake on Glock on the final corner.

It was before the age of the extreme social media reaction and would have likely prompted a similar outcry to the final lap in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Hamilton is still battling to win his eighth world title and overtake Michael Schumacher’s record.

McLaren boss Zak Brown has backed him to challenge Max Verstappen this year, but it will all depend on how close Mercedes are to Red Bull this season.