Sir Lewis Hamilton made the loudest noise as a rookie in Formula One. In his debut season in 2007, he impressed everybody with his speed and charisma. The top F1 drivers back then, like Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, felt a lot of pressure after the emergence of a new title threat. Moreover, in his second season in F1 for McLaren, Lewis Hamilton won his maiden title. That was the fastest any driver in Formula One won their maiden championship. He then joined Mercedes in 2013, and the rest is history. Moreover, in 2021 Hamilton became the first F1 driver to win 100 or more races.
Lewis is also the joint most championship winner for a driver in F1, with Michael Schumacher winning seven titles. There are not many records remaining for him to break. However, Lewis Hamilton is willing to wait for another five years, perhaps to win the coveted eighth title. Amidst all these tensions of winning the eighth championship, there is a new threat for the Mercedes ace. There is a chance Hamilton may lose out on his first title as well. Felipe Massa demands in court that he is the rightful 2008 champion. What happened was that Massa was the runners-up of the season behind Hamilton.
Felipe Massa Claims Compensation For The 2008 World Championship
The Brazilian’s team of attorneys start legal proceedings against the governing body, FIA, to adjudge Massa as the winner of the 2008 season. Felipe Massa and his attorneys filed a lawsuit claiming there was cheating in the Singapore Grand Prix that cost him the title. Moreover, the Brazilian’s attorneys accused FIA and F1 of cheating in the 2008 season. Felipe Massa demands significant compensation for losing in 2008. Everybody knows Massa’s intention to supplant the seven-time champion. But the reports from Reuter suggest those intentions have turned into a demand for compensation.
According to the latest information, Felipe Massa hired attorneys from Brazil, France, the USA, England, and Switzerland to fight his case against the governing body. As per Reuter, Massa sent a Letter Before the Claim to F1 CEO and FIA President. The F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, was Massa’s team principal (Ferrari in 2008). The letter simply states Massa is the rightful winner and that he cannot quantify his losses exactly at present, but it must be around tens and millions of euros. Perhaps, the whole thing is getting a little bit more about money than reversing the championship outcome.
Troubles Don’t Seem To End For Lewis Hamilton At Present
However, at the age of 38, he seems to face the threat of winning another championship. Currently, Red Bull is dominating the grid with Max Verstappen, the new double-time champion. But Mercedes seems to forget the formula of building the fastest car. The German team enjoyed hegemony for eight years. Nobody could take the constructor title away from them until last year. Lewis Hamilton played a major role in helping Mercedes win eight titles from 2014 to 2021.
With the Brackley team, he added six titles to his maiden title that he won back in 2008. However, it has been one and a half years, and Hamilton is still winless. The last victory for the seven-time champion came in the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He was on his way to win his eighth title in 2021 when Max Verstappen shattered his dreams into pieces.