Imagine this- Felipe Massa makes a list of the best F1 drivers in the history of the sport. He adds Lewis Hamilton‘s name to the list. Surprised? Don’t worry, this was just a hypothetical situation. Because we know how bitter the situation is between Massa and the 7x champ. Since the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ incident, the Brazilian driver is out on a quest for justice. Massa remains upset and angry despite the $80 million lawsuit against F1 and the FIA and the numerous allegations involving Hamilton and others.

Felipe Massa had blamed Hamilton for snubbing his world championship dream after the 2008 Singapore GP. And now it seems the former Ferrari star has snubbed Lewis for the GOAT list. Of course, how can the Mercedes ace make it to Massa’s list of GOATs? Instead, he named Max Verstappen, along with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

With three consecutive world championship titles, Verstappen has outdone his rivals and definitely deserves a seat among the elite. Senna and Schumacher are indeed the greatest of all times- there is no doubt. But in this generation, is Max Verstappen better than Hamilton? This is a debatable question for us; we’ll leave it to the fans to decide. Massa continues to blame Lewis Hamilton for his title miss 16 years ago. However, can he truly claim the title with his lawsuit? The answer is a probable no.

Felipe Massa’s war cry for justice hasn’t been perceived seriously

Whatever happened in 2008 was indeed unfortunate. However, to directly blame Hamilton, who rightfully claimed his first title, is a bit of a stretch. Let’s quickly break down the incident. Felipe Massa was leading the race at the Singapore Grand Prix. He was a frontrunner for the 2008 title. Suddenly, Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed, bringing out the safety cars. As we know, Alpine’s current executive advisor, Flavio Briatore played a role in this episode. Meanwhile, after a disastrous pit stop, Massa failed to hold on to his position, and ultimately lost the championship to Hamilton.

Many experts believe that the result of the race would’ve been the same even without the safety car. Moreover, what’s done cannot be undone. Former McLaren engineer, Marc Priestly said: “I believe that you cannot claim a world title.” There are too many knowns and unknowns in this story and to blame the world champion isn’t the solution to get justice. Massa’s fight is for the organizers to take responsibility for what happened that day. Meanwhile, German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen clarified: “Once the official results are confirmed, there is only a 2-hour window for any appeal.” This shows that Felipe Massa was already too late.

As the saying goes, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” If he had raised a complaint within the first hour after the race, there might have been a slight chance for things to turn out differently. However, this isn’t guaranteed. Sadly, the former F1 driver’s grudge continues as he sometimes spews out his anger and frustration over 2008. Meanwhile, his GOAT list could once again spark controversies, and who knows how Massa will perceive it?