Lewis Hamilton Can Contest Max Verstappen’s 2021 Win if Felipe Massa Makes FIA Overturn 2008 Championship

The 2008 Singapore GP and the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP–2 races where controversies stained F1. Lewis Hamilton happened to be a critical part of both those races. In the former, ‘Crashgate’ gave him an advantage (for no doing of his own) which eventually won him the 2008 championship against Felipe Massa. In the latter, he was the one who lost out on the potential 8th championship to Max Verstappen because of FIA’s ‘Human error’. Now that Felipe Massa has sued F1, FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone for 2008, Peter Windsor believes that this could set a precedent for Hamilton to contest 2021.

By now, you might know that Massa is seeking up to $290 million in damages for the ‘rigged’ 2008 loss. Lewis Hamilton has made no comment on the matter but it is now his championship to lose. If he does lose it, he can then consider challenging Max Verstappen‘s 2021 win that emerged from then-race director Michael Masi’s controversial decision. Analyst Peter Windsor believes this might be on the cards.

“Abu Dhabi ’21 was an absolute error of a huge proportion,” Windsor said on his YouTube Channel. “It resulted in Max Verstappen winning the championship. It was a one-race error but as a result, Max won the world championship. On the basis of what Felipe is doing about 2008 in Singapore, in theory, there is certainly a lot more discussion to be had about what happened in Abu Dhabi ’21. In my view, the last lap should not have been counted and Lewis should’ve won that race and should’ve been world champion.“

He further added, “Deep down inside, if you said to Lewis Hamilton, ‘If you lost the 2008 world championship to Felipe Massa but you got the ’21 championship back, would you be comfortable with that?’ I think he’d be very comfortable with that.”

How the past controversies affect the Briton’s future is a mystery for now. But one thing is for sure, Hamilton’s future with Ferrari is predicted to be bright.

John Elkann believes Lewis Hamilton can do “great things” with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move drew comments from all spheres of the F1 World. Some good, some bad, some ugly. But one person who kept mum was Ferrari chairman John Elkann. He too has broken silence and believes that Hamilton will prove to be just what the Maranello outfit needs.

“I have always said over the years how much Lewis is a great driver, how much he has done for F1,” Elkann told Sky Sports Italy. “He will join Ferrari and this is a sign of how much he believes he can do great things with us.”

Read More: Lewis Hamilton’s ‘Lack of Effort’ will make him struggle against Charles Leclerc: Flavio Briatore

As a Hamilton fan (or not), do you think his Ferrari move has come at the right time? And can Massa’s lawsuit overshadow it all?