When people hear the name Felipe Massa they instantly think of Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title win, but the duo’s rivalry had far more chapters than just that fateful afternoon in Brazil.
The most famous – or infamous – moment of Massa’s Formula 1 career came when he thought he’d become champion in front of his home fans in Sao Paulo, a feeling which lasted just 25 seconds as Hamilton made the most dramatic of final corner overtakes to snatch the title.
An 11-time race winner and Ferrari’s next big hope, the Brazilian would never come close again, and retired with his career defined by Hamilton beating him.
In his post-F1 career Massa made it very clear he was over the moment, congratulating Hamilton as he added six more championships – although a potential lawsuit over 2008 casts those comments in doubt.
But long before any trip to the courthouse, Massa made sure to take his anger out on his British rival, who was only too happy to retaliate.
Hamilton and Massa would fade out of the title picture in the following years, with F1 instead becoming about the Sebastian Vettel vs Fernando Alonso rivalry.
Alonso was Ferrari’s new No.1, making Massa all but obsolete, while McLaren were completely out of the running, seeing Hamilton superseded by Jenson Button and even leaving the team for Mercedes in 2013.
Given the heights of 2008, it’s easy to see why both drivers were frustrated by their lack of competitiveness, but it wasn’t so easy to see why they decided to take that frustration out on each other.
Things started just six races in when the pair travelled back to their second home of Monaco. By this point it was obvious that Vettel was going to win his second title in simple fashion, so scrapping out for sixth place wasn’t much cause for excitement.
