Ex-Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa has admitted that it wasn’t “difficult” to get over losing to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 Drivers’ Championship, with the British driver having pulled off one of the most famous overtakes in F1 history to snatch the title from Massa.
Massa won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix with ease, despite the elements having thrown everything at the Brazilian driver.
As he crossed the line to claim victory, Massa was World Champion, with Hamilton having been one place lower than he needed to be for him to claim the crown.
However, the Mercedes star famously overtook a crawling Timo Glock in the final sector on the last lap, with the Toyota driver having been on slicks on a wet circuit.
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The overtake saw Hamilton move into a position that resulted in him becoming World Champion, with Ferrari having then been responsible for telling Massa the gut-wrenching news.
As painful as it must have been for Massa to lose the title so harshly, the Brazilian admits he did everything he could, with the title having been dependant on Hamilton’s result, not his.
“It’s not difficult to be honest,” Massa told Polish site Swiat Wyscigow.
“That message, it was normal. I mean, for sure, it was not the message I was expecting to receive. But by everything that was happening in the race, it was raining at the end, I thought everything could have been possible.
“And I understood that. I mean, Lewis was in the middle of the fight, so maybe it can be good, it can be bad. Then, when he said that message, I was disappointed, but I won the race. It wasn’t depending on myself; it was depending on the position behind. I couldn’t do anything. I did my job in the perfect way I could.”
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Whilst he wishes he could change the outcome of that race at Interlagos, he doesn’t really believe he needs to “change anything” about his career, with the 2008 Brazilian GP having not ‘changed’ his life.
“Actually, I don’t need to change anything. I’ve learned a lot. Anything that happens, it happens for my learning,” Massa admitted.
“I’m really enjoying many moments. I learn with the difficult moments. I enjoyed many good moments, and I think it was a great experience in my life.
“Nothing really I can change. For sure, if the only thing I can ask to change is one more point in 2008. But that didn’t happen for a reason, and in the end, it didn’t really change my life.”