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Once upon a time, Lewis Hamilton was invincible and untouchable. All of that changed dramatically on the 12th of December, 2021. A lot has been written and said about that race. Not only did the 7x champion miss out on a glorious 8th world title, but many would argue he lost a bit of himself, too. We haven’t seen the same racing driver since. But on a more concerning note, since then, the floodgates have opened on the Brit, and now, everything and everyone seems to want a piece of Hamilton’s F1 legacy.

In all probability, the 38-year-old will not get another opportunity to contest for that elusive eight-world title. This comes down to the doldrums his team, Mercedes find themselves in. But while Hamilton is not in a position to add to his tally of titles, he may have to actually prepare himself to lose one of the seven he already has.

Lewis Hamilton’s past comes back to haunt him

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2008 was a season of many ups and downs. While Hamilton clinched his maiden F1 title, Ferrari‘s Felipe Massa lost out on his, on home soil, by a mere margin of a single point. What also defined that season was the infamous ‘Crashgate‘. Now, in hindsight, Massa pins the blame for his lost opportunity on the sport, and is out for Hamilton’s blood.

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Speaking to his native media outlet, Esportelandia Massa declared, “In other sports, titles have been revoked when things like this have been discovered, so why not in F1?” Now, the Brazilian has come out with a fresh set of allegations against the sport.

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“I’m not a lawyer, but everyone knows I was clearly wronged and I think I am right to fight for justice to make it right. It wasn’t an engine that broke down, it was a stolen race – a manipulation, which is a very serious thing. Sure, there was an engine that also broke, but that’s part of the time,” concluded Massa.

Read More: After Multiple Attempts to Curb Lewis Hamilton’s Fundamental Rights, F1 CEO Hypocritically Appreciates His Outspoken Personality to Open “New Dimensions”

With Massa threatening legal action, what does the main antagonist in this tale have to say?

Nelson Piquet Jr. breaks his silence over Lewis Hamilton lawsuit

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Safe to say, Nelson Piquet Jr.’s father and Hamilton don’t see eye-to-eye. But in what could only be described as a comedy of errors, it is the Piquet family that got Hamilton into this mess in the first place. Now, in light of Massa’s renewed interest in the 2008 championship results, Piquet Jr. has decided to break his silence.

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He told the Pelas Pistas podcast, “It was a team order to help someone within our team. It wasn’t to harm Felipe Massa. It was nothing like that.” He then went on to justify his past actions. “I had no one with me in Formula 1 except a bully, and a bully like that, always complaining, always pushing, always warning ‘This is your last chance’,” while referring to Flavio Briatore.

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Do you think Felipe Massa deserves the 2008 world championship to be accredited to him instead of Lewis Hamilton?

Written by

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is a senior F1 writer at EssentiallySports, with over 500 articles published on the platform. Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 while playing on his computer, and he has since then dived deep into the world of motorsports. Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports.
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Edited by

Varunkumaar Chelladurai