Lewis Hamilton may be stripped of first F1 title due to legal challenge

Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has been chasing a record eighth world title since losing out to Max Verstappen under controversial circumstances in 2021. However, it seems as though he may lose his maiden title which he won back in 2008 thanks to a legal challenge that is being launched by former Scuderia Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

It may be remembered that the Brazilian finished second in the championship in 2008, just a point behind Hamilton. There were hearts breaking all over the circuit in the final race, which was incidentally held at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paolo.

Massa won the race from pole position in his Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso finishing second in his Renault. Massa's teammate Kimi Raikkonen claimed the final podium position, ahead of Sebastian Vettel in a Toro Rosso. However, the most important finisher was McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, who slotted in at fifth place after overtaking Timo Glock in the final corners of the race.

That earned Hamilton enough points to secure his maiden F1 World Championship trophy, which will be followed by six more in a Mercedes.

However, the race in Brazil is not the focal point of Massa's case. He is harking back to an earlier race that same season, when Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed into the barriers to help his teammate Alonso win the race.

The subsequent Safety Car period after the crash prompted Ferrari to bring Massa into the pits, which put him back out in 13th place. Hamilton finished third in that race, meaning Massa could have finished ahead in the championship if the results are erased from the books.

Massa was prompted to revisit his legal options after former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone spoke about the incident in a recent interview. For those who are unaware, the Renault team was penalised after Pique admitted to having been instructed by then team principal Flavio Briatore to crash his car deliberately.

Briatore has since been banned from F1, and Piquet's career also fizzled out soon after. In the aftermath of "crashgate," the FIA and F1 moved on quickly in order to prevent further damage to the sport.

According to Ecclestone, he and then FIA president Max Mosley did not take further actions because they "wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal."

He admitted to trying to hush the scandal in order to save the sport's reputation. Part of this plot is to crown Hamilton as the rightful championship winner without digging up the possible permutations around the Singapore GP fiasco. He added that they simply went ahead and awarded Hamilton and hoped to settle the matter because "back then, there was a rule that a world championship classification after the FIA awards ceremony at the end of the year was untouchable."

Despite this, Ecclestone admitted that they actually had enough information to investigate the crash. He then gave out the crucial piece of information that could help Massa retroactively win the world championship and strip Hamilton of his maiden title.

"According to the statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions. That means it would never have happened for the championship standings. And then Felipe Massa would have become world champion and not Lewis Hamilton," said Ecclestone.

Massa, who has long since retired from F1, is seeing Ecclestone's words as a possible way for him to claim an F1 world title. Despite having driven in the same team as other world champions such as Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, the title eluded him.

In an interview with Motorsport.com, Massa said that he was told at that time that nothing could be done after Hamilton was handed the trophy at the end of the season. He says that he believed his and the team's lawyers "but after 15 years, we hear that the [former] owner of the category says that he found out in 2008, together with the president of the FIA, and they did nothing to not tarnish the name of F1. This is very sad, to know the result of this race was supposed to be cancelled and I would have a title."

He said that in the aftermath of "crashgate," he was the biggest loser of all because of the outcome. "We are going after it to understand all this," he added.

Due to the fact that the incident happened 15 years ago, Massa's chances may be slim. However, he is determined to chase the world title that he feels was taken from him due to a PR move.

"I intend to study the situation; study what the laws say, and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do," he said before calling it a "stolen race" and "robbery."

Massa is intent on seeking justice, and Lewis Hamilton may lose one of his titles if the Brazilian succeeds.