Revealed: What happened when Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa met after Brazil 2008

Former McLaren communications director Matt Bishop spilled the beans on a paddock encounter between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa shortly after the conclusion of their 2008 Drivers’ Championship battle.

One of the most thrilling title conclusions in F1 history, which is subject to an ongoing legal battle, Bishop revealed how Hamilton and Massa crossed paths among a sea of media personnel in the Interlagos paddock, as Massa passed on his congratulations with Hamilton becoming world champion for the first time.

Felipe Massa to Lewis Hamilton: ‘Congratulations, Lewis, well done’

Massa thought his victory on home soil was enough to secure the 2008 title, in what would have been a storybook ending to his season. But, celebrations in the Ferrari garage soon turned to confusion and dismay.

Hamilton had failed to re-pass Sebastian Vettel, as was required, to clinch the title. But, at Junção, both drivers caught and passed Toyota’s Timo Glock – who was struggling on dry tyres as the rain intensified – leaving Hamilton to power up to the main straight and cross the line to become champion.

Despite the raw emotions immediately following the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Bishop recalled how Massa shook Hamilton’s hand and congratulated his rival on the title win, as they met in the paddock.

Massa has since opened legal proceedings over the result of the 2008 title, following a 2023 interview given by F1 supremo at the time, Bernie Ecclestone. He was reported to have claimed that he and ex-FIA President, Max Mosley, were made aware of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix ‘Crashgate’ scandal during the season, but did not act. Ecclestone has since denied knowledge of having given the interview in question.

At that infamous race in Singapore, Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to crash deliberately as an aid to teammate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win. Massa suffered a calamitous Ferrari pit-stop and failed to score points, having been leading at the time the Safety Car was deployed to cover Piquet’s incident.

“Lewis wasn’t on the podium, of course, because he hadn’t finished in the top three,” Bishop began, speaking on the ‘And Colossally That’s History!’ podcast.

“So Ron Dennis said to me, ‘Lewis is all yours. Get as much TV coverage as you possibly can.’ So we made Lewis available to you guys too, of course, the print reporters, but first we had to service the TV crews, whose broadcasts were still going out live.

“So I took Lewis from TV crew to TV crew, and he did interview after interview, all smiles, lost in the sheer elation of the moment, struggling for the right words to describe his exaltation. But definitely, incredibly, abidingly happy.

“Then, as I was guiding him from TV crew to TV crew, jostling him through the unruly media throng, our bodies, I remember it so well, our bodies bumping and thudding against a jockeying cluster of bulky cameras and big boom mics, a little figure in red began to squeeze its way through the crush, eventually making its way to the front. It was Massa.

“He extended his right hand to Lewis and said, ‘Congratulations, Lewis, well done.’ They shook hands, Hamilton’s face, which had been wreathed in visible and unmistakable joy, just an instant before, took on a momentarily sombre look. I remember what he said. He just said, ‘That was impressive.'”

More on the Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton 2008 title saga

👉 From Crashgate to courtroom: A deep dive into Felipe Massa’s $82 million lawsuit

👉 McLaren’s court case against Palou is a warning to Massa and F1 how quickly things can turn ugly

Unfortunately, another driver to experience emotional distress after the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was Timo Glock. The German driver later revealed that he required a police escort out of the Interlagos circuit, and received death threats.

Unfounded conspiracy theories had emerged, claiming that Glock intentionally slowed to let Hamilton through to win the title, a suggestion which had no substance.

Bishop gave his blunt take on the matter.

“Let’s be honest, most conspiracy theories are moronic, and that one certainly was,” he said.

Hamilton’s 2008 title proved to be the first of seven world championship wins, a tally which puts him level with Michael Schumacher at the F1 summit.

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