Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are in one of the closest title fights for the Formula 1 World Championship in years, with 19 points separating them and only four races to go.
A driver who knows his way around – and who competed against Hamilton himself – is Felipe Massa, who, after an exciting climax in 2008, became the runner-up of the now seven-time world champion.
Before the Grand Prix in Interlagos, where this title was decided 13 years ago, Massa remembers that season with Ferrari and gives F1.com his insight into the rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton …
The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix is one of the most memorable championships in F1 history. Massa took six points behind Hamilton
Become number one
When drivers from different teams compete against each other in the title battle, there comes a point in the season when the team boss has to make the decision to nominate one of his two drivers who will leave all his weight and resources behind in order to maximize his performance Chances of winning the title.
Sometimes teams decide to pursue a number one and number two driver strategy from the first race onwards. Others prefer to let their duo race wheel-to-wheel for as long as possible. That year it was pretty quickly clear that Verstappen and Hamilton would lead their respective teammates, mainly because their teammates weren’t scoring strong enough early in the season.
READ MORE: Mercedes is “privileged” to be in the title fight, says Wolff when he vows to “throw everything” at the Sao Paulo GP.
This has allowed Verstappen and Hamilton to maximize their point profits. Valtteri Bottas, for example, pitted twice late last time in Mexico to make sure he was setting the fastest lap, taking away from Verstappen the potentially crucial point that came with it. Massa says he only found out before China, the penultimate race of the season, that he was de facto number one in 2008 as it had been quite close between him and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen up until then due to some key points and losses in Hungary and Singapore due to mechanical and operational problems.
“Kimi helped me,” said Massa. “We swapped positions in this race. Kimi was lower in the championship and the team chose to focus 100% on me, which was similar to when I did the same for Kimi the year before. “
The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was the penultimate race of the season, before which Massa and his team-mate Raikkonen (lead, above) were split with 16 points
Support your teammate
Since joining Mercedes in 2017, Bottas has had the opportunity to fight for the championship. But when it became clear it was no longer possible, he played the team game and supported Hamilton’s title challenge, even if that meant a race win was being abandoned.
BEYOND THE GRID: “It’s starting to eat you from the inside” – Valtteri Bottas on pressure and pride at Mercedes
After Massa had helped Raikkonen in 2007, gave up a home win in Brazil and finally won the only championship of the Finns, Raikkonen retaliated the following year. Massa crossed the finish line to win the final race of the season and was famous world champion for a few seconds before Hamilton overtook Timo Glock in the final corner (below) at Interlagos to snatch it himself.
“Kimi was very easy going as a team-mate,” said Massa. “He wasn’t a great friend, but he was really straightforward and fair, which I was the year before. He was a good teammate for me. Back then we had good results and great successes for Ferrari. “
Classic on board: Timo Glock, Brazil 2008
Believe in yourself
Massa was an underdog in the title in 2007 until Ferrari decided to go to Belgium to support Raikkonen as he was seven points ahead. 2008 was his first real opportunity.
This year is Verstappen’s first shot. The Dutchman has shown brilliance every year since his debut in 2015, but never fought for a title, let alone started the last four races with an impressive 19 points lead.
Although he had very little experience with printing, Massa said he didn’t feel that this put him at a disadvantage compared to then-rival Hamilton because he believed in himself enough that he could get the job done.
GOOD ROUND vs. GREAT ROUND: See how Kimi Räikkönen masters a round of Interlagos
“I was sure I was better than Kimi,” he said. “I drove a very good championship. Unfortunately I had bad races like Singapore or Hungary and there were a few other races where we lost points. Other than that, I was confident, I loved driving this car. My mind was strong, fighting to the last lap and doing everything possible to win. I always believed that I could do it. “
Rest and relaxation are very important, but can often be disturbed if the pressure increases. But Massa wasn’t someone who let their nerves disturb their sleep when the Grand Prix weekend came to an end.
“It was much more difficult for me from Thursday to Friday than sleeping from Saturday to Sunday because I wanted to race. My adrenaline was pumping. I wanted to drive. When it got to Saturday, I was fine. I felt comfortable with the car, I knew the track and the conditions and knew that the race was almost around the corner – so I slept so much better. “
Max Verstappen is 19 points ahead with four races remaining before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and Sprint in 2021
Meaning of experience
One of the main differences between Hamilton vs. Massa and Hamilton vs. Verstappen is that in the former both were relatively new to the battle for the world title, while Verstappen – in the hunt for his first – against the most successful F1 driver in Hamilton at 12 Seasons between his first and last championship.
FORM GUIDE: Who will win at the Sao Paulo GP?
How useful is this extra experience for Hamilton? “It’s hard to say because on one hand Lewis doesn’t have a lot of pressure in the end, having won the championship seven times, but he’s got extra pressure now because he has someone who is really confident and who is really doing something fantastic Work and is very aggressive, “said Massa.
“We know that in 2016 he had a really tough fight with Nico and ultimately lost the championship. But he has never had someone as aggressive as Max to fight against, and this could change your thinking a little compared to a normal situation. “
Hamilton has not met a rival as aggressive as Verstappen in Formula 1
However, Massa is impressed with how far Hamilton has come since fighting for the title and believes the Mercedes driver, who has only won five races this year, is working at a very high level.
“In his first season in Formula 1 in 2007, Hamilton didn’t win the championship because of his mistake.” [in China]. He drove straight into the pit lane and got the car stranded in the gravel, ”said the Brazilian. “In Brazil he made a mistake on his first lap – I don’t know why he did that.
“He’s not making the same mistakes now. He has become more confident, has more experience, and makes very few, if any mistakes under pressure. He is in great shape with his mind right now and is doing everything perfectly. I am sure that we will have fantastic last four races of the season. “
PALMER: Why Mexico wasn’t a disaster for Hamilton and why the fight for the title is far from over
Moments from the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix
Modern cheers senna
There were a couple of hot spots on the track, namely at Silverstone and Monza, and off the track between Hamilton and Verstappen this year, which made headlines all over the wall while not only targeting hardcore fans but also attracting a wider fan base .
READ MORE: David Tremayne on Hamilton and Verstappen – and when gloves off during F1 rivalries
“It’s not just the fight, but the personality of these two drivers is something that the fans love to see and behind which they throw their support,” said Massa. “I think that’s fantastic. We all know Senna-Prost. We cannot forget. It’s a similar situation. “
He added, “My title fight with Lewis has been a lot quieter compared to what happened with Lewis and Max this year. We know that no one will give an inch in every corner, and it doesn’t matter whether it is this race or the last race of the season. “
The post Lessons from 2008: Felipe Massa on what it’s like to face Hamilton for the championship first appeared on monter-une-startup.
