Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa lost the 2008 World Championship to Lewis Hamilton by half a point, in the closing seconds of his own home Grand Prix in Brazil, one of the most heartbreaking finishes in the sport's history. He survived a near-fatal head injury the following year, and later took his fight over that 2008 title all the way to the courts.
Felipe Massa came agonisingly close to winning the Formula 1 World Championship in 2008, losing the title to Lewis Hamilton by half a point in the closing seconds of his own home Grand Prix in Brazil — a result so narrow and so cruelly timed that it remains one of the most discussed near-misses in the sport's history. He believed himself champion for roughly thirty seconds before Hamilton secured the position he needed elsewhere on the circuit.
The following year brought an entirely different kind of ordeal: a loose suspension spring from another car struck Massa's helmet during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, causing a severe head injury that required emergency surgery and ended his season. His recovery and return to top-level competition in 2010 was widely regarded as remarkable given the severity of what he had survived.
Massa continued racing in Formula 1 for several more years with Ferrari and later Williams before retiring in 2017. In 2023, he reopened the story of his lost 2008 title by pursuing legal action against Formula One Management and the FIA, arguing that the Crashgate scandal — a race fixed by a rival team earlier that season — had unfairly cost him the championship. He has also pursued a political career in Brazil since stepping away from racing.
6 Things You Might Not Know
At the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Massa crossed the finish line first and, for a brief period, celebrated as World Champion while Lewis Hamilton was still battling to secure the single position he needed in the closing corners. When Hamilton passed Timo Glock moments later to claim exactly the position required, Massa's championship evaporated by half a point — a swing that happened in real time, in front of his own home crowd, making it one of the most viscerally painful title losses in F1 history.
In 2023, Massa launched legal action against Formula One Management, the FIA, and former Renault figures, arguing that the deliberately staged crash by Nelson Piquet Jr at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix — orchestrated by Renault to benefit teammate Fernando Alonso — had directly affected the outcome of races earlier that season in ways that ultimately cost Massa the championship. The case reopened a fifteen-year-old controversy and sought both financial compensation and, symbolically, recognition as the rightful 2008 champion.
During qualifying, a loose suspension spring from another car struck Massa's helmet at high speed, causing a severe head injury that left him unconscious and required emergency surgery. He was in intensive care for several days and missed the remainder of the 2009 season, and his recovery and eventual return to competitive racing the following year was widely regarded within the paddock as a remarkable achievement given the severity of the injury.
Massa's wife Raffaela Bassi and son Felipinho were regular, visible presences throughout his Formula 1 career, frequently seen in the paddock and pictured celebrating with him after races. Felipinho later pursued his own karting and junior racing career, continuing a pattern common among Formula 1 families of the next generation being drawn into motorsport from an early age.
Like many Brazilian sportsmen, Massa maintains a deep personal connection to football, following the sport closely and speaking often about his allegiances within Brazil's football culture. The connection between Brazilian motorsport stars and football fandom runs deep in the country's broader sporting culture, and Massa has remained an engaged, visible fan well beyond his own racing career.
Following his departure from Formula 1, Massa entered Brazilian politics, standing as a congressional candidate — a path taken by a number of prominent Brazilian sportspeople seeking to convert public recognition into a political career. The move reflected a broader pattern among retired Brazilian athletes using their public profile to pursue civic and political involvement after their competitive careers conclude.