Footage resurfaces showing craziest last lap in F1 history when Hamilton crushed Massa's title dream
Published on Sep 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Sep 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa put on one of the best F1 title battles in history.
The Brit and the Brazilian swapped the championship lead multiple times throughout the season.
It was a title race that would ultimately be settled in Massa’s home race in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2008.
And the race saw the craziest last lap in F1 history – when Hamilton crushed Massa’s title dream.
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2008 F1 season goes down to the wire – literally
The 2008 Formula 1 championship was a season that would go down in history.
It was so close, in fact, that it would literally go down to the last lap of the last race.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, is where we set our scene for today’s epic, V8-fuelled story.
Interlagos would be the battleground to determine the winner between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver (and local hero) Massa qualified on pole position.
McLaren-Mercedes star Hamilton topped the second row by qualifying in P4.
Heavy rain just five minutes before the lights went out caused chaos on the grid.
All teams but one (Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber) changed their tires from dry weather to intermediates.
By lap 54 of 71, it was already pretty clear that Felipe Massa would win the race.
The Scuderia Ferrari driver had already pulled out a lead of 9.6 seconds over Fernando Alonso.
Attention quickly turned to Lewis Hamilton, who would win the championship as long as he finished no lower than fifth.
Incredible video shows the joy – and the heartbreak
Footage has recently resurfaced on social media of that incredible final day in 2008.
The video, which you can watch at the top of this story, demonstrates the beauty and the pain of being an F1 fan.
Some Massa/Ferrari fans are seen jumping for joy as Felipe Massa crosses the line to win the Sao Paulo GP.
For 30 seconds, the Brazilian was the F1 world champion.
But those 30 seconds soon came to a shattering, earth-moving halt.
Because Lewis Hamilton had overtaken Toyota driver Timo Glock to secure P5.
Remember – Hamilton needed to finish no lower than P5 in order to win the title.
And he managed to do so on the final corner of the final lap – and won by a single point.
Trust us – if that isn’t heartbreak, we do not know what is.
Make sure to check out the video of what we are talking about above – you won’t regret it.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
