Hamilton spared awkward Massa reunion at Italian GP as FIA ‘ban ex-F1 star’

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Lewis Hamilton will be spared of an awkward reunion with former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix as it has been revealed that the Brazilian has been told not to attend the race. Massa has taken the first steps towards fighting for the 2008 championship, which he still believes was not secured in ‘fair’ fashion.

Hamilton penned a bumper contract extension with Mercedes earlier this week, and he will be hopeful of marking the occasion with a strong showing at Matza – with a return to the podium viewed as a solid display given Red Bull’s current dominance.

Max Verstappen has dominated Formula One over the past few years and is showing no signs of stopping, with some of his nearest rivals even speculating that the higher powers in the sport need to intervene to prevent the Dutchman’s superiority from becoming boring for spectators.

However, given that Hamilton won six of the seven championships between 2014 and 2020, the Brit has not been best-positioned to call for limitations on Verstappen’s good form. Anyhow, it is not the Mercedes driver’s dominance during the aforementioned period that is on the lips of some supporters recently, as the re-emergence of Massa has sparked conversations around Hamilton’s first-ever success in 2008.

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The Brazilian’s legal team named a lawsuit in the British High Court earlier this week and is awaiting an approach from both the FIA and FOM. Massa is unhappy with how he lost the title, with Hamilton winning by a solitary point. As a result, the 42-year-old has been told not to attend the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, despite his intentions to be at the event.

His spokesperson told Motorsport.com: “Massa had already bought a flight ticket and received a call from the high ranking of Formula 1 on Monday, asking him not to go to Monza.”

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The former Ferrari star is unhappy with the nature of his defeat in 2008, with the driver heaping the blame on how he struggled at the Singapore Grand Prix. Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr appeared to deliberately crash during the race in order to provide Fernando Alonso with the advantage he required to win the race.

A safety car was introduced as a result of the crash, and Massa was unable to score as a result – and the Brazilian is convinced that this was ‘unfair’ despite Hamilton not being involved in the matter. He intends to take his case to court having missed out on subsequent millions that come with winning a world championship, which could see Hamilton potentially stripped of the title.

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