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Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has compared Lewis Hamilton losing the 2021 World Drivers' Championship on the last lap of the season-ending race to Felipe Massa's similar fate in 2008.
Hamilton was on course to eclipse Michael Schumacher with what would have been a record-breaking eighth WDC at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
However, a late crash by Nicholas Latifi brought out the Safety Car, allowing Max Max Verstappen to pit for fresh soft tires.
An abrupt recall of the Safety Car left Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton hamstrung on the final lap. The Briton could only watch as Max Verstappen left him in his wake to seal the title on the final lap of the race.
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Jolyon Palmer was full of admiration for Lewis Hamilton, who showed immense composure in the face of disappointment. He wrote:
"I was most surprised by his attitude and his maturity. When he was sent to the end of the field in Brazil, he kept calm and won on Sunday.”
Palmer then went on to add:
“Even more impressive was his reaction to the devastating defeat in Abu Dhabi, which was determined by events beyond his control. Nevertheless, Lewis (Hamilton) was very generous and demonstrated the sporting spirit of a champion, much like Felipe Massa in the 2008 season when he lost out to Lewis.”
Felipe Massa won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix with Ferrari and was set to be crowned Brazil's first world champion since Ayrton Senna. However, a last-lap pass on Timo Glock by Lewis Hamilton tipped the balance in the Briton's favor and earned him his first of seven championships.
While it was a bittersweet moment, Felipe Massa is remembered for rallying his home fans at Interlagos with tears in his eyes on the podium.
Lewis Hamilton picks Michael B. Jordan as prospective choice for biopic
Lewis Hamilton's maiden world championship story left fans on the edge of their seats in 2008. Such was the drama that it could easily have been the basis Hollywood film script.
Should that ever happen, the Briton, who has had a storybook career at the pinnacle of motorsports, recently revealed that he would prefer someone like Michael B. Jordan to portray him in a biopic.
Speaking in an interview with Esquire Middle East and IWC Schaffhausen, Lewis Hamilton said:
"Maybe I will say someone like Michael B. Jordan, for example, would be cool. But, I mean, he is much bigger and probably wouldn't fit in the car so he will have to slim down. But I like his acting."
While Hamilton certainly handled defeat with maturity, there are conflicting reports about whether he will race in 2022.
