Matt Bishop, who was McLaren’s head of PR at the time, shared the story of a fleeting but memorable handshake between the two main protagonists of that day after the race.
An unforgettable finale
In Formula 1 history, few season finales have been as dramatic as the 2008 showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. At Interlagos, the Brazilian Ferrari driver was technically world champion for about 30 seconds after crossing the finish line and taking the chequered flag, before the Briton overtook Timo Glock to secure the crucial point that gave him his first World Championship title. Today, that entire season has resurfaced in court due to Massa’s lawsuit over the infamous Singapore Crashgate.
Regardless of the court’s verdict—which could not reassign the championship but might award Felipe Massa significant financial compensation—the emotions of those present in São Paulo that day remain unchanged. British journalist Matt Bishop, who was McLaren’s head of press at the time, recounted the behind-the-scenes events of that incredible afternoon in an engaging interview on the English podcast And Colossally That’s History.
The post-race celebration and the meeting with Massa
Bishop focused particularly on the moments immediately after the race, when Felipe Massa stood on the podium in tears celebrating a victory that ultimately proved irrelevant, while Hamilton was in the paddock surrounded by fans and journalists. Bishop recalled: “Lewis obviously wasn’t on the podium because he hadn’t finished in the top three. So Ron Dennis told me, ‘Lewis is all yours. Get him as much TV coverage as possible.’ We made Lewis available to print journalists, but first, we had to take care of the live TV crews. I escorted Lewis from one crew to another, and he gave interview after interview. He was beaming, completely caught up in the euphoria of the moment, searching for the right words to express his exhilaration, but clearly incredibly happy.”
Amid this chaotic post-race scene, the two major rivals of the day—Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton—suddenly came face to face. Matt Bishop described: “While I was guiding him from one TV crew to the next, pushing him through the unruly crowd of media—our bodies bumping against a cluster of large cameras and boom microphones—a small figure in red made their way through the crowd to the front. It was Massa. He extended his right hand to Lewis and said, ‘Congratulations, Lewis. Well done.’ They shook hands. Hamilton’s face, which had just moments before radiated pure joy, darkened for an instant. I remember exactly what he said. He simply said, ‘That was impressive.’”
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