Lewis Hamilton has hit back at claims he claimed the 2008 championship courtesy of the Singapore 'crash-gate' revelations. Felipe Massa was almost level-pegging on points with the Briton for the crown until inaugural night race, when the safety car triggered by Nelson Piquet's crash - and then Ferrari's famously botched pitstop - ruined the Ferrari driver's race.
Massa, who had dominantly won pole for the night race and was pulling away from Hamilton in the opening stint until the Piquet crash, ultimately lost the drivers' crown by a single point.
It has therefore been claimed that, had Renault not cheated, Massa would now be world champion. But Hamilton told Britain's News of the World newspaper: "I am a worthy world champion. I have got the number one on my car and I deserved it."
He had a one point lead over Massa going into the Singapore round, but after Massa's problems he pulled clear by seven points with just three races to go.
Hamilton insists he was not trying to win in the Asian city-state.
"When you are leading the championship it is a different mind-set to when you are chasing. I was just thinking about the championship in the remaining races and getting the points I needed to win the title.
"If I had needed wins I would have gone for them," he said.
"I was driving with one eye on the world championship and wasn't going to take too many risks. I was happy to finish on the podium.
"There are things that happened last year with penalties that affected my points. And I still think I won in Belgium. I think that was my race," Hamilton added, referring to the earlier race at Spa-Francorchamps that was won by the McLaren driver but retrospectively handed to Kimi Raikkonen due to a chicane-cutting incident.




Comment 36 - 55 of 55
so sad pretty much all the comments have low ratings, u hopeless racist
Lewis is still one of the best drivers on the grid
you are (unfortunately the champ). Now stop with your self service righteous diatribe of complete and utter @#$%. you are the biggest sore winner in the history of sports. you are the champ, start acting like one, then, people will accept and even root you on.
Hamilton won the championship last year, no doubt about it, with some luck of course, but the way he put the whole incident here is just ridiculous, with only 1 point ahead before the crash gate, anyone would want to win the race, and the remaining 3 too,unless the points were so far apart that Massa could never catch him, I guess he forget he won by only 1 point, he is not a worthy champion not because he is black, it is his childish behavior.
Roy; unfortunately that was clever reading & understanding of the rulebook; what they did was not illegal.
After Ross Brawn showed up that loophole the FIA were quick to prevent a recurrence.
if we are not going to win races on the track why race just let the teams throw dice for position ??
In view of all the anti Hamilton brigade comments are we now prepared to declare Damion Hill a two times champion and demote Mr Shoe maker to just 6 titles? after all just look at the antics Ferrari got up to including wining a GP by serving your drive through penalty and claiming a win by passing the finishing line in the pit
Damn this story is getting so old and is pissing me off, the TRUE FACT IS!!!! IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE @#$% STEWARDS AT SPA, MASSA WAS OUT OF THE RUNNING!!!! so sorry what ever people think but fact is L.H won the title fair and square in the eyes genuine race fans, as for the few ignorant idiots out there who cant see past your nose, GO GET A LIFE PLEASE
I'm a Ferrari fan and despite the news of race fixing in Singapore it doesn't to me automatically mean we should get on Hamilton's back about not being a worthy champion even though the error that caused Massa to not finish in the points was because of Piquets accident. Yeah Massa was leading and had the race not been fixed we will never know if Massa would of won the race. Hamilton and Massa are both champion drivers but Hamilton deserves his crown. Also to me Alonso knew of a plan to help him in the race. He was extremely quick that weekend and qualified 15th due to an error in qualifying. Was very upset after that but it was his lack of real happiness when he came out of the car after winning. U'd think he would of been more excited after winning again after a yr without a win and in a car where he would of been thinking there was no chance of a victory.
Wink @42,I do look after a mentally handicapped daughter.but not twenty fours hours a day,she spends a lot of time at the riverside resource centre, and yes i spend a lot of time at Silverstone.
Hamilton is not a worthy champion because he himself claims he is a worthy champion. You cannot claim that you are a worthy champion. If you become a champion, then you are a champion whether you are worthy or not worthy to become the champion. But only your peers can say whether you are a worthy champion. The moment you claim yourself is worthy, you automatically become an unworthy champion. Be humble!!!
I really need to read the other stories first before I comment. Ho hum.
I can't see Ferrari paying off Raikonnens full 2010 retainer, so that he becomes a free agent and can go race against them, it just doesn't make sense. Much better to demote him to a test driver, they'll still pay him the same amount but the competition will be a lower standard.
If Raikonnen wants to go to Mclaren, he'll not get the money.
If Raikonnen wants the money, he'll not get to go to Mclaren.
You can't have it both ways!
Touron's big insider secret that Hamilton will be number 2 at McLaren next year.
How can this be? Well, as Coulthard, Brundle Jordan & co discussed last week, if Ferrari have signed Alonso for next year and Massa is returning then Raikonnen needs to move on and Mclaren is 1 possible destination.
This is of course specualtion, and guess work but that suits Touron's lies. If it turns out, he says he told you so, if it doens't he wasn't specific about any of it so you can't say he's a liar, except of course for the hundreds of lies he's told in the past.
As Touron is an idiot, fantasist & racist with only slightly less vitreol than the clown "captainfantastic" (who's posts are soon to be removed so this won't make much sense soon). Touron believes Mclaren will sign Raikonnen and he will be the number 1 driver, therefore Hamilton will be number 2.
Well, all that might happen but I expect Hamilton has enough racing ability to compete with anyone currently in F1. If you compete with the guy regarded as the best driver in F1 (Alonso) when you're a rookie, then you're only going to be stronger with 3 years experience under your belt.
we all a knew thata who a inherit a the 2008 a title a after a cheating a spying a stealing the a secrets from a muclaren anda mr a glok a being abducted a by the a Alien onna lasta bend onna lasta race offa season ,,mea thought itta could nota get a worse,, a now a new a chapter a inna 2008 a season itta should a be a void a season a after all a the controversy,,,a worse a season inna F1 a history a 1 toa forget,,,a mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda phoney a glok assisted cheating 2008 a title a holder............KEEP IT ,,,itta worthless a even a more a now
touronroute..you say you are at silverstone 7 days a week...didn't you say some time ago that you had to look after a disabled daughter?....liars need good memories!!!!
Touron I have been reading your posts for a few weeks now and I got to say that I find it all very entertaining. But 26 has to be the best, you must be living in some other world if you expect anyone to think that all the teams are talking to you about what they are planing.
we all a knew thata who a inherit a the 2008 a title a after a cheating a spying a stealing the a secrets from a muclaren anda mr a glok a being abducted a by the a Alien onna lasta bend onna lasta race offa season ,,mea thought itta could nota get a worse,, a now a new a chapter a inna 2008 a season itta should a be a void a season a after all a the controversy,,,a worse a season inna F1 a history a 1 toa forget,,,a mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda phoney a glok assisted cheating 2008 a title a holder............KEEP IT ,,,itta worthless a even a more a now
we all a knew thata who a inherit a the 2008 a title a after a cheating a spying a stealing the a secrets from a muclaren anda mr a glok a being abducted a by the a Alien onna lasta bend onna lasta race offa season ,,mea thought itta could nota get a worse,, a now a new a chapter a inna 2008 a season itta should a be a void a season a after all a the controversy,,,a worse a season inna F1 a history a 1 toa forget,,,a mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda phoney a glok assisted cheating 2008 a title a holder............KEEP IT ,,,itta worthless a even a more a now
we all a knew thata who a inherit a the 2008 a title a after a cheating a spying a stealing the a secrets from a muclaren anda mr a glok a being abducted a by the a Alien onna lasta bend onna lasta race offa season ,,mea thought itta could nota get a worse,, a now a new a chapter a inna 2008 a season itta should a be a void a season a after all a the controversy,,,a worse a season inna F1 a history a 1 toa forget,,,a mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda phoney a glok assisted cheating 2008 a title a holder............KEEP IT ,,,itta worthless a even a more a now
we all a knew thata who a inherit a the 2008 a title a after a cheating a spying a stealing the a secrets from a muclaren anda mr a glok a being abducted a by the a Alien onna lasta bend onna lasta race offa season ,,mea thought itta could nota get a worse,, a now a new a chapter a inna 2008 a season itta should a be a void a season a after all a the controversy,,,a worse a season inna F1 a history a 1 toa forget,,,a mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda phoney a glok assisted cheating 2008 a title a holder............KEEP IT ,,,itta worthless a even a more a now
we all a knew thata who a inherit a the 2008 a title a after a cheating a spying a stealing the a secrets from a muclaren anda mr a glok a being abducted a by the a Alien onna lasta bend onna lasta race offa season ,,mea thought itta could nota get a worse,, a now a new a chapter a inna 2008 a season itta should a be a void a season a after all a the controversy,,,a worse a season inna F1 a history a 1 toa forget,,,a mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda phoney a glok assisted cheating 2008 a title a holder............KEEP IT ,,,itta worthless a even a more a now
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