“Is That Glock?”: Fans Travel Back to Painful 2008 Brazilian GP as Felipe Massa Reunites With the Maker of His F1 Fate

Published 11/12/2022, 4:00 AM EST
The 2008 Formula 1 season is arguably one of the most dramatic seasons in the sport’s history. The last race, the Brazilian GP to this date remains among the most controversial races of all time. Many believe Toyota’s Timo Glock let Lewis Hamilton pass to clinch the drivers’ championship away from Felipe Massa. Going by the latest development looks like Massa has put the incident behind him.
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Lewis Hamilton needed to finish in the top 5 in the 2008 Brazilian GP to win his maiden title. Massa to win the title needed to not just win the race, but have Hamilton finish lower than 5th. While Massa won the race, Timo Glock could not hold Hamilton from overtaking him and taking P5.
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Has Felipe Massa forgiven Timo Glock?
The race had a delayed start owing to heavy rain. Soon as the race started, Ferrari man Massa took a comfortable lead. When the race progressed to the final few laps, the downpour made a return. While a lot of drivers came into the pits for intermediate tires, Glock stayed out to gain some places. That, however, compromised his grip in the final lap where he struggled to keep the car on the track. Resultantly, Hamilton overtook him in the final corners to finish 5th.
VALENCIA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 03: Felipe Massa of Brazil and Ferrari looks at his car following an engine problem during day three of winter testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit on February 3, 2011 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Massa remained emotional throughout the post-race formalities, even crying on the podium. However, a recent photo of Felipe Massa and Timo Glock from Interlagos shows all is good between the two. Here’s how fans reacted to the Twitter post:
Even Timo Glock couldn’t help but respond on the post.
Folks at Autosport too had a funny take on the post quoting the commentary from the moment Hamilton overtook Glock.
How could memes stay away for too long?
The accusations on Glock were put to rest when F1 uploaded his onboard footage 5 years back. The video of Timo’s final lap showed him struggling for grip and many cars passing him before the final corner. While Massa lost the championship, it was Glock who suffered for years following the incident.
Timo Glock received death threats following the 2008 Brazilian GP
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Speaking on Beyond The Grid podcast last month, Timo revealed how he received death threats for several years following the infamous race.
Glock said, “It was really shocking how people can treat you in a way where even my parents were scared.” “Getting letters back home, fans saying I should be banned from racing. Even people saying the guy should be killed and stuff like this – it was not nice. Every time when the Brazilian race came up, my Twitter account exploded. It’s still the case sometimes. Now it’s more the positive, the funny stuff, like the famous words ‘is that Glock?’,” he further added.
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