Felipe Massa won the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours on 22 June 2008. It was a Ferrari one-two, a championship swing and, as it turned out, the last Formula 1 World Championship race held at the circuit.
Räikkönen’s exhaust opens the door
Kimi Räikkönen started from pole and led the early part of the race for Ferrari. Massa ran second, close enough to benefit if the race changed but not apparently in control. Then Räikkönen’s car developed an exhaust problem, costing performance and leaving Massa with the chance to take over.
Massa won ahead of Räikkönen, with Jarno Trulli third for Toyota after a strong defensive drive late in the race. The result moved Massa into the lead of the drivers’ championship, a position that mattered in a season eventually decided by the smallest possible margin in Brazil.
Magny-Cours leaves quietly
The race also closed Magny-Cours’s Formula 1 chapter. The French Grand Prix disappeared from the calendar after 2008 and did not return until 2018 at Paul Ricard. Magny-Cours had hosted the event since 1991, but it often struggled for affection compared with more dramatic venues. Its final race was more efficient than romantic, which was quite on brand.
For 22 June, the 2008 French Grand Prix is stronger than a routine Massa win. It was a championship-lead moment, a Ferrari intra-team reversal, a Toyota podium and the final F1 race at a circuit that defined France’s grand prix presence for nearly two decades.
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