My answer to Deadspin's alt-history sports question

"Wheelerguy" (wheelerguy)
06/03/2016 at 16:30 • Filed to: Alternate History, F1, Formula One, F1 2008, Felipe Massa

If you don’t tune in to Deadspin everyday, here it is below.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I’d change the 2008 F1 race at Interlagos so that Felipe Massa is the World Drivers’ Champion. How? Get me a time machine and Honda overalls.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23ldre_…

Also an effective game-changer will be the race at Singapore the same year. Had Ferrari not bungled that stop, Massa would not have gotten to a precarious situation coming into Interlagos in the first place.

DISCUSSION (19)

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 10:35

Good one, but depending on the rules, I’d go back a little further, to may 1st, 1994, and change that coutcome.

crowmolly > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 10:39

1980 Olympia.

Clemsie McKenzie > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 10:39

Oh man, as a Ferrari fan, that race was just heartbraking. Massa being so likeable doesn’t help, either.

jariten1781 > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 10:43

Oh man, I wouldn't change that even though I was rooting for Massa. Was so intriguing and exciting with such a range of emotions packaged in a few short minutes.

EL_ULY > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 10:46

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wheelerguy > crowmolly
06/03/2016 at 10:51

What about it?

crowmolly > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 10:55

Here’s what I posted on Deadspin:

Late to the party, and few people probably care, but I’d throw the 1980 Mr. Olympia in there.

I’m a big fan of Arnold’s BB career and accomplishments but the ‘80 is a tough one to defend.

He signed up way past the deadline, surprised everybody with his entry into the competition, broke the rules during the posing and basically pissed off everybody else. His win is viewed as a token victory or a fix by many people.

Chris Dickerson (runner up) was vocal about his surprise loss, Frank Zane smashed his trophy and Mike Mentzer quit competing entirely (he had won the heavyweight class the year before and was a favorite). CBS recorded it for broadcast but it was scrapped, and there hasn’t been a recording of it for regular broadcast since.

In my opinion the 1980 Mr O results did a lot of damage- both to the competitors and to the event (as it was trying to go mainstream). There was a boycott by some of the top competitors in 1981. Dickerson should have won.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 11:00

The Titans need not be one used short.

bryan40oop > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 11:17

How dare you take Mr. Raikkonens trophy. Foreshame.

Wheelerguy > bryan40oop
06/03/2016 at 11:25

No, this is 2008. Besides, Massa deserved it more.

McMike > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 11:39

Right in the feels.

Kinja'd!!!

Wheelerguy > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
06/03/2016 at 12:06

I put off replying to you because this is the biggest what-if in F1. Certainly it would have kept Imola the way it used to be, and Ayrton would have adapted to the more complicated cars, or headed straight back to McLaren come next season.

But the biggest ripple would have been felt in 1995. I once asked the question about what if Senna didn’t die, and a response said that ‘95 would have been an epic season with both Schumi and Ayrton competing.

Hot Takes Salesman > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 13:09

And if Ferrari’s rise continued the way it did, Ayrton may have A. Driven a Ferrari or B. Driven a Mclaren and had some awesome battles

Wheelerguy > Hot Takes Salesman
06/03/2016 at 13:12

Wow. A world where Ayrton drove for Ferrari. How awesome/strange would that be?

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 13:40

One way this could be done was if he or Schumacher took the 1993 title, instead of Prost, hopefully delaying Prost’s retirement and Senna’s move to Williams for a year and maybe avoiding the accident altogether. Schumacher or Prost would probably have taken the title in 94 anyways because the McLaren Peugeot was crap. Prost retires after his fourth title, with Senna moving to Williams in 95, likely winning the title in 96 and 97, when Williams was the dominant force. After that, it’s possible Senna would retire the following year, stay with Williams or go back to McLaren, or end his career in Ferrari as he had originally planned. Right at the start of the Ferrari era.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
06/03/2016 at 13:42

The feels. This painting hit me right in it.

Kinja'd!!!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
06/03/2016 at 13:44

Yeah, one of my favorite F1 images. What could've been...

Wheelerguy > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
06/03/2016 at 13:56

And fighting Hakkinen, too. Also Coulthard. ESPECIALLY COULTHARD. No, I meant Jaques Villeneuve. Jeez, thanks, Kinja.

Hot Takes Salesman > Wheelerguy
06/03/2016 at 17:12

I say that’d be so fuckin awesome