Felipe Massa is ready to take legal action against F1 which if successful would in effect wipe clean Lewis Hamilton’s first drivers’ championship in 2008.
Lawyers for former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa are ready to take legal action against Formula 1 and the FIA to claim damages arising from an alleged “conspiracy” that cost the Brazilian the world title in 2008.
Crashgate destroyed title hope for 2008
According to the Brazilian driver’s lawyers, Felipe Massa was the victim of a conspiracy in 2008 when he was leading the Singapore Grand Prix and his compatriot Nelson Piquet – who was driving for Renault – deliberately sent his car into a wall on lap 14. This incident prompted a safety car to enter the track and directly benefited Piquet’s team-mate, Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race.
Felipe Massa, for his part, failed to score after a botched pit stop, while at the end of the season, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton beat Felipe Massa by one point to the 2008 world championship.
A year later, Nelson Piquet revealed to the media that he had been asked internally to crash his car into a wall at the 2008 Singapore GP to favour his team-mate Fernando Alonso, triggering the infamous ‘crashgate’ scandal that led to former Renault boss Flavio Briatore being banned from the sport.
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F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone orchestrates legal action?
To make matters worse, former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has stated that he and former FIA president Max Mosley were aware at the time that Nelson Piquet had deliberately crashed in Singapore, but that they failed to act.
Recent revelations have revealed Bernie Ecclestone’s role as the enigmatic puppeteer who orchestrated a scheme to strip Lewis Hamilton of his 2008 Formula One World Championship title. Ecclestone’s shocking admission a few weeks ago reignited tensions over the infamous ‘Crashgate’ incident.
It has now emerged that Ecclestone himself was the architect of a plot to tarnish Hamilton’s legacy and take the title away from the seven-time champion.
As Ecclestone’s sinister plot comes to light, a series of events are replayed. Ecclestone’s orchestration of the ‘Crashgate’ controversy, kept in the shadows for years, is now being exposed. This revelation casts doubt on the legitimacy of Hamilton’s 2008 title and has sent shockwaves through the F1 community.
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Massa starts legal action
The ongoing legal battle to regain the title, led by Felipe Massa, has taken on new significance with Ecclestone’s involvement. Ecclestone’s claim that he covered up the affair to protect F1’s reputation adds another layer of complexity. The truth is now coming out, giving Massa a chance to reclaim what he feels was a stolen title.
Massa’s quest for justice has gained momentum, fuelled by the revelation of Ecclestone’s role. Ecclestone’s motivations, driven by his dislike of Hamilton and his desire to preserve Michael Schumacher’s record, add a convoluted dimension to the unfolding drama.
The revelation has sparked debates across social platforms and sharply divided F1 fans. While some see it as a desperate attempt to tarnish Hamilton’s legacy, others argue that justice must prevail and that Massa deserves to be recognised as the rightful champion if the 2008 championship is found to be tainted.
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Massa: Compensation sought for loss of title
Felipe Massa is therefore seeking compensation and has appointed lawyers in the UK, Brazil, the USA, Switzerland and France to ensure that justice is done.
“Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 drivers’ champion, and F1 and the FIA have deliberately ignored the mismanagement that deprived him of that title,” says the letter from a London law firm seen exclusively by Reuters news agency.
“Mr Massa is not in a position to fully quantify its losses at this stage, but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of euros. This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa”.
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The letter was addressed to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, former boss of the Ferrari team for which Massa drove in 2008, and to the Paris-based President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The lawyers also state that without a satisfactory response to his potential claims, Massa intends to “pursue legal action in order to obtain compensation for the damage he has suffered as well as recognition that, but for these illegal acts, he would have been awarded the 2008 championship.”
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Massa tried to leave the pit box with his fuel hose still attached. That’s what caused him to tumble down to last place. Argueably could have kept a podium finish if not for the mistake that HE was responsible for. As for losing the championship by one point. Well, if you’re going to indulge in pure conjecture and talk about what “might” have happened if Piquet Jnr hadn’t deliberately crashed his car. Then why not go so far as to say something else “might” have happened to change the result that year between Singapore GP and end of season?
The result was the result. Not saying it was what it should have been. Plenty of questionable decisions have been made in F1 (2021 Abu Dhabi anyone?) but Massa saying he would of won the championship based on that moment alone, a moment for which he shares some responsibility for, is ridiculous in my opinion.
It’s a pity Massa has stooped to this, losing all the respect he earned during the unfair years he endured while supporting Michael Schumacher as number two driver for Ferrari. What he stands to gain is nothing in the eyes of any fan he had. If he succeeds the results of all races before and after will be revisited to the delight of all lawyers and legislators, who have been trying to manipulate results forever.
Old news
F1 is a sport full of controversy, if Massa’s bid succeeds, then it will be necessary to investigate all the crashes and safety car incidents, starting with Abu Dhabi 2021 backwards, including those that benefited Massa himself!
Massa always was a immature whinger. 15 years ago!! Now he decides to take action. If anybody should start legal proceedings it’s Hamilton (I’m no fan of his btw) for having a championship stolen from him from then race director. Grow up Massa.