As Felipe Massa continues his legal challenge against the outcome of the 2008 World Championship, he claims title winner Lewis Hamilton is not a factor.
Massa’s representatives have filed a lawsuit against Formula 1, governing body the FIA and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone regarding the F1 2008 World title which is centred on the events of that year’s Singapore Grand Prix ‘Crashgate’ scandal.
Felipe Massa lawsuit not focused on Lewis Hamilton
Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to crash deliberately and bring out the Safety Car, which helped team-mate Fernando Alonso to score the win, Massa having been leading until pitting under that Safety Car and suffering a critical refuelling error as he drove off with the fuel hose, ultimately finishing P13.
It later emerged in a 2023 interview that – as per Ecclestone – he, then-FIA president Max Mosley and race director Charlie Whiting knew of this ‘Crashgate’ scandal already in 2008, but kept it on the hush, but the former F1 supremo subsequently rowed back on those comments, telling Reuters: “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest. I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.”
As for Massa, when aked by the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com whether he has ever spoken to Hamilton about this controversy, the former Ferrari driver simply replied: “No.”
Hamilton went on to clinch the title by a single point over Massa after a dramatic final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s late overtake on Toyota’s Timo Glock bringing the Massa camp celebrations to an abrupt end.
However, as Massa seeks expulsion from the Formula 1 record books for the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, he made it clear that Hamilton does not play a part in all of this.
“To be honest, this is not a fight with Lewis,” said Massa. “Lewis has nothing to do with this fight at all.
“The fight is about what happened in the race, which was not good for the sport. The fight is that this race should be scrapped. That is the fight.”
2008 marked the first of a record-equalling seven World Championship triumphs for Hamilton, but Massa strives for recognition as a champion in his own right.
“We are definitely fighting something that was not fair, for what happened,” he said. “What I absolutely strive for is to be recognised. To be recognised as a champion because I deserve that.
“It was not fair what happened to me because of something that happened during the race and is not part of the sport. That’s why I’m fighting, and I’m definitely fighting to the end.”
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Speaking earlier this year to RN365, Massa stated his belief that there is “every possibility” he wins this case.
“It’s something that we will fight until the end, and this is the only thing I can say, it does not depend on me anymore,” he said.
“It depends on the lawyers. We have a very, very good group of people, professional people working on that.
“I really believe that we have a bigger case and every possibility to win the case.
“But to be honest, it’s not on me anymore.
“The only thing I can say is that we are fighting for the justice, because it was not fair what happened to me.”
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