Back in 2009, Felipe Massa lost his title to Lewis Hamilton who went on to win his first Formula One World Championship. In the last race of the season, the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis overtook Timo Glock for fifth position in the final corners of the last lap to become the champion by one point.
Lewis Hamilton’s sights are set on his much-anticipated 8th title as the past threatens to catch up to him. Felipe Massa has taken legal action in an effort to reclaim the 2008 F1 championship, which he claims is his due. Nevertheless, remarks made recently by Bernie Ecclestone could be detrimental to his suit.
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone denies Felipe Massa interview that sparked ‘Crashgate’ scandal
The Crashgate scandal was a Formula One controversy in which Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed his car during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to give a sporting advantage to his Renault teammate, Fernando Alonso. This resulted in Felipe Massa losing the lead of the race and dropping points that would have seen him beat Lewis Hamilton to that year’s championship.
And now, Massa is seeking compensation from Formula One and the FIA for the scandal, alleging that he was the victim of a conspiracy and that he lost out on millions of euros in prize money and sponsorships.
Massa’s team issued a legal notice to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem on August 15th to begin the process of seeking compensation for the injuries he sustained as a result of the supposed ‘plot’ that prevented him from winning the championship. As reported by Reuters, Massa claims to be “the victim of a conspiracy committed by individuals at the highest level of F1 together with the FIA and Formula One Management.”
The letter simply stated, “Simply put, Mr. Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver’s Champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title.”
While the truth behind the events of the 2008 Singapore GP came to light only in the following season, an interview given by Bernie Ecclestone this year triggered Massa into taking action.
In an interview with F1-insider, Ecclestone expressed how sorry he was that Massa lost out on his championship. “He was cheated out of the title he deserved, while Hamilton had all the luck in the world and won his first championship.” But it didn’t stop there, as Ecclestone also explained what happened behind the curtains of the Crashgate controversy.
But Now Ecclestone has denied all of it and said: “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest.” Ecclestone further stated, “I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.”
F1 fans brutally troll Felipe Massa for criticizing Lewis Hamilton over 2008 World Championship loss
Formula 1 fans were already not happy with the bizarre lawsuit, and now, with Ecclestone denying the claim, it just feels like the last nail to lawsuit and crashgate. F1 fans on Twitter have started to make a mockery of Felipe Massa and Bernie Ecclestone for trying to blame Lewis Hamilton. One fan even said that “Masaa is classless”
The fans are sure that this lawsuit is going nowhere, and rightly so, as the only witness Bernie Ecclestone, has become hostile.
Massa is classless.
— Trish (@xdna44) August 17, 2023
What do you think about the lawsuit? And do let us know if you think Massa was deserving of the 2008 World Driver Championship title in the comments section down below.
