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A small point separated Felipe Massa (41, 269 GP starts, 11 wins) from the world title at the end of the 2008 season. Lewis Hamilton (38, 313 GP starts, 103 wins) took his first of seven world championships. Now the question arises whether he should give it back.
The reason for this are recent statements by ex-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone (92). They prompted Massa to consider legal action regarding the title decision back then.
The Singapore Crashgate Affair
The duel between Massa and Hamilton came to a climax in that season. The preliminary decision came in the fourth last race in Singapore.
The scandal was caused by the Renault team: to help Fernando Alonso (41,359 GP starts, 32 wins) to victory, his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. triggered a safety car phase with a crash. While Alonso took advantage of this and won the race ahead of Hamilton, Felipe Massa was at a big disadvantage. The Brazilian even fell out of the points due to a pit stop problem and was given a mortgage that he was unable to catch up afterwards.
The scandal surrounding Renault was not brought out by Piquet himself until a year later. While the Formula 1 team was suspended for two years, among other things, the race in Singapore remained valid.
Why Massa is contesting Hamilton’s title 15 years later
In an interview with “F1-Insider”, 92-year-old Ecclestone reveals how “Crashgate” was covered up at the time. The FIA could have taken action before the end of the season to annul the result of the Singapore Grand Prix. But Ecclestone wanted to “protect and save the sport from a major scandal”. Therefore, he convinced Piquet “with angelic tongues” to keep calm for now.
This is crucial as an FIA rule states that the World Cup standings are untouchable after the awards ceremony at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Ecclestone admits mistakes, saying he “still feels sorry for Massa today”.
No wonder then that the now 41-year-old Brazilian wants to consider legal action after these revelations. He explains his stance to motorsports.com: “I think when you’re being punished for something that’s not your fault, the result of theft, a stolen race, you need justice.”
But even Massa is aware that his chances of subsequently being named 2008 world champion are probably slim due to the legal situation. He still wants to try. (dti)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
