2008 was an amazing year for Formula 1. Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton had an amazing battle on track. Ferrari and McLaren had a brilliant tussle themselves. Multiple teams and drivers won races, including a certain Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso. The drivers’ world championship went down to the last corner of the last lap, with the Brit winning. Recently, comments made by former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone have stirred an old pot once again.
Singapore 2008: Crashgate
Singapore 2008 was the first night race in Formula 1. Fernando Alonso won it after starting from 15th. He won it because he pitted just before his teammate crashed and brought out the safety car. Once the safety car ended, chaos ensued. In that chaos, Ferrari messed up the pitstop of Felipe Massa, causing him to lose the race.
While the crash did seem very convenient at the time, nothing really came of it. However, a year later, it was revealed that the crash was orchestrated by Renault team bosses. This kind of race fixing shocked the Formula 1 world, along with Ferrari and Felipe Massa. He had lost the title by just 1 point in 2008. This race being fixed meant that if it was discounted, Felipe Massa would be the world champion.
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Massa’s Grievance
However, none of that happened. Renault and the team bosses were reprimanded. But Alonso got to keep his win. The results stood. Felipe Massa last stood on the top step of the podium in that fateful race in 2008. This has definitely made things sourer because his accident in Hungary in 2009 changed him.
Bernie’s Comments and Felipe’s Lawsuit
Bernie Ecclestone, in March, reportedly said that he and FIA President Max Mosley knew about the entire scandal. They chose to do nothing about it to not tarnish the sport. This has revived this entire conversation. Formula 1 and FIA knowing about this scandal and letting it stand is definitely not right. But can the championship really be taken away from Lewis Hamilton?
Felipe Massa has sent a Letter Before Claim to Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem. It states how he is the rightful champion of 2008 and was cheated out of it because of a conspiracy involving Formula 1 and the FIA.
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He has also demanded compensation for the monetary losses suffered by him due to the loss of that title. Will the sport’s governing bodies relent? Will Felipe Massa and Ferrari get any recognition for it? Keep following us to find out.
