F1: ‘Crashgate’ legal action not against Hamilton – Massa (Update)

Felipe Massa insists that 2008 Renault F1 driver Fernando Alonso was well aware of the Renault crash-gate plan and execution.

“I spoke to Alonso on a few occasions, when we were teammates [at Ferrari],” Massa told Motorsport.com’s Brazilian language sister website.

“Logically, Fernando always insinuated that it wasn’t his fault, but he always changed the subject.

“I never had a clear conversation, when a person accepts and talks is when that person is clear about things.

“When the person doesn’t want to talk in the right way, we know that maybe he knew everything. I’m sure he knew it.”

Massa said the incident has ruined his relationship with fellow countryman Piquet Jr, as well as his three-time world championship-winning father.

“Well, with Nelson Piquet Jr., I spoke after what happened in 2009, and obviously, we don’t have a great relationship,” he added.

“So anyway, everything he tried to do when he uncovered it is clear, everybody knew about it. He crashed on purpose in a race that was manipulated for his teammate to win, so I’m not going to talk to him.

“Everything he did was clear. I tried to talk to his father [three-time F1 World Champion Nelson Piquet], but his father didn’t want to talk to me.”

“It’s pretty clear that we are going to finish just when we have a result that we believe is correct for the justice of the sport,” he said.

“That’s why we decided to get together a very big and important legal team. I’m doing that for the sport, I’m doing that to show that manipulation is not part of our sport.

“I’m not doing that for money, I’m doing that for the justice of the sport. So, whatever people trying to write about the money is completely wrong.

“Compensation definitely exists. For example, now I’m spending a lot of money on that case but definitely I’m not doing that [for the money].”

(GMM) Felipe Massa says he has “nothing against” Lewis Hamilton even though he wants the 2008 world championship to be taken away from his former F1 rival.

At Zandvoort, Hamilton was asked about the news that former Ferrari driver Massa’s lawyers have written to Formula 1 authorities warning of legal action over the ‘crashgate’ scandal.

“I have a really bad memory, so I don’t really remember a lot, to be honest,” Hamilton said ahead of the Dutch GP.

“I’m not really focused on what happened 15 years ago.”

Because Bernie Ecclestone admitted that F1 knew about Nelson Piquet’s deliberate crash at Singapore in 2008, Massa says he should retrospectively be given that year’s title as well as damages.

“I had the title in my hands,” Massa, now 42, told Globo Esporte.

“That title was ours. And it was taken from us due to manipulation. Without a double, it is something very serious for the sport, for justice, in a sport that we always think is clean, but it wasn’t.

“I have nothing against Hamilton. The fight is about a rigged race. Someone paid for the price for it and it was me.”

Brazilian Massa says he was ultimately punished more than even the people most directly responsible for the ‘crashgate’ scandal.

“In the end nobody was punished for what happened,” he said.

“They were banned, but after two years Pat Symonds came back, and Briatore, who was going to be banned for life, came back as well. Nothing happened to the team.

“I feel like the champion,” said Massa. “And I think all the Brazilians suffered in that last race of the year. I certainly feel like the true champion.”