Formula 1 News: Massa not suing to strip Hamilton of his illegitimate 2008 F1 title (2nd Update)

Ahead of the legal proceedings, Felipe Massa spoke to The Times of London about his unwavering resolve to hold Formula 1 accountable for the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix controversy.

“Accountability is crucial to prevent future fraud,” he stated. “Those responsible for safeguarding the sport breached their duties and cannot profit from hiding their misconduct. Such behavior is unacceptable, especially in a sport watched by millions, including children. We will fight to the end for a just outcome—for me, for Brazilian motorsport, and for the sport itself.”

The case revolves around the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed under team orders. Massa, then leading for Ferrari, was disadvantaged when Piquet’s crash—staged at a track section without cranes to ensure a safety car—allowed teammate Fernando Alonso, who had just pitted, to win the race. Massa finished outside the points and lost the 2008 Drivers’ Championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point.

Suspicions of foul play surfaced immediately, but the FIA only investigated in 2009 after Piquet Jr. exposed the scheme, deeming it too late to change the results. Massa’s legal challenge gained traction following a 2023 F1 Insider interview with former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. Ecclestone revealed that he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew the crash was intentional shortly after the race but chose not to act to avoid a “huge scandal.” He admitted that, under the rules, the race likely would have been annulled, erasing its impact on the championship standings and potentially crowning Massa the 2008 champion instead of Hamilton.

Ecclestone has since distanced himself from those remarks, saying he does not remember the interview with F1 Insider.

Should Massa win the court case, not only could he receive a large payout in damages, Lewis Hamilton could theoretically be stripped of one of his 7 F1 driving titles, which we now know was illegitimate.

(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has downplayed suggestions that Formula 1’s authorities deliberately buried the truth of the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ scandal, just weeks before Felipe Massa’s lawsuit reaches a London court.

The former F1 supremo, who turns 95 on the opening day of the October 28 hearings, told The Times there was never a mechanism for canceling the controversial Singapore GP that year – despite Massa’s claims the race should have been annulled.

“There is no way in the world anyone could change or cancel that race,” Ecclestone said. “There were no provisions for that to happen.

“Max (Mosley) knew there was not enough evidence at the time to do anything.”

He insisted the late FIA president had not sought a cover-up. “Max was not saying we should cover this up but just that it was not good for the image of Formula 1,” Ecclestone added.

Massa, the Brazilian ex-Ferrari driver, who narrowly lost the 2008 title to Lewis Hamilton, argues the Renault team’s deliberate crash should have voided the race – a stance bolstered last year when Ecclestone was quoted in Germany saying Hamilton “shouldn’t have” been champion.

But the Briton now says that comment has been misused.

“This was an interview I gave to someone in Germany. The guy at the time, his English wasn’t that good and he was taking notes. It was picked up by someone in England,” Ecclestone explained.

“I didn’t even remember the bloody interview until the lawyers submitted it. The lawyers for myself, the FIA and F1 do not understand how it can be heard in a court.”

Massa, 44, continues to call the affair a “conspiracy” that harmed both himself and Brazil, framing his legal action as a moral fight for justice and a precedent for the future.

He is claiming $82 million in damages.

(GMM) Felipe Massa (pictured) has revealed new details about his ongoing legal battle over the 2008 “Crashgate” scandal, describing it as a fight for justice that goes beyond sport.

The former Ferrari driver spoke on Brazilian podcast Na Ponta dos Dedos, confirming that four days of hearings are scheduled in London at the end of October.

“Obviously, it’s an intense effort by the entire team of lawyers involved in this process,” Massa said. “There’s a lot of work behind this hearing. It’s very important, as an explanation to the judge, to explain that everything that happened isn’t part of sports.”

He called the affair a “conspiracy” that harmed both him and Brazil.

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“That’s not acceptable in sports, and unfortunately, my country and I paid the lion’s share,” Massa, 44, insisted. “I never imagined I’d go through this. It’s not easy, it’s very difficult, but justice must be done, and we have to fight for justice.”

Massa also frames his legal pursuit as a moral obligation and precedent for the future.

“Not only for myself, but as an example for the future, so that people know that it is possible to fight for what is fair, for what is right,” he explained.

He pointed to Bernie Ecclestone’s past comments that the 2008 Singapore GP should have been cancelled and that Hamilton’s first title should not have stood.

And Massa said he believes Nelson Piquet jr told the FIA about the conspiracy as early as Interlagos ’08.

“Nelson Piquet (senior) is a three-time world champion,” he charged. “He knows what a title means to him and his country, to the development of motorsport in his country, and they disappeared.

“If I were him, I would embrace the cause and join the fight of another driver, from the same country, who suffered a very sad and unacceptable situation.”

Massa also tied the saga to the decline of Brazilian drivers in F1. “After that there was only me racing after 2011, after that, we only had a few drivers. This shows what the title would represent and how the development of motorsport depends on the results achieved by the country’s drivers.”