Felipe Massa’s attempt to challenge Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 world championship title victory has drawn attention from Ferrari.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has provided a fresh perspective on his team’s view on Felipe Massa’s case against F1 and the FIA.
Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit against the two sporting bodies after fresh details on the 2008 “Crashgate” controversy emerged.
The incident known as “Crashgate” happened at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix when Nelson Piquet Jr. with Renault F1 intentionally crashed his car in order to assist Fernando Alonso. As a result of Alonso’s victory in this Grand Prix, Massa lost out on crucial championship points in his struggle to defeat Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton who was racing for McLaren at the time, won his maiden title by just one point in the 2008 season.
Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone recently made comments that suggest he and Max Mosely were aware of Renault’s nefarious intentions. However, to avoid a scandal, they opted to wait until 2009 to launch an investigation.
More than fifteen years after the Crashgate scandal, Massa is claiming financial compensation from the FIA and F1. In his Letter Before Claim (LBC) to the courts, Massa’s legal team outlined the following:
“F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title,” the ‘letter before claim’ read.
“Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros.
“This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa.”
It is quite improbable that Lewis Hamilton will lose his 2008 championship. This is because, once the victorious driver receives the trophy, the result is set permanently and cannot be overturned, according to FIA rules and regulations.
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur commented on the issue saying: “I don’t want to make any comment on this matter.
“I have a good relationship with all parties involved… It is a complex affair, the circumstances are quite exceptional.
“I can say that personally, I am not a big fan of revisions, even if it is a matter of changing the results 15 minutes after the race.”
Vasseur is preoccupied with other crucial issues as he hopes to conclude contract talks with both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
