Felipe Massa chased the past

Renowned Brazilian Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa is considering challenging the results of the 2008 World Championship, following which he became vice-champion, losing just one point to championship winner Lewis Hamilton. Massa announced his intention after it became known that the management of the series knew that at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Renault boss Flavio Briatore ordered his racer Nelson Pique Jr. to deliberately crash into a wall to help partner Fernando Alonso. Briatore’s guilt was later proven. However, his actions cost Massa the victory at the Singapore stage and eventually the title.

In Formula 1, a scandal could flare up, in the center of which will be the events of 15 years ago, namely the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Felipe Massa, who took second place in the championship of that season (then he played for Ferrari), told Motorsport.com that he intends to consult with lawyers about appealing the results of both the Singapore stage and the entire championship. Massa believes that he was the victim of a conspiracy.

The aforementioned Singapore Grand Prix, indeed, turned out to be scandalous. On lap 16, Renault team number two Nelson Piqué Jr. crashed into the guardrail. And in such a place that it was impossible to avoid the appearance of a safety car on the track. Racers, taking advantage of the moment, rushed into the pits to change tires and refuel (then it was still allowed). Among them was Massa, who was in the lead from the very start. The Brazilian, however, was unlucky: the mechanics gave him a signal to leave too early, without having time to remove the filling hose, he jerked, broke the hose, stopped at the end of the pit lane, waited for the Ferarri staff to run up to him and disconnect the hose. As a result, Massa even dropped out of the points zone and earned nothing in Singapore. But the first number of Renault Fernando Alonso, who started from 15th place, after hanging yellow flags, was the first and won the race. All because, by a lucky coincidence, he drove into his pit stop a couple of laps before the Piquet accident. Later it turned out that all this was rigged. Nelson Piquet Jr., already in 2009, after he was fired from Renault (no other Formula 1 team signed contracts with him), said that crashing into a wall at a predetermined place to give Alonso an advantage, he was ordered by Renault boss Flavio Briatore and team chief engineer Pat Symonds. Pique, according to him, was afraid that they would not renew the contract with him, and therefore agreed. The conducted investigation confirmed the words of the rider. Briatore and Symonds were disqualified. Renault got off with a suspended sentence. Alonso was unharmed as there was no evidence that he knew of the conspiracy.

The loss of ten points in Singapore backfired on Philip Massa at the last stage of the season – in Brazil. He won it and even managed to be a virtual world champion for half a minute. After all, his rival in the fight for the title, Lewis Hamilton, who played for McLaren (in Singapore, he was third and received six points), went to the finish line in sixth, and he was satisfied with at least fifth place. But a couple of laps before the finish line, Timo Glock from Toyota, who did not switch to rain tires in time, lost speed, the Briton passed him and got the coveted fourth place, and with it the first title in his career (he has seven in total). He was only one point ahead of Massa.

Felipe Massa said that after the conspiracy was revealed, he appealed to the leadership of Ferrari with a request to protest the results of the championship. He also consulted with outside lawyers. “But then there was a rule that if the champion was officially awarded the cup, then it is impossible to cancel the decision. Even if it is later proven that theft took place, ”said Massa. However, now the Brazilian may have a chance to still achieve a review of the results of the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, and hence the entire championship. The fact is that the former owner of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, in an interview with F1 Insider admitted that both he and the president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Max Mosley knew what the Renault bosses had done during the 2008 season, but decided not to do anything to avoid scandal. He also noted that he had put in a lot of effort to convince Nelson Piquet Sr. (the three-time world champion had far more weight in the racing world than his son) not to make the incident public. “But if we adhered to the regulations, then the results of the Singapore race should have been cancelled. And then the champion would not be Hamilton, but Massa, ”added Bernie Ecclestone. This changes the situation, as it shows that the management of the series itself deliberately ignored its own rules. In such a situation, the reference to the fact that the regulations prohibit depriving the champion title looks strange.

“15 years have passed, and we will find out that both the former boss of the series and the head of the FIA ​​knew everything and did nothing. It is sad to realize that the results of the race should have been canceled, and I should have become a champion. It turns out that I lost the most in this story. So we will carefully study this case, ”said Felipe Massa. The Brazilian also noted that he is not seeking financial compensation. According to him, it is important for him to restore justice. “If you have become a victim of robbery, theft, then justice must prevail,” Massa believes. “b”). When it turned out that he was cheating, taking doping, he was stripped of all titles. In what way is his case different from mine?”

Alexander Petrov