Ex-Scuderia Ferrari driver Felipe Massa is convinced that his former Maranello teammate Fernando Alonso was aware of the ‘Crashgate’ incident that took place at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, ultimately handing the F1 title to Hamilton. Massa believes he has a chance to win the case.
In April of this year, Felipe Massa announced his intention to review the cancellation of the 2008 Singapore GP, which would grant him the world champion title for that year. The Brazilian driver alleges that both the FIA and FOM were aware before the end of that year that Nelsinho Piquet deliberately crashed to help his teammate Alonso win, and therefore, the result should have been invalidated.
Now, he has initiated the legal process to challenge the 2008 title, and Motorsport.com Brasil were able to exclusively interview him. In the interview, Felipe Massa suggested that Fernando Alonso knew everything and always avoided discussing it.
“I spoke with Alonso on several occasions when we were teammates, and naturally, Fernando always hinted that it wasn’t his fault, but he always changed the subject,” he said regarding their time together at Ferrari. “I never had a clear conversation, when a person accepts and talks about something, it’s when that person has clarity about the situation. When a person doesn’t want to talk in the right way, we know that maybe he knew everything. I’m sure he did.” – the Brazilian explained.
The FIA declared Alonso innocent and, as a result, he was not penalized. When the ‘Crashgate’ scandal was uncovered in 2009, Fernando Alonso had to speak to a seasoned commissioner who had extensive experience interrogating people, and he left convinced that the Spaniard was telling the truth.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
Nelsinho Piquet, the driver who crashed intentionally, is also Brazilian, but Felipe Massa says he has nothing to say to him, admitting they don’t have a good relationship. In fact, Massa reveals that three-time world champion Nelson Piquet didn’t want to confront him: “Well, I talked to Nelson Piquet Jr. after what happened, in 2009, and obviously we don’t have a great relationship. So anyway, everything he tried when he uncovered it is clear, everyone knew it. He crashed on purpose in a race that was manipulated for his teammate to win, so I won’t talk to him. Everything he did was clear. I tried to talk to his father, but his father didn’t want to talk to me.”
Felipe Massa insists he won’t stop until ‘justice for the sport’ is achieved, so he has chosen to assemble a large legal team with representatives from Brazil, England, the United States, and France. “I’m doing this for the sport, to prove that manipulation is not part of our sport,” he defends. “And what happened in that 2008 Singapore race is quite clear, so it should be annulled, but it wasn’t. So in the end, no one was punished.”
“And especially after the interview we heard from Bernie, another interview from Charlie Whiting, another from Max Mosley saying they knew in 2008 and decided not to do anything to avoid harming Formula 1. So in the end, this is unacceptable, and we won’t give up until the end for the integrity of the sport.”
Felipe Massa clarifies that he doesn’t want money: “I’m doing this for justice in sports. So anyone who tries to say it’s for money is completely wrong. In fact, for example, I’m spending a lot of money on the case now.”
Finally, the former Ferrari driver states that he’s more optimistic after the letter sent to the FIA and Formula 1: “I think when we fight for justice, for the sport, for something that happens in a situation that is unacceptable for the sport, for children, for the example of the sport, for the integrity of the sport… when you do that, exactly to prove and achieve justice, I am undoubtedly very optimistic, and as I said before, it’s important that everyone knows exactly what happened. It’s important that everyone understands 100% what happened in that race.”
“And it’s important that people understand that the outcome of the championship for that year was manipulated because of that race,” he concluded.
The title, considering the result of that race that proved fatal for Felipe Massa, ended up going to Lewis Hamilton.
Leave a Reply