Ex-Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa believes what happened at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix is “revolting”, with the Brazilian continuing to fight for the results of the race to be cancelled.
Massa is currently taking legal action against F1 and the FIA for covering up ‘Crashgate’, which refers to the incident which occurred at the Marina Bay Circuit 15 years ago.
At the 2008 Singapore GP, Renault instructed Nelson Piquet Jr to crash on purpose, to increase Fernando Alonso’s chances of winning.
Massa was leading at the time of the incident and decided to pit under the Safety Car, something which ruined his race as the refuelling hose hadn’t been removed.
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Under the impression that it had, he exited the pits, before coming to a stop at the end of the pit-lane.
He finished outside the points as a result, effectively costing him the 2008 Drivers’ Championship to Lewis Hamilton.
It wasn’t until a year later that the incident was announced to the world; however, ex-F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone revealed this year that himself and former FIA president Max Mosley knew about Renault’s cheating when it happened.
Ecclestone opted to say nothing back in 2008 to “protect the sport”, with Massa now calling for the results of the race to be cancelled.
“Renault’s team leader, Flavio Briatore, orchestrated a deliberate crash of Nelson Piquet Jr to benefit their other driver, Fernando Alonso,” Massa recalled in The Players’ Tribune,
“With the fake accident, the yellow light came on, the safety car entered the track, and I, who had taken the pole and was leading the race at the time, went to the pits.
“I received the OK to return to the track before the refuelling hose had been removed. I ended up losing a lot of positions and finished the race without scoring.”
He added: “We found it all very strange at the time.
“But we actually learned the truth about the manipulation a year later, and early this year, Bernie Ecclestone, who was the head of F1 in 2008, confessed in an interview that he knew everything and did nothing because he wanted to ‘protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal’.”
Given that Ecclestone acknowledged that he knew about ‘Crashgate’ when it happened, Massa is certain that the result should be “annulled”.
The Brazilian has a “tremendous feeling of injustice” and believes what was done by F1 and the FIA is ‘revolting”, which is why he’s pushing for the result of the 2008 Singapore GP to be cancelled, making him World Champion.
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“Being defeated fraudulently is revolting. And sweeping the dirt under the rug is vile,” Massa continued.
“The world of sport needs an answer and deserves reparation. For my part, I can say that I still live with a tremendous feeling of injustice.”
Massa added: “The only question I must ask, and that my lawyers are asking right now, is: if the Singapore GP was manipulated, shouldn’t it be annulled?”