It has been reported by Motorsport.com that Felipe Massa’s investigation into the 2008 World Champion has intensified, with the Brazilian attempting to have the results from the Singapore Grand Prix that year cancelled.
It was at the 2008 Singapore GP where the infamous ‘Crashgate’ incident occurred, where Nelson Piquet Jr. purposefully crashed to ensure that Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso would win the race.
‘Crashgate’ wasn’t actually revealed to the world until the following year, with Massa having urged the spot to cancel the results, something which would’ve seen him declared World Champion rather than Lewis Hamilton.
Massa was informed, though, that the results couldn’t be cancelled; however, recent comments by former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has resulted in the former Ferrari driver bringing together a group of lawyers.
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Ecclestone recently revealed that himself and former FIA president Max Mosley were aware of ‘Crashgate’ well before it was publicly announced, with the former F1 supremo having kept it a secret to “protect the sport”.
Ecclestone kept it a secret as he knew it’d have a damaging effect on the 2008 championship and ultimately, the outcome of it.
Following Ecclestone’s comments, Massa is now considering taking legal action, with a team of lawyers currently investigating the case.
As well as this, Massa is no longer going to comment publicly about the case, whilst Piquet has since revealed that he was “treated like a dog” by Renault in 2008.
Should the results from the 2008 Singapore GP be cancelled, then Hamilton would lose his third-place finish from the race, whilst Massa’s point tally would be unaffected as he finished outside of the points.
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Massa actually suffered from a shocking pit-stop when the Safety Car was summoned so that Piquet’s crash could be cleared, highlighting the impact the incident had on the Brazilian’s race.
Hamilton would return to being a six-time World Champion if Massa’s case is successful, meaning Massa’s 2006 team-mate Michael Schumacher would return to being the only seven-time World Champion in F1.
How far Massa will take the case remains to be seen, with a potential court case depending on how strong an argument his lawyers can make during their current investigation.