Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix that he is following Felipe Massa’s legal action against Formula 1 and the FIA, in the Brazilian’s attempt to become the 2008 World Champion.
The ex-Ferrari driver is taking legal action against F1 and the FIA following comments from ex-F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, who is quoted as having said that himself and former FIA president Max Mosley knew about ‘Crashgate’ when it happened.
‘Crashgate’ occurred at the 2008 Singapore GP and was the name given to Renault’s manipulation of the race, after they instructed Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash on purpose, to allow Fernando Alonso to win.
The incident wasn’t unveiled to the world until the following year, by at which point Massa was told that the results couldn’t be changed as the FIA prize giving ceremony had taken place.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
However, he has hired a team of lawyers to fight the case once again, following Ecclestone’s comments.
To put it simply, if the results from the 2008 Singapore GP weren’t included, then Massa would’ve beaten Lewis Hamilton to the title.
Given what happened to Hamilton at the 2021 season finale, Wolff is keeping an eye on Massa’s legal case, perhaps to see whether it’s worth fighting for the 2021 crown again.
Hamilton lost an unprecedented eighth Drivers’ Championship to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, following an error by former race director Michael Masi.
Masi broke two rules in the closing laps, something the FIA openly admitted was a ‘human error’.
However, because the FIA announced the results of their investigation into Masi’s handling of the race after the prize ceremony had taken place, Mercedes opted not to further fight the case.
READ: Ferrari boss speaks out on Max Verstappen
If Massa is successful 15 years later, then Mercedes might try to claim the 2021 Drivers’ Championship again.
“It is interesting to follow. It is not something that anybody saw coming because the rules are pretty clear in F1,” Wolff said in Singapore, as reported by the Daily Mail.
“But it will set a precedent — whatever it is — and we’re looking from the sidelines with curiosity.”