Former F1 Driver Felipe Massa Considers Legal Options for Reviewing Possible 2008 Championship Title

Felipe Massa, a former Formula 1 driver, has reportedly put together a legal team to investigate the possibility of challenging the outcome of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship. This comes after former Formula 1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone, revealed that he and the FIA had known about the ramifications of the infamous ‘Crashgate’ saga during the 2008 season, and that he had wanted to protect the sport’s reputation while the title battle was ongoing between Massa and Lewis Hamilton.

The ‘Crashgate’ saga refers to the Singapore Grand Prix from that season, when it emerged that Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr was told to crash from the lead of the race to benefit team-mate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race. An investigation eventually found Renault guilty of trying to bring the race into Alonso’s favor by making Piquet crash.

Ecclestone’s recent comments have given Massa grounds for a possible appeal, given how close he came to winning the championship that season. At the end of the season, Massa lost out to Hamilton by the smallest possible margin, with Hamilton’s pass on Timo Glock at the final corner at Interlagos giving him the point he needed to stay ahead of the Brazilian.

Speaking to Motorsport.com several weeks ago when presented with Ecclestone’s comments, Massa said he was looking into the options available. However, Massa acknowledged that there is a rule that says that when a championship is decided, from the moment the driver receives the champion’s trophy, things can no longer be changed, even if it has been proven a theft. At the time, Ferrari’s lawyers told him about this rule and the answer was that nothing could be done.

It remains to be seen whether Massa’s legal challenge will be successful, given the time that has passed since the 2008 season. Nonetheless, this development is sure to reignite interest in the ‘Crashgate’ saga and the championship battle between Massa and Hamilton.