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mass tells lawsuit 2008 title hamilton for sport not money

Massa speaks out on 2008 title lawsuit: 'I do this because of the sport'

30 August 2023 at 15:54
Last update 30 August 2023 at 18:14
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  • GPblog.com

It was announced in August that Felipe Massa has taken the first legal steps in a lawsuit for the 2008 F1 world title. The Brazilian has been taking action since Bernie Ecclestone, then F1 boss, pronounced he knew about 'crashgate' back in 2008 and is demanding huge damages. Massa says he is not doing it for the money, but for Formula 1 as a sport.

What is 'crashgate'?

'Crashgate' is a scandal that took place during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Nelson Piquet jr. deliberately crashed in the race so that teammate Fernando Alonso could win the race. Piquet jr. admitted in 2009 that this crash was no accident. Massa was leading the race before the crash. Earlier this year, Ecclestone said he knew about the scandal back in 2008 and that is the reason for Massa's action.

Massa: 'For the sport, not the money'

In August, it was revealed that the former Ferrari driver is "only" demanding compensation, earlier it seemed Massa wanted to dethrone Lewis Hamilton as 2008 champion. "I'm not doing this for the money, I'm doing it for the justice of the sport," the Brazilian told Motorsport.com. Massa finds it unacceptable that the FIA took no action in 2008, despite the fact that Ecclestone and Charlie Whiting, among others, already knew about the intentionality.

Massa not talking to Piquet (jr.)

So Piquet Jr. decided to deliberately drive into the wall on the streets of Singapore and Massa says he does not want to talk to his compatriot. The father Piquet, three-time F1 world champion, will not be spoken to either; Piquet did not want that. "It should be clear what he did, he crashed deliberately. With this, he manipulated the race and his teammate won," Massa said.