06 September 2023 , 15:12
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Felipe Massa is counting on his former Ferrari team to support his legal bid to be recognised as a Formula 1 champion.
The Brazilian is regarded as one of the best F1 drivers to never win the title. He came within a whisker of achieving that goal in 2008, only to be denied by Lewis Hamilton who overtook Timo Glock on the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix finale.
As much as that hurt Massa, who for a few seconds believed he had won the title, that is not the moment he is protesting. His legal challenge is in regard to the 'Crashgate' scandal, which emerged the following year after Nelson Piquet Jr alleged his Renault team had told him to crash on purpose at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Earlier this year, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said in an interview that he and then-FIA chief Max Mosley knew about Crashgate in 2008, but did not act. His words alerted Massa, who quickly sought legal advice, believing that bosses' inaction over the matter denied him the championship.
A legal letter was sent to both F1 and the FIA by Massa's lawyers, who are reportedly seeking substantial damages for their client. And, judging by the Brazilian's latest comments to Italian broadcaster TG1, he also hopes to take that title from Hamilton.
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"I have one certainty – that title is mine and it is Ferrari's 16th drivers' title," he said. "I have hired a team of very strong lawyers. We will fight to the end to obtain justice in this sport. I don't understand why a case of manipulation cannot be verified in the way right, even if a year, two years or 15 years later."
He went on to call for Ferrari's public backing in the matter, adding: "At this moment I have not yet had the support of Ferrari, but I expect help from them. I am optimistic – I will fight for the justice until the end."
The eight-page letter sent to F1 and the FIA claimed Massa was "the victim of a conspiracy committed by individuals at the highest level of F1 together with the FIA and Formula One Management". It also alleged that the Brazilian lost out on significant financial gains.
It read: "Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 drivers' champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title. Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros. This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa."