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Brazilian driver Felipe Massa continues his authorized combat over the occasions that value him the 2008 System 1 World Championship, admitting that he struggled to deal with the emotional affect of listening to Bernie Ecclestone’s feedback in regards to the scenario. Nonetheless, he insists that pursuing the case in court docket is important for the integrity of the game and for the way forward for System 1.
Massa got here extraordinarily near profitable the 2008 F1 title however was denied the championship after Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock’s Toyota within the closing laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix, permitting the McLaren driver to narrowly surpass Massa in some of the dramatic finishes in System 1 historical past.
The scenario was additional difficult by the “Crashgate” scandal, when it was revealed that the Renault crew orchestrated a plan to safe a victory for Fernando Alonso on the Singapore Grand Prix, a race through which Massa suffered a big setback.
Throughout the Marina Bay race, Nelsinho Piquet intentionally crashed his automotive beneath orders from Renault crew principal Flavio Briatore, guaranteeing the protection automotive appeared on the supreme second to profit Fernando Alonso. Ferrari additionally made a vital mistake with Massa’s pit cease through the race, permitting Hamilton to achieve very important factors within the championship battle.
The controversy resurfaced not too long ago via Massa’s ongoing authorized motion, prompted by new revelations made in a 2023 interview with former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
Talking to F1-Insider, the British businessman criticized Hamilton, stating that he considers Michael Schumacher the one seven-time F1 world champion. This assertion reignited debates in regards to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, main Motorsport.com to acquire entry to an interview given by then-FIA president Max Mosley to the 2021 documentary “Mosley: It’s Sophisticated.”
Within the interview—of which no particular excerpt was broadly revealed—Mosley admitted that he, System 1 race director Charlie Whiting, and Bernie Ecclestone have been already conscious of the “Crashgate” plan earlier than the ultimate race of 2008 at Interlagos. Regardless of this data, none of them, together with Mosley, took motion, fearing the destructive affect it could have on System 1’s fame. The total extent of the scandal solely emerged through the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, because of journalist Reginaldo Leme.
Just lately, on the GE program “Na Ponta dos Dedos,” Felipe Massa supplied an replace on the 2008 case.
“Logically, there’s a very intense quantity of labor being executed by the crew of legal professionals concerned on this case. There can be 4 days of hearings in England on the finish of October. An amazing quantity of preparation goes into these proceedings,” Felipe Massa stated.
“It is vitally necessary to clarify to the decide intimately all the pieces that occurred surrounding the saddest scenario within the sport, which had nothing to do with honest competitors, associated to ‘Crashgate’ and all of the occasions that adopted.”
“It was a conspiracy that’s utterly unacceptable in motorsport, and sadly each I and our nation, Brazil, suffered the implications. Due to this fact, now we have groups of legal professionals working in a number of international locations. I might by no means have imagined going via all of this; this can be very tough, however justice should be pursued, and we should combat to realize it.”
“We face a really intense battle, however I consider that in the long run, justice should be served appropriately for the sake of the game. Not just for me personally, but additionally for instance for the long run, so that individuals perceive it’s potential to combat for what is correct and honest.”
“I felt very unhealthy when the scenario got here to mild as a result of we noticed the proprietor of the game acknowledge that there was certainly a scenario the place he didn’t contemplate Hamilton a seven-time champion, that the title was really mine, and that the Singapore Grand Prix ought to have been canceled, but nothing was executed to keep away from tarnishing System 1’s picture.”
“This reveals the extent of the conspiracy to intentionally forestall any motion from being taken. There have been a number of absurd conditions surrounding the whole affair. We found that even Nelson Piquet himself instructed Charlie Whiting at Interlagos in 2008, throughout my title combat, about what had occurred.”
“Charlie relayed it to Max, Bernie undoubtedly knew about it on the time, and no motion was taken, which in itself is a conspiracy, utterly unacceptable.”
“There have been different conditions as effectively. Nelson Piquet took authorized motion over what had occurred as a result of they dismissed each him and his son. Clearly, Nelsinho didn’t crash deliberately to disclaim me the championship, however acted serious about himself and his contract. Sadly, because of this, a Brazilian misplaced a world title.”
“Nelson is a three-time world champion. He understands what it means for him personally and for his nation to win a world championship and to contribute to motorsport growth in Brazil. But they disappeared from the scene and didn’t even contemplate being a part of it, not even serious about me.”
“If I have been in a scenario like his, having deserted all the pieces due to what occurred, I’d embrace him and be part of the combat of one other driver from the identical nation who went via such a tragic and unacceptable scenario, as a result of an incident that had nothing to do with honest competitors.”
“We skilled essentially the most tough interval for F1 in Brazil. After 2011, the ultimate yr of Rubens Barrichello, virtually the one Brazilian driver left in competitors was me, with solely temporary appearances from Bruno Senna and Felipe Nasr. It was the toughest interval till Gabriel Bortoleto arrived. This demonstrates how a lot a championship title represents and the way motorsport growth will depend on outcomes.”
“When Senna was profitable, in each class throughout Europe or the US, there was at all times a Brazilian driver on high.”
Aug 23, 2025
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