Felipe Massa shoots THREAT at FIA for ignoring his legal notice over 2008 Championship claims
Felipe Massa's legal team has threatened to take the UK High Court action over his F1 Championship claims.
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Felipe Massa BRA, F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 23, 2022 in Imola, Italy. Photo by HOCH ZWEI Imola Italy *** Felipe Massa BRA , F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 23, 2022 in Imola, Italy Photo by HOCH ZWEI Imola Italy
The ‘Letter Before Claim’ which was sent by Felipe Massa’s esteemed panel of lawyers to the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Formule One Management CEO Stefano Domenicali earlier this month has been the centre of a lot of controversies. And some new shocking updates suggest Massa’s London-based legal team have threatened filing for the UK High Court to take some action if the FIA and FOM do not respond to his 2008 Formula 1 world title claims soon.
It all started at the 2008 Singapore GP when Nelson Piquet Jr had a planned crash. This, the yellow flag was called upon and it resulted in Massa eventually losing the lead to Fernando Alonso even though he was on the course to win. Eventually, Massa lost the Championship title to Hamilton by a single point at the final race of 2008. So, if he had won the botched Singapore GP, he would have been the F1 World Champion that year.
Massa has now push for legal remedy, seeking compensation for his missed F1 title. It was prompted by an interview with Bernie Ecclestone claiming that the matter was knowingly brushed under the carpet. Also, an archive chat with former F1 race director Charlie Whiting reveals that even he was aware about Nelson Piquet Jr’s deliberate Singapore GP crash. Now, Massa’s letters to the FIA and FOM state that, if a formal response is not made by next Friday (8 September), then it expects the matter to go to the UK High Court to force the answers required.
Crashgate–one of the darkest Formula One scandals in history
The Singapore GP was the 15th round of the season. Fernando Alonso had qualified only P15 while his teammate Nelson Piquet Junior was P16. In Lap 12, Alonso came in to refuel and came out bottom of the field. Shortly after in Lap 14, Piquet Jr. crashed into the wall after being told to do so by team leadership and caused a safety car.
The resulting Safety Car period shuffled the driver positions to the advantage of Fernando Alonso, who went on to win, while Felipe Massa endured a disastrous pit stop when he drove away with the fuel hose still attached. Alonso, the eventual designed winner said, “This is a historic race” after his victory.
It has recently become clear that high-ranked FIA and Formula One members were aware about Piquet Jr.’s crash being intentional in 2008, with enough time to investigate before the awards ceremony. Had the race results been thrown out (if the rest of the season played out as it did), Massa would have taken the crown which he lost to Hamilton. The scandal stands as one of the most famous misdoings in the sport, forever impacting Formula 1 history.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)