Lewis Hamilton breaks silence on Felipe Massa’s multi-million law suit over crashgate

Felipe Massa lost the 2008 world title by a point to Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton breaks silence on Felipe Massa’s multi-million law suit over crashgate

Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. (Image via Imago)

Ex-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa is taking legal action against F1 authorities and the FIA, to compensate for loss of income. He asserts that the ‘crash-gate’ controversy, in which Renault manipulated the Singapore Grand Prix, led to his 2008 Championship loss to Lewis Hamilton. With the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton, a seven-time title holder, has refused to engage on this topic.

Lewis Hamilton mentioned that he possesses a rather poor memory, leading to a limited recollection of past events. During an interaction with reporters in Zandvoort, he conveyed that his primary concentration revolved around the current situation. He clarified that his attention is not directed towards instances from 15 years ago. He opted to aid his team’s rise in the competition and the ongoing race.

“I’m really just focused on here and now. [I’m] helping a team get back in the championship race and am not really focused on what happened 15 years ago,” Lewis Hamilton stated according to Racing365.

Also read: Frederic Vasseur breaks silence on Felipe Massa-Lewis Hamilton dispute over 2008 F1 World Championship

Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.
Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. (Image credit: Essentially Sports)

The ‘Crashgate’ incident took place during the 2008 Singapore GP, involving Renault F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally crashing his car to assist teammate Fernando Alonso. This strategy allowed Alonso to secure victory in the Grand Prix, depriving Massa of crucial points in his championship challenge against Lewis Hamilton. Consequently, the British driver managed to clinch his first championship in 2008 by a mere single point.

Recent statements attributed to Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 CEO, indicate that both he and Max Mosley were aware of Renault’s deliberate intentions. However, they chose to delay initiating an investigation until 2009 to prevent a scandal. Massa’s legal team highlighted in his Letter Before Claim (LBC) to the courts that, in essence, Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver’s Champion. They assert that F1 and the FIA purposefully overlooked the misconduct that cost Massa the championship title.

Massa is currently seeking financial compensation from both the FIA and F1, a decade and a half after the occurrence of Crashgate. Nonetheless, the probability of Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship being revoked remains exceedingly low.

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