Felipe Massa refuses to give up fight for 2008 F1 title, releases SHOCKING claim saying ‘they robbed me for sure’

Felipe Massa’s bid for the 2008 World Championship has had a new development recently as he said 'they robbed him' during one of his interviews.

Felipe Massa refuses to give up fight for 2008 F1 title, releases SHOCKING claim saying ‘they robbed me for sure’

Felipe Massa (via imago)

Felipe Massa was recently interviewed by the Brazilian outlet Infobae, the former driver discussed his ongoing bid for the 2008 World Championship during the interview. The Former Ferrari driver had, with the help of his legal team, laid claim on the 2008 World Championship following an admission, by former FIA members about the ‘Crashgate’ controversy. Felipe Massa has been locked in a legal battle against the FIA and FOM ever since.

Massa talked about the ill-fated 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, the venue of the famous ‘Crashgate’ scandal. The race saw Fernando Alonso take his only win for the 2008 season while Felipe Massa, who was leading the Grand Prix by a huge margin was hampered by an unplanned pitstop under a safety car. It was later revealed that the crash that caused the safety car was set up by Renault – Alonso’s team to guarantee the Spaniard’s victory. The eventual results saw Felipe Massa incur a DNF while his Title rival Lewis Hamilton finished on the Podium and gained 6 points, which would make the difference in Massa losing the Championship at the last round.

YouTube video

Recently, Felipe Massa got vocal about the way he was denied his Championship in 2008 because of the Crashgate.

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They robbed me, for sure, It was a perfect championship, which ended by one point at Interlagos. But later we saw that there was a rigged race [in Singapore] and the result should have been canceled.
Felipe Massa said in an interview with Infobae.

The Bernie Ecclestone interview that shaped Felipe Massa’s title bid

The Crashgate Scandal, centered on the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, lingers as a dark episode in Formula 1’s annals. It featured Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr. as Renault teammates, with the team orchestrating a plan for Piquet to crash strategically, favoring Alonso’s chances for the race win. Felipe Massa, the race leader, bore the brunt of this scheme as he finished the race with zero points after a botched pitstop. This race ultimately decided the 2008 World Championship, with Hamilton defeating Massa by a single point.

Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone (via Twitter)

This is where the Bernie Ecclestone interview comes in. Ecclestone, Formula One’s CEO at the time, revealed in the interview that he, along with former FIA race director Charlie Whiting and then-FIA president Max Mosley, was aware of the scandal and Renault’s planned crash before the final race of the season. This means they had time to act against the scandal’s perpetrators. Massa’s bid relies on the basis of these Former members of the FIA and FOM being aware of the scandal and their inaction towards it. Massa has requested the current administration to overthrow the fabled Grand Prix’s results, which would put him on higher points than Hamilton, handing him the 2008 Title.

Earlier, Felipe Massa’s lawyer, Bernardo Viana, disclosed an extension of the Crashgate investigation deadline. Viana noted that the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) requested an extension for their internal inquiry, shifting the deadline from October 12 to November 15. That deadline is roughly a month away, and the way FIA and FOM react to Massa’s bid will surely set a precedent in the sport’s history.