Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has declared that he will "fight to the end" to be recognized as the 2008 Formula One world champion instead of Lewis Hamilton. Massa has taken legal action against Formula One and the FIA, alleging a "conspiracy" that cost him the title.
In an interview with Brazilian website GE, Massa emphasized that his pursuit is about more than financial compensation. He stated, "I'm here to make it clear things didn't happen fairly."
During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Massa was leading the race when Nelson Piquet Jr., another Brazilian driver, deliberately crashed his Renault into the wall. This crash triggered a safety car period that ultimately benefited Massa's teammate, Fernando Alonso, allowing him to win the race. Due to a bungled pit stop, Massa failed to score any points in that race. Hamilton, driving for McLaren at the time, won the championship by a single point.
Massa's legal action has been prompted by statements made by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who claimed that he and former FIA president Max Mosley were aware of the deliberate crash but didn't intervene. Massa aims to seek justice for what he perceives as a manipulated outcome of the championship. He stated, "That world title was ours, and it was taken away by manipulation."
Piquet had admitted in 2009 that he was instructed by Renault team bosses to crash deliberately, leading to their subsequent ban.
Massa's objective is to have the 2008 championship outcome revisited, despite the rule at that time that prohibited changes to the championship results after the awards ceremony. He is not seeking to undermine Hamilton's achievements but rather to address what he believes was a race that was unfairly influenced.
In response to Massa's intentions, Hamilton indicated that he is concentrating on his current championship battle with Mercedes and is not focused on events from 15 years ago.