Brazilian Felipe Massa, a former great driver, believes he has been robbed of the F1 championship. He will challenge the result in a British court.
But the title he claims dates from 2008, which poses a problem.
That year, Massa lost the championship by a single point. A scandal concerning a deliberate accident during the race, then revelations over time, encouraged him to claim the title.
The years have not dulled his determination. “I really believe that we will demonstrate in court that what happened was wrong, I have confidence,” he told The Associated Press last month. “I am the champion and I feel it. »
But in F1, the idea of re-examining such an old matter causes discomfort. “If everyone were to reopen these situations, there would be chaos in our sport,” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told the media last weekend.
F1 received a damages claim signed by Massa’s lawyers in August, but has so far refused to comment on the allegations. She did not respond to an interview request Wednesday.
The disputed race dates back to September 2008 in Singapore. Massa was in the lead until an “accident” by Nelson Piquet Jr. Officials then brought out the safety car to slow the race, giving Fernando Alonso a huge advantage. He started the race in 15th place, but at the time of the accident, Alonso was the only one who had already made a pit stop, allowing him to take the lead during the other cars’ pit stops. He won the race.
Piquet, the author of the accident, was Alonso’s teammate at Renault, which immediately created doubt as to whether the accident was intentional. A year later, Piquet admitted that his team ordered him to run into a wall. After an investigation, Renault was found guilty of cheating, and two team bosses, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, were banned from F1. But the ranking and title have not been changed.
Last March, Bernie Ecclestone, F1’s top boss at the time, said he knew about Piquet’s fake accident well before his public confession, but chose not to act. “We decided not to do anything; we wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal,” he told F1-Insider in an interview published in German.
He added that he had persuaded Piquet not to say anything at the time.
“Even today I feel sorry for Massa,” he added.
The article caused a storm in the world of F1. Ecclestone, 92, has since said he has no memory of giving the interview.
Hamilton, F1’s lifetime wins record holder, who has gained further popularity thanks to his appearances in the Drive to Survive series, did not get drawn into the controversy: “I don’t really think about what happened passed 15 years ago. »
Massa continued to drive in Formula 1 until 2017, but never won the title. Hamilton won six more championships.
For Formula 1, changing the results of a championship would open a can of worms. Because there have been many controversies. With his seven titles, Hamilton is tied with Michael Schumacher; losing his 2008 title to Massa would relegate him to second place. In the March interview, Ecclestone said: “Michael Schumacher remains the only world champion of all time. Even if the statistics say otherwise. »
Other contested titles could be called into question. At the last race in 2021, with a very close championship at stake, an official allowed one extra lap: Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton and took the title.
Formula 1 later admitted the decision was a mistake, but refused to change the standings. If the 2008 championship was changed, Hamilton’s Mercedes team could demand the 2021 championship. Mercedes boss Wolff said he was following the Massa affair “with interest” with an eye on 2021.
Many other old sports titles still spark controversy. Italian soccer team Lazio is still complaining about not being declared champions after a season hiatus.
And if 2008 seems a long time ago, know that the title that Lazio still claims dates back to 1915.
