Amid Lewis Hamilton Rejecting Liability, Felipe Massa Accuses FIA of ‘Manipulation’ Over Crashgate Scandal

He has made the final decision. Felipe Massa is going all out against F1 and the FIA for something that happened over 15 years ago. While the governing body is having a tough time dealing with the current problems that they face, a big scandal from 2008 – ‘Crashgate’ has come back to haunt them. Massa has filed a lawsuit against them, claiming that he is the deserved owner of the 2008 WDC that Lewis Hamilton won. The 7-time champ flat-out refused to get involved in all this guff. So, Massa has now turned his attention to double down on F1 for manipulating the championship for selfish reasons.

Then-CEO of the sport, Bernie Ecclestone’s questionable actions have landed the current members of the FIA in hot water. Ecclestone was completely aware of Renault‘s intentional actions to cause a crash at the 2008 Singapore GP. Yet, he kept his mouth shut so that the sport doesn’t lose its reputation. Fast forward to the 2023 Dutch GP, Hamilton has said that he has no interest in delving into what happened 15 years ago. So, a helpless Massa has gone after the FIA.

Massa told Motorsport.Nextgen-Auto, “These rules are completely unacceptable. To be honest, I don’t know who made this rule. It all happened at a very difficult time for me, with what happened during the race in Singapore and then my accident in Hungary. The most important thing on my mind was getting back in the car. But after 15 years you hear that people knew and they didn’t want to do anything not to destroy the reputation of Formula 1, because it was a very serious situation.” [translated via Google]

He continued, saying, “So it was a big shock. I hope they understand that the situation, the investigation, and everything that happened at that time was not good for the sport, was not fair for the sport.”

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The Brazilian racer surely looks quite pissed and heartbroken at the same time. But can he actually snatch the 15-year-old WDC trophy from Hamilton’s hands?

Can Lewis Hamilton legally lose his first-ever WDC to Felipe Massa?

“I’ve got a really bad memory,” Hamilton told the media at Zandvoort. “I’m really just focused on the here and now and helping the team get back to the championship. I’m not focused on what happened 15 years ago.” But can he actually live in peace if Massa gets hard evidence against his 2008 win?

According to the FIA’s International Sporting Code, only within 14 days can a decision be challenged. After that, it gets voided. Well, in this case, it has been 15 years. Plus, since Hamilton didn’t have any direct involvement in the situation, his championship should be safe.

The only way that the ex-Ferrari racer can find help is by registering his case in the International Court of Appeal. For more updates, keep an eye out on this space.

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