The 2023 Formula 1 season has witnessed the term ‘Crashgate’ echoing across the motorsport community, with ex-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa and his lawyers seeking justice for the lost championship title in 2008. Of course, a ruling in favor of the Brazilian will primarily affect current title holder Lewis Hamilton, and subsequently trigger a rather nail-biting battle in court.
Amidst such a chaotic few weeks, quite a lot of fans are still unaware of what ‘Crashgate’ means and how a mere decision nearly destroyed the reputation and stature the sport had gathered over the past decades. Hence, here’s everything you need to know about the scandalous act involving the former world champion’s son Nelson Piquet Jr. and recent Aston Martin signing Fernando Alonso.
About the infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal feat. Fernando Alonso & others
‘Crashgate’ is one of the most infamous scandals Formula 1 has ever witnessed and somehow played a part in Massa’s title defeat to Hamilton. The sport was prepping for its first-ever night race at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and the expectations were over the roof. But, little did the world know of the heinous plan Renault was cooking with its drivers.
Both the Renault drivers failed to shine in the qualifying session, consequently settling for P15 and P16. What’s more, the narrow streets of Singapore meant that overtaking wasn’t an option for the Renault duo. Hence, the French outfit had other ideas. Heading into the main race, Alonso had less fuel onboard in the hopes of overtaking cars ahead on heavier fuel loads.
🚨 | Felipe Massa’s team have started legal proceedings against FOM and the FIA over the 2008 title.
They are seeking compensation for damages:
“Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver’s Champion. F1 and the FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him.”
[@Reuters]
— formularacers (@formularacers_) August 17, 2023
And after gaining a few positions, the Spaniard entered the pits on lap 12 for a fresh set of tires and refueling and eventually rejoined the track at the back. Just a couple of laps later, his teammate, Piquet Jr. crashed into the wall around turn 17, subsequently bringing out the yellow flags and of course, the safety car as well.
The crash unfolded in one of the trickiest parts of the track, which made it quite difficult for the marshals to clear without the safety car hindrance. This meant that Alonso managed to catch up with the pack before the pit lane was opened (According to the rules in 2008, the pit lane will remain closed during the beginning part of the safety car period).
And by the time the cars made their respective stops, Alonso found himself jumping a lot of cars and contending for a race victory. Eventually, during the final third of the race, the two-time world champion made his way to the front of the pack and secured a dramatic victory for Renault.
Nelson Piquet Jr. publicly admitted Renault’s malicious Singapore GP act
While the Brazilian remained in denial of any alleged scandal claims until his association with Renault, the eventual contract termination in 2009 propelled Piquet to reveal a shocking statement. Piquet blatantly admitted that his former manager Flavio Briatore was the ‘executioner’.
“A manager is there to encourage and support you and provide you with opportunities. In my case it was the opposite. (Former Renault team managing director) Flavio Briatore was my executioner,” he said. Soon after, former world champion Nelson Piquet Sr. too publicly admitted that his son’s Singapore GP crash was deliberate and that it was indeed Briatore and the then-director of engineering Pat Symonds that took the call.
Unsurprisingly, this triggered the intervention of World Motor Sport Council, which thoroughly investigated the incident and eventually held Briatore and Symonds responsible for the scathing scandal. Renault faced a two-year disqualification from the sport with the option of making it permanent if the team was found orchestrating a similar scandal in the future.
Meanwhile, Symonds faced five-year disqualification while for Briatore, the ban was indefinite. Both the drivers, however, escaped the controversy unscathed. While Piquet earned a lifeline, investigations revealed that Alonso was unaware of the entire incident.
How the ‘Crashgate’ affected Felipe Massa in his title fight with Lewis Hamilton
Massa was looking solid throughout the weekend, and had clinched pole position for the first-ever night race, with Hamilton lining up alongside in P2. As the lights went out, it almost seemed like the Brazilian could cruise his way to race victory, subsequently bolstering his title-winning hopes.
However, Piquet’s crash meant that Massa had a ticking time bomb in hand, and a bad pit stop could wreck his hopes to shreds. To his dismal luck, Massa suffered a poorly executed pit stop. The Ferrari driver was shown the green light while the fuel hose was still attached to the car. And, as Massa pressed on the gas, a couple of mechanics who were busy refueling the car, took nasty falls to the ground.
Hence, Massa was forced to halt at the end of the pit lane, and waited until the mechanics arrived to dismantle hose from the car before letting him race again. The disastrous pit stop forced Massa to settle for an awful P13 while his championship rival Hamilton secured the final podium spot, subsequently gaining a 15-point advantage which proved extremely crucial in winning the title at Sao Paulo.