Ever since Felipe Massa filed his lawsuit, he has not received much support from the members of the paddock. Even his former team, Ferrari has not commented on the matter. His lawyers are now seeking the support of Lewis Hamilton who won the Championship that year.
Felipe Massa‘s lawsuit against the FIA and FOM has put Lewis Hamilton‘s first Championship in danger. However, the Brazilian’s lawyers seem to seek Lewis Hamilton’s support in this lawsuit even though it means that he would lose his Championship.
“He (Lewis Hamilton) is an important ambassador for sport and has always defended sporting integrity. He is an honorary Brazilian citizen and much loved by Brazilians, so I hope he supports us. We have absolutely nothing against Hamilton.” pointed out Bernardo Viana, from Vieira Rezende Advogados, in a statement to the Reuters agency.
Felipe Massa’s lawyers want Lewis Hamilton support in his fight for the F1 title in court (For the integrity of the sport)
He is an important ambassador for sport and has always defended sporting integrity. He is an honorary Brazilian citizen and much loved by Brazilians pic.twitter.com/fxwQWSqj7e
— Mercedes.F1Motorsports (@MF1motorsports) September 10, 2023
Initially, the lawyers said they were looking for compensation from the FIA and FOM. However, they later changed their statement saying that they wanted the title as well. In order for Massa to get the 2008 title, Lewis Hamilton would have to lose it.
Massa’s entire case was dependent on Bernie Ecclestone’s statement which read that he knew about the crash gate well before it took place. A few months after he said the statements, the 90-year-old man said that he does not remember saying it. Regardless, Felipe Massa and his lawyers have chosen to go ahead with the case.
Did Lewis Hamilton win the 2008 Championship fairly?
During the course of the 2008 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton did not cheat. His driving was completely fair and professional. The lawsuit filed by Felipe Massa is mainly due to an incident involving Renault and the FIA.
During the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to stage an accident to cause a safety car that would give Fernando Alonso the opportunity to win the race. Before the safety car came out, Felipe Massa was leading the race. However, when he pitted under the safety car, his team made a mistake that eventually saw him finish out of the points position.
#OnThisDay in 2008 đź“–
Nelson Piquet obeyed @RenaultSportF1 team orders to crash deliberately during the Singapore GP #Crashgate pic.twitter.com/PHwhIu4ean
— Motorsport Images (@MSI_Images) September 28, 2018
After the incident, Nelson Piquet Jr. said that Renault asked him to crash. This led to an investigation by the FIA which led to the team getting disqualified from the season and a further 2-year suspension. Earlier this year, Bernie Ecclestone stated that he and Max Mosley knew that the incident would occur prior to the Singapore Grand Prix.
This is why Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit against the FIA and FOM. Lewis Hamilton did not do anything wrong throughout the season. In the last race, he was able to win the Championship by 1 point.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton should support Felipe Massa in this lawsuit? Post your answers in the comment section below.