Thanks to ex-Ferrari star, Felipe Massa, ‘Crashgate’ has finally reclaimed the spotlight in F1 after a whopping 16 years and has indeed been the talk of the town for months now. The Brazilian has been using ‘Crashgate’ as leverage to prove that Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 world championship victory was anything but fair.
While the seven-time world champion doesn’t seem too bothered about the active buzz, Massa isn’t showing signs of backing out either. Amidst such an intense court battle between the former Williams driver and the FIA ruling, here’s something quite interesting that recently sneaked its way onto social media. A never-before-seen footage of Nelson Piquet Jr. has suddenly shown up on X.
And what’s quite weird is that the footage was never really caught on live TV which could have easily been potential evidence in proving Renault’s wrongdoing. But, nevertheless, before we dive into the bizarre theories, take a look at the footage.
Nelsinho Piquet ensaiando a batida no GP de Singapura de 2008 pic.twitter.com/gyzaoPFNEv
— Torpedo Russo (@kvyatorpedo) September 12, 2023
By the looks of it, the video was shot during the formation lap where Piquet is allegedly testing the limits of his Renault, or maybe, just maybe, practicing his crash. The Brazilian driver presses hard on the gas around the exit of the left-handed turn, causing his Renault to spin and almost crash into the barriers. However, Piquet manages to keep his car out of danger and carries on with the lap.
Felipe Massa wants the support of Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 F1 title debacle
Interestingly enough, Massa’s lawyers publicly requested Hamilton’s support in helping his former arch-rival win the 2008 world championship title. “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,” the statement read.
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
Despite the lawyers’ plead, Hamilton has opted against supporting Massa. And of course, who could blame the Briton? From Hamilton’s perspective, the 2008 victory was a deserving one, especially after having to put up with Massa’s constant pressure throughout the season. But, there’s also another side to the story.
The FIA did look into the matter back in 2008, assessing the potential effect ‘Crashgate’ had on other teams. The outcome of this investigation was the reason why the entire Singapore Grand Prix wasn’t removed from the season. Hence, does the FIA believe that Massa was barely affected by Renault’s evil ploy? Let’s see what the future holds for the two F1 stars.