Felipe Massa gives one-word answer on Lewis Hamilton’s role in FIA lawsuit over 2008 title

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Felipe Massa is taking legal action against the FIA in the hope of overturning the outcome of the 2008 world championship. Massa lost out to then McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton by a single point.

His grievances centre around the infamous Singapore Grand Prix, where Renault instructed Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash. That brought out a safety car that enabled his teammate Fernando Alonso to win the race.

Massa had been leading at that point but the safety car triggered a pit stop, and Ferrari made a mistake. He left the box with the fuel hose still attached, and had to stop until his mechanics could reach him.

The blunder saw him finish 13th, costing him the 10 points that came with victory. It was clearly a pivotal moment in the outcome of the championship.

Massa finished seventh at the following race in Japan, while Hamilton could only manage 12th. However, the Briton beat his title rival to victory in China before an extraordinary finale in Brazil.

The home hero thought he was champion as he crossed the line, but Hamilton passed the Toyota of Timo Glock in changeable conditions at the last meaningful corner to snatch the crown back. Fifth place was all he needed to guarantee glory.

Felipe Massa insists ‘this is not a fight’ with Lewis Hamilton as he sues FIA

If Massa succeeds, then Hamilton would lose one of his record-equalling seven titles. As it stands, he’s hoping to seal an unprecedented eighth at Ferrari in the final years of his career.

During an interview with Motorsport.com, Massa was asked whether he’d spoken to Hamilton about his case. He simply replied: “No.”

Pressed to elaborate, he stressed that the 39-year-old wasn’t the focus of his ire. Instead, he wants the points from Singapore written off because sporting integrity was damaged.

“To be honest, this is not a fight with Lewis,” he said. “Lewis has nothing to do with this fight at all. The fight is about what happened in the race, which was not good for the sport. The fight is that this race should be cancelled. That’s the fight.”

Former Ferrari engineer shares his ‘uncontrollable’ reaction after Felipe Massa lost 2008 title to Lewis Hamilton

Massa never got close to winning the title again after 2008. Brawn battled Red Bull the following year, and then Alonso became the dominant figure at Ferrari from 2010 onwards.

In a recent podcast appearance, Massa’s former engineer Robert Smedley said he cried ‘uncontrollably’ after the devastating twist at Interlagos. Ferrari mechanics were celebrating in the garage before Hamilton made his move.

After a poor qualifying in Singapore, former RB driver Daniel Ricciardo joked that he needed Piquet to cause a safety car in the race to give him a chance at points. Massa was upset with Ricciardo over the remarks.

Regardless of what happened in 2008, many of Hamilton’s fans will feel he deserves another championship. FIA race director Michael Masi made an error in restarting the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, which gave Max Verstappen the chance to grab the title on the final lap.