Formula 1 is like a tiny world in itself. It has its friendships, relationships, and conflicts, all out in the open. Occasionally, when the negative side of things goes extreme, controversies are created. One such case was the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ incident. Felipe Massa, the other championships contender alongside Lewis Hamilton, believed that that incident caused him to lose the world championship. As he roams the halls of the court today to find justice, a lead witness in his case has retracted from giving his statement.

The 2008 Singapore GP remains one of the most infamous races in F1 history. Then-Renault racer, Nelson Piquet Jr. was instructed by the team to crash on purpose to ensure that his teammate, Fernando Alonso, wins the race. Though that directly didn’t affect the WDC, it affected Massa’s race, who was having his own battle against Hamilton. Under the safety car, Ferrari botched Massa’s pit stop and he came out P13 while Hamilton improved to finish P3.

The Brazilian racer still believes that ‘Crashgate’ led to his ultimate doom when he lost the 2008 championship by 1 point to Hamilton. Today, Massa has taken the legal course of action to win rightfully what was his. His lawyers have filed a $13 million lawsuit against the governing body because of the comments of the then-Chief executive of F1, Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecclestone commented earlier this year that the incident was a shame to the sport. And if he had known better at the time, he would have canceled the Singapore GP. That would have eventually led to Massa winning his 1st championship. But here is the twist in the tale. When Reuters reached out to him this week, he said, “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest. “I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.” So, the basis on which Massa filed a lawsuit has gone down the drain.

Let’s assume that Ecclestone did remember everything. Would that still make a difference?

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Can the courts rule in favor of Felipe Massa and snatch the 2008 title from Lewis Hamilton?

In 2009, after Renault axed Piquet Jr., the Brazilian racer exposed the racing organization by revealing that he was asked to crash on purpose. This triggered a row within F1 and the media. While Massa wasn’t directly connected to the crash, he did some math of his own and found that it did, in fact, ruin his season. But all these years later, can the decision sway in his favor?

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The answer is no. The limit to review and challenge any competition is 14 days, according to the FIA’s International Sporting Code. In this case, it has been over 14 years. The only way he can try to change the outcome is by going to the International Court of Appeal. However, since Hamilton had no involvement in the crash, his 1st-ever title should be safe in his trophy case.

At this point, too much time has passed for something major to change the outcome. But if Massa finds all the evidence and wins the case, the backlash that F1 will receive will be immense. It will be a win-lose situation in either case.

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