What do you remember the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship for? More often than not, people would say Lewis Hamilton clinching his first title is what stands out. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for his championship contender, Felipe Massa. For the Ferrari-driving Brazilian, it was a missed opportunity—a missed opportunity to clinch his first championship. Recently, Massa realized that he could contest the championship results because of an incident that might’ve potentially affected the results. Considering this, he’s made moves to claim $13,000,000 as compensation, which he thinks is rightfully his. But what happened in 2008?

Apart from Hamilton’s title, the one thing that stands out is the Crashgate controversy from the Singapore GP. Then-Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was instructed to crash on purpose so his teammate, Fernando Alonso, had a chance to win the race. While the incident didn’t directly affect Hamilton or Massa, the Brit finished P3 and the Brazilian finished P13. Considering Massa lost the title by a single point, Crashgate could’ve affected the final results. Now Max Verstappen’s controversial triumph is cited as relieving Lewis Hamilton of the accusations.

Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title will not go to Felipe Massa

Recently, former F1 owner Bernie Ecclestone told Massa that he had conclusive evidence to declare the Singapore GP null and void but didn’t do so. Understandably furious, Massa gathered a legal team and filed a $13 million lawsuit against F1’s governing body for making him “the victim of a conspiracy.” But it seems his efforts to claim the title might not work out, and according to a recent video by The Race, Max Verstappen’s 2021 championship is the reason.

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The video discussed if Massa’s action to claim what was his would work. As per the video, “[It] depends on what exactly Massa is chasing. If he’s just pursuing damages, and if it’s proven that there was legitimate F1 and FIA wrongdoing, then some compensation would hardly seem egregious. If it’s what he considers real justice, which probably means making him the 2008 World champion instead, then there’s presumably no chance.” How has the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP basically dismissed his case? 

What Was Lewis Hamilton’s Response to Felipe Massa’s “Robbery” Accusations After Crashgate?

“There was no recourse to make Hamilton the 2021 champion after a race that, months later, the FIA essentially admitted was fundamentally influenced by the wrong application of the rules, which is a real injustice. So there’s presumably no grounds to amend the outcome from 2008 on the basis of another competitor cheating in a Grand Prix that wasn’t even the final decisive act.”

This means that even though what happened in 2021 directly affected the championship result, Crashgate wasn’t like that. While it’s easy to say that Massa would’ve finished higher than Hamilton without the Singapore GP, there’s no guarantee of what would’ve happened in the remaining races. However, Massa’s case might’ve been dismissed long before this news came out.

Felipe Massa’s lawsuit for his title against Lewis Hamilton might’ve ended before it even started

Looking back at Crashgate, Bernie Ecclestone mentioned how the incident was a shame to F1, and had he known better then, he would’ve taken action to make the race null and void. When Massa realized the gravity of what Ecclestone said, he filed the lawsuit, with his legal tea, sending a letter to the FIA stating that “knowledge of Crashgate was available early enough for action to be taken before the result of the championship was made final.”

When Reuters approached Ecclestone earlier this week about the comments he made regarding Crashgate and that he had conclusive evidence to make a decision about the race back then, he seemed to retract his statement. Ecclestone said, “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest. I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.” 

Watch This Story: How Fernando Alonso’s 2008 Singapore GP Win Became One of F1’s Worst Controversies – Crashgate

Do you think Felipe Massa would’ve won the title if the Singapore GP results hadn’t stood?