Formula 1 is, at the end of the day, a formally regulated sport, so controversy in the sport is not unheard of. Two of the most popular controversies in F1 history are the scandals of “Crashgate” and “Spygate.”
While Spygate was a simple plagiarism of a rival team’s work involving illegal communication of confidential information, the Crashgate scandal turned even more heads once the scandal had come to light, especially because of the potential threat to safety it had posed!
Crashgate scandal explained
The Crashgate scandal dates back to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. During the race, Nelson Piquet Jr., racing for Renault F1, crashed his R28 into the circuit wall on lap 14, turn 17 of the race, following which a safety car deployment was necessitated.
This crash actually ended up helping his teammate at Renault, Fernando Alonso, who had already made his pitstop, to make up positions and actually win the race, while other cars had to pit under the safety car conditions.
Even though the circumstances were suspicious at the time, it received headlines only in 2009 when Nelson Piquet Jr. spoke up about the shady nature of the win, claiming his crash was part of an “understanding” with the team. After Piquet Jr. was dropped by Renault in 2009, he said that the team requested a deliberate crash. These comments resulted in the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) launching an investigation into a potential race fixing.
Following an FIA hearing, Renault was then disqualified from Formula 1 for two years, and Flavio Briatore was banned from all Formula 1 events indefinitely until a settlement was reached in 2010.
However, recently, the scandal has hit the headlines once again, because former F1 driver Felipe Massa has initiated a legal action against this scandal, and is demanding to be compensated for the same!
Felipe Massa reportedly initiates a legal battle
According to Reuters, Massa’s lawyers have sent a Letter Before Claim, a sort of legal notice of the claim, to F1 president Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. In fact, Domenicali was Massa’s team boss at the time!
The alleged letter illustrates the unjustifiable nature of events that took place at the 2008 Singapore GP, highlighting how Massa could’ve won the championship if not for Crashgate. Before Piquet’s crash, Massa was in the lead of the race. He later lost the championship to Lewis Hamilton by only one point!
Accordingly, the Brazillian is demanding compensation for the possible championship bonus he could’ve received and is also challenging the validity of Lewis’ 2008 title, although the priority is the compensation.
Parts of the letter have been quoted accordingly: “Simply put, Mr. Massa is the rightful 2008 drivers’ champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title,”
“Mr. Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of euros. This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa.”
The letter also threatens legal proceedings under English jurisdiction if the FIA fails to send a reply within 14 days of the Letter Before Claim!
Do you think the legal action by Massa is justified? Should Massa be compensated? Should Lewis Hamilton be stripped of his 2008 championship? Comment what you think down below!
