McLaren poke fun at Massa for considering legal action over Hamilton’s 2008 win
Earlier this month, Massa - who went head-to-head for the world championship with Hamilton in 2008 - sensationally revealed he’s studying “what the laws say and the rules” as he looks for justice.
Massa lost out to Hamilton by just one-point in a dramatic season finale in Brazil, losing out as the British driver famously overtook Timo Glock on the last lap.
The point of contention goes back to Singapore that season, when the ‘Crashgate’ scandal occurred.
Renault got their second driver - Nelson Piquet Jr - to crash deliberately to aid Fernando Alonso’s chances.
Alonso ultimately won the race, while Massa - who started the race from pole position - finished outside of the points.
Piquet Jr’s crash caused a Safety Car, which prompted Massa to come into the pit lane for an unscheduled stop.
Ferrari failed to detach the fuel hose from Massa’s car, ruining his race as he dropped out of the top eight.
Massa’s argument is that if Singapore was voided, then he would have been champion, rather than Hamilton.
The former Ferrari and Williams driver’s remarks come after Bernie Ecclestone’s stark revelation that he and former FIA president Max Mosely were aware of what went on.
Ecclestone said: “We decided not to do anything, we wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal.”
Thus, Massa is considering legal action 15 years on from his memorable title defeat.
“After 15 years,” he told Corriere dello Sport. “We hear that the [former] owner of the category says that he found out in 2008, together with the president of the FIA, and they did nothing [so as] to not tarnish the name of F1.
“This is very sad, to know the result of this race was supposed to be cancelled and I would have a title. In the end, I was the one who lost the most with this result. So, we are going after it to understand all this.
“But I intend to study the situation; study what the laws say, and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do.”
McLaren have poked fun at Massa through their various social media channels, posting a video captioned: “denial is a river in Egypt”.
