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F1 pundit pinpoints the problem in Felipe Massa’s attempt to overturn Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 F1 title

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Aditya Pandya | Last updated 3/16/24

The 2008 World Championship was won by Lewis Hamilton amidst controversial circumstances. The entire Crashgate Scandal at the Singaporean GP caused Felipe Massa to lose out on one point which cost him the title. The Brazilian driver had lodged his questions regarding the scandal last year after Bernie Ecclestone admitted having knowledge about the incident. However, following a lack of help from F1 and FIA, the 42-year-old officially lodged a legal lawsuit against F1 and FIA.

F1 pundit Peter Windsor has shared his opinions over the entire Felipe Massa legal lawsuit against F1 and FIA. The Brazilian driver had issues while fueling during a pitstop and hence the race was messed up from this point. Windsor highlighted the issues with the 2008 Singaporean GP and added that the race wasn’t a ‘good race’. Additionally, the 71-year-old mentioned that if the race wasn’t so messy from Massa and if he had a podium finish, there could have been chances of discarding the results of the race.

The problem Felipe is going to have in this case, I think, is that his race was messed up by the fuel stop he made as a result of that Safety Car intervention. It wasn’t a good race. If he had finished second or something, if he hadn’t had such a messy race, maybe he’d have more chance of that race possibly being disqualified. Windsor said on a Youtube livestream

Hence, causing a disqualification of the Singaporean GP might be difficult for the driver. The issues caused during the race were the major reason for the driver not being able to score points. Lewis Hamilton finished under points and hence deserved the points. However, canceling the race would be ‘big news’ and would be an interesting precedent for the future of Formula 1.

But I think it’s going to be difficult for them to argue that the race should be taken off the Championship, bearing in mind they had those errors on their side. The point is that Lewis finished third and got points.

Peter Windsor convinced Felipe Massa not fighting lawsuit for money

Felipe Massa had previously asserted how he wouldn’t fight the case with the sole purpose of money gain. However, the formerF1 driver expects a compensation of $76 Million from FIA and F1. Windsor pointed out how few people talked about Massa’s ill intent following the lawsuit. Regardless, the 71-year-old showcased faith in the Brazilian’s intentions as he claimed that he wasn’t doing it for money.

A few people have already said: ‘Felipe is just trying to stay in the news, he’s just trying to get a settlement.’ I know Felipe quite well and I don’t believe he’d be doing this for the money. I believe he’s doing this just to show in reality he could’ve, should’ve won the 2008 World Championship.

Windsor highlighted what Felipe Massa’s exact point was following the entire lawsuit. Additionally, the 71-year-old praised the former World Champion’s courage to file a legal lawsuit against F1 and FIA. The Australian added that Massa had a ‘serious point’ following the entire lawsuit saga amidst the 2024 season.

His point is that Lewis finished third in that race and shouldn’t have been in the World Championship – and I kind of agree with him. We’ll see how it goes in terms of the end result, but the fact Felipe’s even doing this is amazingly brave and I totally commend him for doing it, because I think he’s got a serious point.

Hence, time will tell about how the entire lawsuit pans out for Massa. The former driver has raised a serious point and Lewis Hamilton’s championship is also at stake. Hence, if the result were overturned, the seven-time world champion would lose a major chunk of his legacy in Formula 1.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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