Formula One scandal overshadows Singapore Grand Prix

The first Singapore Grand Prix – an instant classic – was held in 2008. Fans loved the tight, twisted corners, the glamor of Singapore at night and the endless on-track drama of the Marina Bay circuit.

But not long after the race finished, the drama spilled off the track, too. The reason? "Crashgate" – one of the most infamous scandals in Formula One history.

In 2008, Ferrari's Felipe Massa held first in the World Driver's Championship. Singapore was the 15th of 18 races on the calendar and a crucial weekend for Massa. McLaren's rookie driver, Lewis Hamilton, was chasing him down and within touching distance of surpassing him for the trophy.

Winning, then, was a necessity for Massa. And after putting his Ferrari in pole position for the race, it seemed likely that he'd pull it off.

The Grand Prix began normally, but in the 14th lap, Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr lost control of his vehicle and crashed his car. It was a silly mistake for the veteran driver and one that wound up hurting Massa.

Piquet's Renault teammate, Fernando Alonso, leveraged the crash for a quick pit stop and wound up beating him in the race and sealing Massa's fate in the World Championship. The points he lost to Alonso in Singapore pushed him into second place in the standings and Hamilton took home his first of seven F1 season victories instead.

When Renault dropped Piquet as a driver during the following season, he leaked a shocking story to the media. He said he had been told to crash in Singapore on purpose to aid his teammate, Alonso. A full investigation was held and Renault was found guilty of the conspiracy. The French team subsequently  was banned from F1 for two years while its team principal, Flavio Briatore, received a lifetime ban. (Alonso was cleared of any wrongdoing; the investigation found that no one informed him of the conspiracy.)

The punishments were severe, but for Massa, they weren't severe enough. He argued, compellingly, that if Piquet hadn't crashed, he would've finished in first in Singapore and subsequently won the 2008 F1 Championship.

With a full legal team behind him, this summer Massa sued Formula One's governing body for damages from the fallout of the 2008 season. 

"Simply put, Mr. Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver's Champion, and F1 and the FIA [F1's governing body] deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title," Massa's legal team said.

As the F1 circus returns to Singapore this weekend, Massa's case is heating up. Former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone accused Massa of "only being in it for the money," while Massa himself publicly called on 2008 champion Hamilton to support him in his quest for justice. With Hamilton still racing in F1, he's unlikely to be allowed to say much about the case, but Massa's lawyers hope he'll get involved.

"[Hamilton] is an important ambassador for the sport," Massa's lawyer said. "I hope he will support us. We have absolutely nothing against Hamilton."

The 2023 Singapore Grand Prix will take place Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.