For as long as Formula 1 has existed
it has been underscored by controversy. And this isn’t the manufactured
controversy that F1’s Drive to Survive series likes to fabricate either.
We’re talking Senna’s crash with Prost in Japan, Schumacher’s attempt to take
out Damon Hill, and the like.
But sometimes the controversy
reaches well beyond even that and strays into an area that becomes morally
questionable. Think the infamous Spygate scandal of 2007, for example. The tale
known as crashgate certainly belongs in this category too. The inaugural race
in Singapore will forever stands as a black mark in the history of Formula 1.
It was here that then Renault team management, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds,
ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash and bring out the safety car.
The ‘crash’ and consequent safety car would allow Fernando Alonso, running
light on fuel, to seize the lead of the race. The deceit was found out and, in
short, Briatore and Symonds left the team after being offered immunity for sharing
further information to aid the investigation. Piquet Jr. and Alonso’s
involvement was also brought to light through radio conversations but neither
received any sanctions.
But it influenced more than just
Renault. Because with the deployment of the safety car it prompted Felipe Massa
into the pitlane. In 2008 Formula 1 still had refueling and an eager Massa left
the pitlane with the hose still attached to his car. It meant a retirement from
the race for the Ferrari driver and allowed Lewis Hamilton to score more points
in the championship battle between the pair.
It eventually played out in Brazil
with Massa losing the championship title to Hamilton. Fast forward to 2023 and
Felipe Massa has instituted legal action to get the Singapore grand prix result
cancelled. You guessed it – if it does, by some miracle, get cancelled it would
make Felipe Massa the 2008 driver’s world champion.
Here is the problem. The FIA are
likely to do everything in its power to not allow the result of the 2008
Singapore grand prix to be cancelled. Not only would it overturn a championship
result it would produce ramification for as far as the eye could see. Consider
this: should the result be cancelled it come effect the final championship
position of the teams in the constructor’s standings, which would necessitate
not only the paying back of prize money but also the redistribution thereof
according to a new championship finishing order.
And most of all it will open the
pandora’s box of appeals, demands, and litigation. Not least of all there is a
100% chance that Mercedes will be straight onto the phone to get the result of
the 2021 Abu Dhabi grand prix cancelled should Massa be successful.
Felipe Massa was a popular figure in
F1. At his peak the likeable Brazilian was a mega quick driver with several
memorable wins, especially at home in Brazil, underlining his wonderful career.
The heartbreak of 2008 undoubtedly lives with him but there is no new evidence
to present, and it would not be a popular move for either Massa or Formula 1 to
pursue this any further.
In the grand
circus of Formula 1, some controversies are better left in the archives, where
they belong – like a pit stop that’s come and gone. So, it’s safe to say that
the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix is likely to remain a historical footnote.
