Felipe Massa slams Daniel Ricciardo joke in lawsuit update over Lewis Hamilton F1 title

Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit against Formula One, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone as he bids to have the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix – and by extension the championship – overturned

Ferrari legend Felipe Massa insists Lewis Hamilton has “nothing to do” with his ongoing legal challenge against the outcome of the 2008 Formula 1 season.

Massa missed out on the championship crown by a hair’s breadth, edged out by Hamilton by a single point. But last year the Brazilian was alerted by a confession from former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who acknowledged post-facto awareness of foul play at the notorious Singapore Grand Prix.

It was in that race that ‘Crashgate’ was renowned after Nelson Piquet Jr. wrecked on the lap 14. Massa ended the race in 13th and with no points on that day while Hamilton collected the much needed points in third position despite having qualified a lowly 18th and, of course, the young Hamilton would go on to claim his first world champion’s crown.

Further accusations emerged much later in the year from Piquet, blaming his Renault team to stage a crash in order to bring his team-mate Fernando Alonso from the back of the starting grid to victory.

Last year, Ecclestone dropped a bombshell by claiming that he and former FIA president Max Mosley were clued-up on the orchestration but, to shield F1’s reputation and avoid scandal, they took no corrective measures. Had they intervened then, they might have voided the race result – an act that could have clinched the title for Massa, reports the Express.

Earlier this year, Massa took legal action against Formula One Management, the FIA, and Ecclestone, filing a lawsuit at London’s High Court. Speaking to the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com, when asked if he had ever discussed the incident with Hamilton, Massa’s response was curt: “No.”

Pressed for an explanation, Massa made it clear: Frankly speaking, this is not a fight with Lewis. This fight has nothing to do with Lewis. The battle is over what went down in the race, and it was not good for the sports. The battle is that this race cannot take place. That’s the fight.”

Massa, who later retired from F1 without securing a championship, having come closest in that 2008 campaign, continued: Now we are four or five months into this lawsuit and things are actually moving and progressing. That is why we’re probably struggling for justice here because it was unfair.

Especially to hear after 15 years that they already knew in 2008 and decided to do nothing. That was too much for me. That is why I have assembled a team of professional lawyers. Of course it is not my field, but we have very big team who fighting for justice and the right thing and this is what we do.

Massa also showed his displeasure with a Daniel Ricciardo joke in Singapore last month, who said: “Bring Piquet back,” said one of the team bosses, after a disappointing showing in qualifying. The Brazilian said: Jokes are jokes, but maybe that’s not such a funny joke.” Laughter that is made on something that was not appropriate in the sport is not very humorous. I wasn’t present there, I have not heard the precise words used and I know that it was only a joke. But it’s not a joke that anyone would find funny, and of course, it is not funny that it happened to me.