The Brazilian has been prompted into action by recent comments from former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who offered fresh insight into the critical 2008 Singapore Grand Prix that proved hugely costly to Massa’s title ambitions that year.
That Singapore race is most famously known for the deliberate crash triggered by Nelson Piquet Jr., which brought out a safety car that ultimately helped his then Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.
The controversy also had a huge influence on the title battle, as the safety car triggered a botched pitstop from Massa’s Ferrari crew that dropped the then leader well down the order and he finished 13th, while main title rival Hamilton grabbed third.
The points swing on that day arguably decided the world championship outcome as Hamilton ended the campaign just one point ahead of Massa in the standings after the Brazilian GP.
Details about Piquet’s deliberate actions emerged in public the following year, and they resulted in Renault facing a two-year suspended ban from F1, while then team boss Flavio Briatore and technical chief Pat Symonds were also punished for their part in the events.
At the time, Massa led calls for the FIA to cancel the result of the Singapore GP, but the governing body’s statutes made that impossible as the classification from each season is set in stone under the International Sporting Code once the FIA Awards ceremony is complete.
Furthermore, the FIA’s investigation into the events of Singapore did not uncover any evidence that suggested Alonso and the wider Renault team knew of the crash plan or assisted in its execution, so the governing body felt it would have been unfair to change the result.
The Ferrari pit crew return with the broken fuel hose of Felipe Massa, Ferrari F2008
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Ecclestone remarks
However, Massa thinks there are grounds to review things once again in the wake of recent comments from Ecclestone suggesting that he and the FIA were aware of the rules breach before the end of the 2008 season – within the time when action could have been taken to alter the result.
In an interview with the F1-Insider website last month, Ecclestone said he and then FIA president Max Mosley knew of the situation “during the 2008 season.”
He added: “We decided not to do anything for now. We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal. That’s why I used angelic tongues to persuade my…
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