The forgotten F1 finale controversy that set a precedent Massa ignored

Felipe Massa cranked the clock back 15 years when he came out of the Brazilian woodwork and claimed he had been robbed by the outcome of the 2008 world championship.

Massa wasn’t referring to having the cup dashed from his lips when Lewis Hamilton passed Timo Glock at the final corner of the season to finish fifth and snatch the title. His belated grievance has been directed at the Singapore GP a few weeks before when so-called ‘Crashgate’ – a deliberate crash by Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr – dramatically changed the outcome of the race. Massa’s Ferrari was leading at the time, but a Safety Car-inspired pitstop ended in a disaster that cost him a likely win. And, questionably, a championship which, Massa’s lawyers claim, would have earned their man millions.

The legal argument hinges on an alleged comment by Bernie Ecclestone that the FIA knew about Renault’s misdemeanour – but didn’t want to make waves. Massa’s view is that the race should be declared null and void because of this.

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In Holland this year, Ferrari said it didn’t wish to comment on Crashgate. That’s not surprising. Why would it want to be reminded of embarrassing pitstops on a weekend when its drivers were forced to wait while wet-weather tyres appeared to be brought from a spare parts department somewhere in downtown Zandvoort? Singapore 2008 was much worse than that.

For the previous 12 months, Ferrari had been among the first to switch from a man with a ‘lollipop’ to the beginnings of the traffic light system commonplace today. With an impatient Kimi Raikkonen queuing behind Massa in the pitlane, the light sensors had been turned off because they could not be recalibrated in time to deal with the second Ferrari.

In the heat of the moment, the person in charge of the lights hit the green button before the nozzle had been removed. Felipe was off, literally in a flash, tearing the fuel hose from its roots and knocking mechanics over like skittles. He pulled up, waiting for his mechanics to run the length of the pitlane, where they struggled to remove what remained of the fuel line. Massa rejoined at the back, his chance of points shot to pieces.

Photo by: Sutton Images

Massa's 2008 F1 title case centres on the Singapore GP Crashgate, when Ferrari played its part it in throwing away a vital result

Meanwhile… Fernando Alonso, relegated to 15th on the grid by a problem during qualifying, ran light from the start, made an early stop and – would you believe – found himself in the lead thanks to Piquet’s meeting with the wall. Had this not happened, Alonso wouldn’t have scored his first win in 12 months.

The entire episode had an unpleasant aroma. Max Mosley, as president of the FIA and not a fan of Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore, was soon on the case. Being a former barrister and a staunch advocate of the ‘Rule of Law’, Mosley – as recorded in his biography – could nevertheless find ‘no concrete evidence of anything untoward’.

That changed when Piquet Jr, miffed at having been dropped by Renault, later admitted he had been instructed to crash. Knowing this continued to be insufficient evidence, Mosley set up an enquiry run by an expert barrister and a senior former Scotland Yard detective. Contradictions in various stories led to disqualification for Renault from the 2009 championship and a ban for Briatore (and others). Briatore subsequently had the French courts declare the punishments were not legal.

Massa might wish to consider a reality check about the rest of his 2008 season before tainting a powerful example of dignity in defeat as he stood on the Interlagos podium

This did not look like the FIA sweeping the affair under the carpet – as claimed by Massa and allegedly supported by Ecclestone’s interview. Bernie says he can’t remember making this claim. Retrospective judgements can be filled with such time-lapsed fudging as well interesting reflections on other unsporting acts. F1 is full of them.

The one that appeals most (in the sense of admiring a piece of astounding cheek) occurred during the final round of the 1959 championship at Sebring in the United States. During qualifying on the airfield circuit, Harry Schell pulled a move that seemed impossible at the time, never mind now when a driver can be monitored and reprimanded if he so much as changes his mind. Feigning a problem with his car, Schell pulled onto a service road within the airfield circuit and cut a corner before completing the lap. Schell was credited with a lap time good enough for the front row and six seconds under his previous best.

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Brooks was also denied the F1 world title for Ferrari back in 1959 by questionable ongoings outside of his control

Incredible as it may seem, the time keepers would not be budged. Ferrari was outraged. Its title contender, Tony Brooks, had been pushed off the front row as the result of Schell’s shortcut.

There would be a knock-on effect – literally – when Brooks was rammed from behind at the first corner. The subsequent precautionary pitstop cost the British driver what was universally considered to have been an otherwise certain championship (his rivals having either retired or, in the case of eventual champion, Jack Brabham, run out of fuel on the last lap before being classified fourth).

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Brooks, being the gentleman that he was, merely said it was a “disappointing way to lose the championship”. “Anyway,” he continued in his autobiography, “the championship had really been lost earlier in the season.” Brooks highlighted Ferrari’s non-attendance at one race (unbelievable!) and a broken clutch foiling a front-row start and probable big points at Monza.

Massa might wish to consider a similar reality check about the rest of his 2008 season before tainting what had been such a powerful example of dignity in defeat as he stood on the Interlagos podium all those years ago.

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

Massa was applauded for his noble Brazilian GP victory celebrations despite losing out on the title by a point