14 years have passed since Ferrari last secured a pole position at the Brazilian GP. That honour goes to Felipe Massa remains Ferrari’s last pole-sitter at Interlagos and the last Brazilian to have won his home race. But that evening would always be a marred day for both Massa and Ferrari.
Massa would win the 71-lap race. But he would lose the chance to win his maiden F1 title to a rookie Lewis Hamilton by 1 point. Hamilton would win the 2008 title with McLaren becoming the then-youngest F1 champion.
It was Massa’s biggest heartbreak, to lose the championship in the cruellest manner in front of his home fans. And 14 years later, the Brazilian wishes how.
Surprisingly, he does not blame Lewis Hamilton. But Renault, his former teammate Fernando Alonso’s manager and then Team Principal Flavio Briatore was the culprit behind his stolen title in 2008.
How ‘Crashgate’ cost Felipe Massa the Championship
The 2008 Singapore GP will go down as one of the most shambolic moments in F1’s history. In this race, Nelson Piquet Jr. would deliberately crash into the barriers of the inaugural F1 night race under the orders of Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.
This was done to give Fernando Alonso the advantage in the race. Alonso had just pitted earlier to the crash and inherited the race lead after the safety car was called out. He would go on to win the race, his first victory since leaving McLaren in 2007.
Massa started the race in pole position. After Piquet Jr. crashed on lap 14, Massa was called for a pitstop. But the Ferrari pit crew gave the Brazilian the signal to leave his box while his fuel hose was still attached.
Massa was forced to retire. Lewis Hamilton would take third place in the race, moving him seven points clear of Massa in the Championship. The points difference would come to haunt Massa as he would lose the title in the final race of the season in Brazil.
Massa was the Brazilian to win his home race at Interlagos
Felipe Massa led the final race of the season and claimed an emotional win at home. He would become the 2008 World Champion for 40 seconds until Lewis Hamilton would pass Timo Glock to claim P5.
This was enough to award the Briton the title. Massa would be left distraught after the title loss. He still recalls the painful memory, “I will never forget that day at Interlagos.”
He claimed, “If the rain had started a minute later, I would have become world champion. But everything happens for a reason.” Glock had no grip on his tyres and therefore had lost the position to Lewis.
But the blame Massa believes, if there is any must go to Flavio Briatore and co, who wh spoilt his chances to become a World Champion. He adds, “What happened there is unacceptable.
“It can be compared to a football referee who is paid by a team. If that happens, the other team will sue. But not in Formula 1. Nothing happens there,” he added.
A year later, Piquet would be fired from Renault and would later reveal the foul play behind the scenes. This became a major controversy known as ‘Crashgate’.
In the meanwhile, Flavio Briatore would be barred from F1 and all FIA events. Renault would avoid any fines or repercussions, but its image would forever be tarnished.
What Happened to Felipe Massa after 2008?
Felipe Massa often quoted the scandal to be on par with Juventus’s Calciopoli scandal that saw the decorated football team stripped of the title. However, Hamilton’s title stood.
Massa claims he confronted Nelson Piquet Jr. regarding the crash just weeks later. But his fellow Brazilian denied any mischief. He stated he’d always been sceptical about Piquet’s crash in that race.
After 2008, Massa was never the same. He would remain in Ferrari for 5 more seasons. Massa suffered a near-fatal accident in 2009 at Hungaroring when spring off the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello hit him.
He would be paired with Fernando Alonso in 2010, who was one of those involved in the infamous ‘Crashgate’ controversy. But Alonso would replace Massa as the No.1, and the Brazilian would fall prey to certain “team orders.”
Massa would retire from the sport in 2017. He would go down as one of the biggest ‘What-if’s’ in F1. But the title wins to set up Lewis Hamilton as a force in F1.
Also Read: Would Lewis Hamilton still be 2008 champion if F1 used current points system back then?
