Felipe Massa’s career was highlighted by several what-ifs and some truly heart-wrenching moments. However, the saddest day of his F1 stint came in July 2010, when Ferrari issued him a team order at the German GP.
Massa wanted to announce his comeback to the highest level in F1, as it would have been his first victory since a horrific crash in Hungary the previous year when a spring flew off Ruben Barrichello’s car. It hit the Brazilian above his eye knocking him unconscious.
Ferrari, however, spoiled Massa’s shot at redemption.
“Unfortunately, I was denied victory in Germany, on July 25, 2010, the day exactly one year after my accident in Hungary,” said Massa.
Massa recuerda Alemania 2010: “Me negaron la victoria un año después de mi accidente”
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That afternoon, Ferrari asked Massa to let Fernando Alonso – his teammate – by. “It was one of the saddest days of my life,” Massa recalled. “After that, I lived in a different period. Because I no longer had a competitive car to fight for victories, as I did before.”
Interestingly, team orders were banned in F1 back in 2010, so Ferrari had to send out a coded message to Massa. “Fernando is faster than you,” Massa heard on his team radio, and he was forced to let go of a winning opportunity.
Massa conceding the place to Alonso also set the precedent that the Spaniard was the lead Ferrari driver. After two years of playing second-fiddle to him, Massa moved to Williams, a team that wasn’t competing for victories and Championships.
Massa’s best chance at F1 glory came in 2008 when he was competing for the Championship against Lewis Hamilton. Unfortunately for him, he lost out on it on the final day of the season but is looking to win it back today, through a legal battle against the FIA.
Massa’s Lawsuit Against F1 and the FIA
In 2023, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone suggested that the FIA knew about the ‘Crashgate’ incident, which effectively fixed the 2008 Singapore GP result. It was also a race in which Massa DNFed, but the ex-Ferrari driver realized that the Grand Prix should have been nulled.
F1 and the FIA did not see eye to eye with Massa, and because of this, the Sao-Paolo-born driver took them to court. He wanted the 2008 World Championship awarded to him or $80 million in damages.
However, with no solid proof and Ecclestone refusing to testify, Massa didn’t have a very strong case to back his claim in a legal battle that is still raging.
