Away from the tracks of F1, the sports authorities have pressure mounting on them because of the legal actions by Felipe Massa. 15 years after the infamous crashgate incident, the Brazilian finally decided to contest the decision made by the authorities after the then F1 premier Bernie Ecclestone admitted to him and a few other top personnel knowing about the incident beforehand. Most people have been scratching their heads, thinking why the Brazilian wants to pursue a matter from 15 years ago. The answer to the same lies in the words of his 13-year-old son.
Appearing as a guest in a podcast for the YouTube channel Track Limits, Massa revealed how his son’s words inspired him to indulge in a battle many might think was absurd.
“My son came to me. He’s 13-years-old and he said, ‘You are the champion. So you need to do something. You need to work and you need to show that it was manipulated. It is not fair.”
With a plethora of new information now available, Massa strongly believes it is essential to right the wrongs from the past for the betterment of the sport. Having stood mere laps away from the ultimate F1 glory, Massa‘s claim at the 2008 championship is not all wrong. Given the involvement of the authorities’ top people, the Brazilian simply seeks justice for a collective wrong done to him.
Felipe Massa dissatisfied with the punishments handed out for the incident
With Nelson Piquet Jr.’s voluntary crash, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton emerged as the biggest beneficiary, securing his first-ever driver’s world title. As Massa looks to snatch the title away from the Briton, he asserts he has no ill feelings towards the 38-year-old and only wants what is rightfully his. Furthermore, the Brazilian has put the lenient penalties from back in the day under the spotlight.
Flavio Briatore, the then Renault team owner and the man at the helm of all controversy, was only given a two-year ban from the sport. Having served the tenure, Briatore returned to the sport with little care for the past. Pat Symonds, Chief Technical Officer of F1 in 2008 and another culprit of the crashgate incident, had to serve a five-year ban but came back to the sport within a year following a revoked suspension.
Even the leniency towards the Renault team and both its drivers, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr., was a major cause for concern as the authorities took little action against them. 15 years after the major incident, the sport of F1 continues to experience the aftershocks, and it looks likely that they will continue until there are fair consequences for all guilty parties.
