Felipe Massa has been involved in a legal battle with the FIA and F1 over the Crashgate scandal that dates back to 2008. Massa, who could have won the championship without the controversy, wants compensation in terms of money. He is also looking to get the title stripped away from Lewis Hamilton. Now, as per F1 Maximaal, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko extends his support to the Brazilian driver. He thinks that when it comes to taking facts into account, there is no reason why Massa shouldn’t get the world title.
In 2008, Nelson Piquet Jr. of Renault intentionally crashed in the streets of Singapore, which gave his teammate Fernando Alonso an unprecedented advantage in the race. Massa who went on to suffer a pit mishap had to retire from the race. In the end, Massa lost out on the championship by just one point to Hamilton. Hence, earlier this year, when Marko said that the information related to the Crashgate scandal was not a secret, Massa was enraged and decided to sue the governing body.
Most people don’t seem to think that the FIA will strip Hamilton of the 2008 world title. Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko, on the other hand, fully supports the ex-Ferrari driver.
On the basis of facts, Massa can get his world title back- Helmut Marko
Red Bull and Mercedes have been rivals for a long time. Regardless, their main figures Christian Horner and Max Verstappen didn’t really have any strong opinions on Massa’s legal battle. Marko, meanwhile, who is known for making controversial comments far too often, decided to support Massa and take a dig at Hamilton at the same time.
“If there are new facts. Massa’s chances may not be so bad,” Marko said as per F1 Maximaal. “The question is, what will happen if we have to rethink the results of other incident races.”
Marko went on to say how saddening it was to witness Massa’s triumph turn to misery. For this, he wishes that the former F1 driver gets the world championship. He took a shot at Hamilton, suggesting that records aren’t all that important for the 38-year-old.
“I wish he would get the title after all,” he added. “And then Mr. Hamilton, for whom records aren’t that important, has one less.”
However, there is another person who is closely following this legal battle. That person is none other than Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Toto Wolff would like to get Lewis Hamilton his title back
In 2021, Lewis Hamilton lost out on the world championship in heartbreaking circumstances. A portion of the F1 community feels that the FIA wronged Hamilton by awarding the title to Max Verstappen in the closing stages of the 2021 season finale.
#TotoWolff says #F1 risks “disarray” if #FelipeMassa wins his legal bid to overturn the 2008 championship and sets a precedent that others follow.
Do you agree? 👀🏆️ pic.twitter.com/6Onvjkka3I
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) September 19, 2023
As far as Wolff is concerned, if Hamilton loses his title to Massa because of what happened in 2008, he can fight for his star driver and get him the 2021 battle. However, whether these two wins are overturned in the courtroom or not, remains to be seen.
