Last week a major bombshell was dropped on F1. Felipe Massa challenged the 2008 championship, one that he lost by a single point to Lewis Hamilton. Looking at the events of the infamous “Crashgate” scandal orchestrated by Renault, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone confessed to being aware of the cheating tactics 15 years later; pushing Massa to attempt to do what no man has done- re-write the past.
In short, should the impossible take place and F1 reinstate the title to Massa, it would make Lewis Hamilton a 6-time champion. However, practically, it is a far-fetched thought with many implications for the sport.
Now, McLaren, Hamilton’s team at the time, has decided to toy with the news on social media. In a recent Tiktok, following a popular meme template, the team mocked the entire conundrum, also implying Massa is in denial still.
Rubbing salt on wounds, a screenshot of the headline was followed by a montage of Hamilton and the Papaya team celebrating the infamous victory- one remembered as what Ferrari was celebrating just seconds before. A PR masterpiece, the fan’s verdict?
Lewis Hamilton fans pleased with McLaren
It’s safe to say that fans absolutely loved the petty, salty dig at Massa, blatantly calling him out for his attempt to get a title 15 years later. Twitter was well amused with the short clip. In fact, the TikTok admin for the team also found some newfound respect on the platform.
i was unfamiliar with McLaren’s game… https://t.co/K7JHjzQCZ8
— A 🍒💋 | PCY1 happened (@positionsofloey) April 12, 2023
https://twitter.com/ladyd7/status/1646229619811418115?s=20
Hahaha
Mclaren did this. 😂
Please someone tell me it’s true @McLarenF1 – didn’t know you were chill like that !! https://t.co/q3otu0tfer— V F1 (@swiftsambi) April 12, 2023
https://twitter.com/adorefortyfour/status/1646201440417857548?s=20
Clearly having won over their fans with this sly move, fans were mostly glad the team had Hamilton’s back.
McLaren tiktok admin posted this with "denial is a river in Egypt" as the caption😭THEY NEED A RAISE THEY NEED A RAISE😭the shade😭 pic.twitter.com/RRsgozWjok
— nicole🦋 (@nicol3pow3ll) April 12, 2023
What does Felipe Massa really want?
Ecclestone claims that they had gathered enough information to warrant a full investigation into the incident, which should have resulted in the Singapore Grand Prix being canceled in accordance with the sport’s regulations. If this had happened, Massa would have emerged as the World Champion.
The new comments from Ecclestone have stirred up Massa’s desire to revisit the events of the 2008 season and potentially challenge the official results. Ecclestone’s admission has added weight to Massa’s claims, and many fans are now calling for a formal investigation into the matter.
Massa claimed, “After 15 years, we hear that the [ex] owner of the category says that he found out in 2008, together with the president of the FIA, and they did nothing, to not tarnish the name of F1”
Although Massa is aware that many legal systems would not entertain action after such a long time, he remains hopeful that “justice” will ultimately prevail and the outcome will be reversed.
