Massa finds it hard to stomach 'fraudulent' world championship

Felipe Massa still cannot let go of the lost 2008 world title. In a written piece for The Players' Tribune, Massa looks back on what he believes was a "fraudulent" championship.

Everyone remembers the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. Massa was world champion for half a lap until the moment between Lewis Hamilton and Timo Glock. Hamilton overtook Glock in the last corner of the final lap, and so it was not Massa, but Hamilton who became the 2008 world champion.

Yet it is not that race for which Massa and his lawyers are fighting a battle, but the Singapore Grand Prix. The infamous 'Crashgate scandal' occurred there and after a comment from Bernie Ecclestone, Massa has been hunting for that title. Indeed, the former F1 boss revealed that it was already known in 2008 that Renault had cheated, but if so, why was the result not overturned?

Massa continues to fight for world title

That is what Massa and his lawyers are now looking at: if that result is overturned, Hamilton loses six points, and the Brazilian is champion. The former F1 driver is therefore leaving no opportunity to express his dissatisfaction with the whole situation.

"Being defeated fraudulently is revolting. And sweeping the dirt under the rug is vile. The world of sport needs an answer and deserves reparation. For my part, I can say that I still live with a tremendous feeling of injustice," Massa said.

Whether Massa will actually claim the title remains very much in doubt. Although Ecclestone has claimed to have already known about 'Crashgate', Hamilton was simply declared the winner at the end of that year. The regulations clearly state that the moment of Price Giving is decisive and irrevocable.