“You Can’t Claim a World Title”: Felipe Massa’s $80M Lawsuit Towards Lewis Hamilton Rubbished by Ex-McLaren Engineer

Former F1 driver Felipe Massa is out on his quest to hunt justice. He lately made headlines when he filed a $80 million lawsuit towards F1 and FIA, demanding accountability for the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ incident that took away the World Champion title from him. The Ferrari driver was main the race on the Singapore Grand Prix when Nelson Piquet Jr., ‘deliberately’ crashed bringing out the protection automobiles. Following a disastrous pitstop, Massa failed to carry on to his place, and in the end, misplaced the championship to Lewis Hamilton. Furthermore, guess what was the margin of this victory? Only a level!

However Ex-McLaren engineer Marc Priestley holds a unique opinion in mild of those occasions. Whereas speaking to MARC, Priestley stated: ” I imagine that you simply can not declare a world title. I feel you may very properly declare some form of injustice or appropriate some form of selections, however you may’t return and alter the titles as a result of there was extra than simply that incident that was affected in Singapore. There are too many unknowns that might have developed otherwise.”

What Priestley was making an attempt to indicate is that, perhaps, the end result of the race would’ve been the identical, even when Piquet hadn’t crashed. Furthermore, making an attempt to revise the previous outcomes would solely set a worrisome instance. It could additionally carry a level of distrust among the many viewers, which in flip, would have an effect on the game and put an enormous query mark on the integrity of F1 and FIA. The game runs on established guidelines and rules relevant to every particular person, so, altering the course of previous occasions would solely carry extra chaos into the image.

Rules aren’t really easy to bend primarily based on ‘isolated’ incidents. And from a authorized side, Massa’s case is much more sophisticated than it appears. However right here, his warfare just isn’t for the financial compensation, however for the acknowledgment of ‘forced ignorance’ on the group’s half. Massa’s outrage is on the truth that Lewis Hamilton’s victory was orchestrated and never real. And the governing our bodies selected to do nothing about it.

Massa needs FIA to rectify what was taken from him and given to Lewis Hamilton

What occurred in Singapore 16 years in the past has influenced many sides of Massa’s life. A World Championship may’ve modified the trajectory of his profession identical to it did for Lewis Hamilton. He would’ve added a feather of success to his hat, so, this lawsuit just isn’t for cash; it’s for FIA to mirror on their previous errors and take accountability for what had occurred. Felipe Massa has referred to as the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix akin to corruption and manipulation. His demand of over $80 million consists of the prize cash and different potential offers he may’ve acquired had he gained the Championship.

This reveals how a single occasion can flip an athlete’s whole profession the other way up. Massa’s quest for rectification of what he perceives as a pivotal injustice in his profession throws mild on the transparency of judgment.  Moreover, the end result of this case may probably affect how Formulation 1 manages controversial incidents and its historic data. Many elements come into play in a race, all of which might affect outcomes in methods which can be tough to quantify or undo. Sueing FIA or F1 or Bernie Ecclestone or Lewis Hamilton, as a matter of truth, may additionally set off a possible discontent amongst followers.

And as one may surprise, why after so a few years did Felipe Massa select to race his voice? Marc Priestley’s cautionary stance on revisiting historic occasions aligns with the complexities and challenges inherent in Felipe Massa’s lawsuit. Whereas Felipe Massa seeks accountability, the sensible and authorized hurdles in altering previous championship outcomes are substantial.

Now, it is going to be intriguing to see how F1 addresses controversial incidents and navigates the fragile steadiness between sporting integrity and the calls for for justice. What are your opinions on this controversial lawsuit?  Share your ideas beneath.