Mercedes is watching Felipe Massa’s legal case into the 2008 drivers’ championship outcome “with interest” due to the outcome of the 2021 season, according to team principal Toto Wolff.
Massa is taking action based on quotes attributed to former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, that suggested F1 and former FIA president Max Mosley knew of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix “Crashgate” scandal at the time but did not take action until after the championship result could not be changed.
At the same venue 15 years on, the topic of the ongoing case came up due to the fact Massa is trying to dispute Lewis Hamilton’s title that season.
“Well… interesting,” Wolff said when asked about the case. “Interesting to follow. Clearly not something that anyone saw coming. The rules are pretty clear in Formula 1; there’s a civil case behind it. It will certainly set a precedent, whatever it is. Yeah, we’re looking from the sidelines with curiosity.”
When it was put to Wolff that there are similarities in the way that the 2021 title was impacted by decisions that were not made by the championship-contending teams, he responded: “And the FIA commented on the 2021 race with a clear statement. So that’s why we’re looking at it with interest.”
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Hamilton (pictured above leading Massa that season) was racing for McLaren at the time but the team’s current CEO Zak Brown says there has been no dialogue regarding Massa’s challenge so far.
“It was obviously well before my time — I was actually at the race,” Brown said. “We’ve not been contacted; I’ve not been asked about it. It’s the first time I’ve been asked about it. It doesn’t really involve today’s McLaren, so a little surprised it has come up now. Not sure what’s triggered it now. But we’ll just wait and see if it develops further.”