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In a surprising turn of events, Felipe Massa is making waves in the Formula One world as he seeks to overturn Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title triumph. The Brazilian has recently spoken out on his quest, expressing his desire for Ferrari to support him.
Felipe Massa and the Ferrari team during the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Giles Villeneuve on June 10th, 2007 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)Massa seeks Ferrari’s support
On the 15th anniversary of the 2008 race in Brazil, during an exclusive interview with Racing News 365, Massa, who is not seeking any financial settlement, made it very clear, that he, wholeheartedly, believes that the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, 15 years ago was undeniably fixed. He believes the championship result was marred by manipulation. However, his former team, Ferrari, have been notably quiet since allegations first arose, leaving a fog of suspense hanging over the F1 Community.
Massa expressed his belief that former team, Ferrari, having shared in the championship loss, would rally behind him. The Brazilian driver said:
“I am still expecting to be together and have support because, in the end, we lost the championship together.
“I love Ferrari; it is part of my heart, and I am definitely a big Ferrari fan and will be all my life for everything [that happened] during my time with the team, with the fans, the opportunities, and the dreams that I had.”
His obvious and well-documented deep affection for Ferrari was made abundantly clear throughout the interview. Massa’s legal team await documents from the FIA and Formula One with the deadline slowly creeping up on the Brazilian’s team really turning up the heat. Despite the impending deadline, Massa remains hopeful that Ferrari will join him in challenging the outcome. Massa continued saying:
“So I definitely expect it to be on my side because we lost the championship together through the manipulation that happened.”
Drawing Circles
Drawing a direct comparison to Toto Wolff and the 2021 season, Massa said:
“Anytime that you hear about Toto Wolff talking about 2021, he is the most supportive person, so with that, I cannot really believe that Ferrari won’t be on that situation with me.”
Despite some pointing the finger at him being solely to blame for the controversy that has since plagued the season, Massa expressed disbelief that Ferrari would not stand by him in his quest to have the result overturned.
“For the moment, they are quiet, but I really believe they will be on my side, and I really hope that is the case because that is the correct thing for what happened to us. What happened to me happened to Ferrari as well.”
Massa’s one-man army-style approach in his quest to revisit the 2008 title has garnered support not only in Brazil but from fans around the world. “The reaction is very, very supportive,” he shared.
“Everywhere I go, in the airport, the supermarket, the restaurant, people stop me to say that they are on my side and that I need to fight because what happened to you is not part of the sport, and that I am the champion.”
Undeterred by some hesitancy within the racing world, Massa underlined and made bold the reason behind the request to overturn the result despite some odd looks and near enough radio silence from those he would have likely expected to come out in support of his cause.
“Many people in the racing world, you can sometimes see they are a bit afraid to express their support for me, but there are many who back me, even inside motorsport, so I am not doing it alone.
“I’m doing it for my country because Brazil lost out by not being recognised as a champion. That could have been amazing to help motorsport grow – and we don’t have a Brazilian driver in Formula 1 at the moment.”
Headline image: GettyImages
