Timo Glock shares his thoughts on Felipe Massa's legal battle amid 2008 F1 title

By now, it is widely known, both within the paddock and beyond, that last summer, former F1 driver Felipe Massa initiated a legal action against Formula 1 and the sport’s governing body, the FIA, with the aim of revisiting the outcome of the 2008 world championship and being declared the world champion instead of Lewis Hamilton (who won with just one point to spare). This legal action is based on the convictions of Massa’s legal team, who are certain of the manipulation that took place at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The manipulation, known as “Crashgate,” with Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashing to trigger the Safety Car, thus penalizing Felipe Massa’s race and favoring the victory of his teammate Fernando Alonso, is the basis for Massa’s lawyers, who argue it should lead to the annulment of the Singapore Grand Prix and, consequently, a modification of the final championship standings. According to them, without the Singapore Grand Prix, Felipe Massa would be the world champion, not Lewis Hamilton with McLaren.

A reversal that, according to another indirect protagonist of that season, would be positive for Felipe Massa but entirely negative for the sport in general, across all disciplines, not just Formula One. This perspective was expressed by Timo Glock, former Toyota driver, in a recent interview with “LuckyBlock.com.”

“We might risk opening the doors for all drivers who think they have been treated unfairly. We need to see what happens between Felipe and the courts. If it works, I don’t think it’s the best thing for the sport. The same could be argued for any football match, tennis match, or any other sport.”

However, in addition to the potential consequences for the sport, any potential reversal would be difficult for the general public to comprehend, considering the numerous years that have passed since the incident.

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“I don’t know if it’s the right thing. Moreover, it happened 15 years ago, and people might wonder why all of this is happening so late. I have great respect for Felipe; he knows what he’s doing. We have to see how it turns out.”

A hypothetical reversal that also seems challenging due to the regulations of Formula 1, which state that the results of the season are final once the world championship trophy is awarded. Nevertheless, this situation is generating interest both externally, as just described, and within the paddock.

In fact, Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, had also commented on the matter a few weeks ago, stating that a decision in favor of the Brazilian driver “would set a precedent” that needs to be carefully evaluated, especially since it could be used by Mercedes itself to change the outcome of the highly contested and controversial 2021 world championship between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.