Perhaps considered the biggest controversy in F1, here's the full story of "Crashgate" – what happened, why and how it affected the outcome of the 2008 World Championship between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.
It was one of F1's biggest scandals, and even now, 15 years after the door crash, Nelson Piquet Jr.'s deliberate "accident" at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix has made waves at the Grand Prix.
What initially appeared to be a simple and strange mistake made by an inexperienced rider soon erupted into a major controversy that played a crucial role in the outcome of the 2008 Drivers' World Championship.
Felipe Massa lost the lead of the race after the accident and dropped points that would allow him to beat Lewis Hamilton to claim the year's title. Now, Massa has said he intends to take legal action on the matter.
This was after an interview with former F1 supremacy Bernie Ecclestone earlier this year, who told ** that he and Max Moseley, the former president of the FIA, the governing body of racing, knew about the deliberate crash shortly after the race, but did not take action.
According to Reuters, it reignited the controversy and was the basis for a pre-claim letter that Massa's lawyers had sent to F1 and the FIA – a stage before the matter was brought to court. It is understood that Massa lost the championship due to a "conspiracy" and received millions of euros in compensation for it.
The FIA confirms receipt of the letter from the representative of Mr. Felipe Massa," said the FIA spokesperson. "The matter is under review and we will not comment at this stage. ”
Massa claimed he was the legitimate 2008 World Champion, and Hamilton was wrongly awarded the title. But what really happened?
Fernando Alonso and Renault had won world titles in 2005 and 2006, but two years later – after Alonso's tumultuous year at McLaren – the team was in a slump in midfield, suggesting that Renault was ready to pull the plug if the results did not improve.
Team manager Flavio Briatore was under pressure and with four races to go, Alonso missed the podium in 2008. Teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. is trying to make an impact – except for the German Grand Prix, where he stumbled to the front (fuel and tyres at the time) before the safety car period.
In 2007 and 2008, the pit lane was closed during the safety car, meaning that any rider lucky enough to make a forward stop in the event of a major accident could gain a huge advantage – as Piquet demonstrated at the Nürburgring. Refueling and putting on new tires, he closed to the rest of the venue – who hadn't stopped yet – as they lined up behind the safety car.
It was the draw luck that all teams were hoping for: when the safety car entered the pits – followed by most of the cars – Piquet jumped from 14th to third. He took the lead at one point and finished second.
However, it was not the victory the team craved. Singapore's first match, time is running out, but hope is rising. Alonso was the fastest in two of the three practice sessions and looked competitive in qualifying: sixth in Q1.
Then, a fuel hose issue in Q2 put him 15th on the grid, one spot ahead of Piquet. In the narrow streets of Singapore, neither seems to stand much of a chance. Or so we thought.
As the race progressed, Alonso made a quick pit stop on lap 12 to get fuel and tyres. Given his mid-range position, it didn't make sense to give him low fuel at the start and the Renault rider to drop to the back at the time.
But after a lap, Alonso's prospects skyrocketed as his team-mate was told to push at Turn 17 and then hit the wall, taking the safety car out and closing the pits.
Considering the low speed of the corner, a crash there is unlikely, let alone two in an afternoon: the Brazilian skidded in the same spot during the warm-up lap 20 minutes earlier. Add to that Alonso's bizarre strategy, and suspicions have formed.
Just as Piquet benefited in Germany, Alonso also benefited in Marina Bay. Most of the riders would have been pitted and he was suddenly fifth. When the dust settled, he was taking the lead.
But some lost to Alonso in more than just one position: Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica were stopped, and their low fuel levels forced them to stop when the pits were closed.
For the leader of the competition, Felipe Massa, the situation is even worse. Ferrari summoned two cars immediately after the safety car period ended, scrambling to send Massa out before team-mate Kimi Raikkonen arrived, and he was given the green light prematurely. His fuel hose hadn't been removed yet, and he pulled it out of the pump and dragged it down the pitway. His mechanic ran over to take it away, but the title fight was lost in the end.
Massa ended up a meaningless finish in 13th place, while Alonso held on to the lead until the chequered flag for his 20th career victory, followed by Rosberg in second and Hamilton in third.
Masa was forced to finish in 13th place on the front pole. Piquet Jr. later called his strange crash a simple mistake.
At the time, some people raised the possibility of a foul, but only a few within Renault knew that the crash was not an accident, as well as Piquet Jr.'s father, who was told next week. "When Nelson hit me, I asked him what happened when the car hit the wall," Piquet Sr. told Motorsport in 2013.
He said it was all preset and he was told to do it. I was shocked: "How can you do such a thing?".I asked him. He said'Look, you should know what the pressure is like here. They told me that if I wanted to be part of the team, I had to do what they wanted to do. ”
Piquet said he retold the story in a private capacity to F1's then-race director Charlie Whiting, who had said he needed to file a formal complaint before the matter could be dealt with further. But since Piquet Jr. was still in Renault, he didn't say anything more.
That was until Renault fired Piquet Jr. in the middle of the following 2009 season, citing performance clauses. He quickly sprinkled the beans and told the FIA that team manager Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds ordered him to crash to ensure Alonso had a better chance of winning.
I went to see Max (Moseley) when Briatore confirmed to me that it would be the end for Nelson," said Piquet Sr. "I told Nelson that he would never play in F1 again, either he could do it easily or we could get some money from Renault. He said'Well, let's go fight'。”
Subsequently, the FIA summoned key figures to investigate, but the story was contradictory. Simmonds said in an interview that Piquet Jr. himself came up with the idea after his success in Germany to try to help the team and keep his F1 seat. Due to the risk that the team could be penalized, Simmonds said he grudgingly agreed to the plan.
Shortly before the FIA hearing, which would have resulted in Renault being disqualified from the 2009 F1 season and suspended for two years, Briatore and Simmonds resigned, but still received their own punishment.
Although he continued to claim his innocence, Briatore was sentenced to a lifetime ban from participating in all FIA-sanctioned racing competitions and a hefty fine. Symonds pleaded guilty to involvement and was subsequently banned for five years. Piquet himself escaped punishment after helping with the investigation, and Alonso was acquitted and kept the match winning.
Later, a French court ruled that the punishment was unlawful and the FIA was forced to pay Briatore £12,000 in damages and reduce Simonds' ban to three years.
The biggest impact of the crash was not to keep Renault in F1 (Alonso went on to win the rest of the race fairly), but it seemed to change the course of the 2008 Drivers' World Championship.
Massa looked destined to win in Singapore, but a chaotic pit stop cost him any points hopes. Fast forward to the final round in Brazil, where Hamilton led by seven points in the championship. If Massa wins in Singapore and Hamilton finishes third, the McLaren riders will only have a three-point advantage. That meant he lost the title by three points, rather than winning by one on the dramatic final lap.
It is uncertain whether Massa will emerge victorious in Singapore if the race goes on track, but even finishing on the podium will be enough to make a difference at the end of the season.
However, with the scandal only coming to light a year later, Massa had little hope of overturning the title that had already been awarded. That was until Ecclestone commented earlier this year that he and Moseley knew about the deliberate crash before the end of the 2008 season;They have been silent, trying to avoid scandal;And the Singapore game should be canceled "according to the rules".
Probably this is the angle that Massa will rely on: remove the results from Singapore, and the six points that Hamilton has taken from the championship standings, and the Brazilian will be the champions.