2008 Singapore GP bombshell: Hamilton's maiden title threatened as Massa seeks legal action

The 2008 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix is remembered for various reasons. Fernando Alonso won Renault's first race that year, Felipe Massa finished outside the points after leading the race, and Alonso's teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr, crashed on lap 13.

While this may seem normal and like a typical run-of-the-mill race, it wasn't the case. Almost a year after the race, it came to light that Renault team boss Flavio Briatore ordered Piquet to crash one lap after Alonso made his pitstop.

The safety car's deployment handed Alonso the lead and the win, with Massa, driving for Ferrari, dropping from the lead after his hurried pitstop went awry and he left the pit box with the fuel hose still intact (see image below).

The race would ultimately impact the outcome of the 2008 championship, with Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) sealing his maiden championship win by one point over Massa.

Now, 15 years later, comments made by the sport's former supremo, Bernie Ecclestone (92), have shed light on that momentous race under the Singapore night sky, prompting Massa to take action against a race that changed F1 forever.

Ecclestone's damning comments

Though we're inching closer to two decades since the 2008 Singapore GP, it is still as relevant a topic as the day it was dubbed 'Crashgate'. Briatore and Piquet Jr may have been banned from F1 for life, but the impact of the race, and the lengths teams would go to secure a win, cast an immense light on the sport's operations.

Earlier in 2023, Ecclestone sat down for an interview with F1 Insider and made shocking revelations on the '08 Singapore race.

READ: F1 Gold | How a stuck fuel pipe dashed Felipe Massa's 2008 championship hopes

"Max Mosley (the then FIA president) and I were informed during