'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Felipe Massa has revealed that Ferrari instructed him to stay silent about Crashgate in 2009, as Fernando Alonso was set to join the Italian team the following season. The Brazilian claims he already knew his soon-to-be teammate was aware of what happened behind the scenes at the Singapore Grand Prix but was told not to make any public comments.
Felipe Massa is currently involved in court proceedings at the High Court of Justice in London against the FIA, Formula One Management, and Bernie Ecclestone. He alleges that the infamous Crashgate incident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix cost him the world title.
The 44-year-old's action follows Ecclestone’s admission that he and then-FIA president Max Mosley were aware the crash had been deliberate, and yet no action was taken at the time.
Trending
During his testimony in court recently, Massa even involved Ferrari and Fernando Alonso in the mix. The former F1 driver revealed that he told multiple journalists in 2009 that he believed that Fernando Alonso knew the events of Crashgate were deliberate.
But Ferrari allegedly asked him to not make any such statements to the public, as Alonso was all set to join the Maranello-based outfit in 2010.
"When Ferrari found out, GSA sent me a letter on October 16, 2009, reprimanding me for making public comments about Fernando Alonso," said Massa. [via Nextgen-Auto.com]
"I learned before my accident in July 2009 that Alonso was going to drive for Ferrari in the 2010 F1 season," he added.
Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed at the inaugural Singapore GP in 2008, triggering a safety car that handed Fernando Alonso the victory. Massa, who was leading before the crash, suffered a disastrous pit stop, and finished pointless. At the end of the season, the Ferrari man lost the drivers' title to Lewis Hamilton by just 1 point.
Felipe Massa also claims Ferrari urged him to defend Fernando Alonso amid the Crashgate controversy
Felipe Massa has also claimed that the Ferrari team wanted him to release a press statement in 2009, stating that he had no suspicions about Fernando Alonso with regards to the Spaniard's role in the Crashgate controversy. Massa says he refused to do so.
As part of his testimonies at the London High Court, Massa shared that Ferrari asked him to do so, in a letter that was sent to him by the Italian group's lawyer, Henry Peter.
"The letter was signed by Henry Peter," Massa said. "Ferrari then drafted a statement that I was supposed to release, but I refused to do so. Instead, I simply stated that it was time to look to the future."
Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were then teammates at Ferrari from 2010 to 2013, before the former moved to Williams in 2014. He then retired from F1 in 2016, before returning to the Grove-based team for one last season in 2017, as Valtteri Bottas moved to Mercedes.
