Felipa Massa believes he should be the 2008 F1 world champion. Picture: Getty Images
Singapore once again proved to be the nemesis for a top team. This year it was Red Bull who found themselves suffering from the Singapore F1 gremlin, that unknown beastie that robs the dominant cars of performance and reliability.
Despite the best efforts of the Milton Keynes team it was not a great weekend for the championship leaders, as their chance of a whitewash in 2023 went out the window. It did, however, provide for some interesting racing.
A front row featuring Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on pole with the Mercedes of George Russell alongside and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and McLaren’s Lando Norris on the second row, pointed to an excellent race, particularly as Lewis Hamilton was hovering in fifth.
Current championship leader Max Verstappen was the highest-placed Red Bull in 11th.
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Make of it what you will, but after some early excitement, the race became a rather processional demonstration of how to limit tyre wear, until the final laps. Then it became one of the best battles seen for some time.
Sainz constantly allowing the McLaren of Norris to stay within drag reduction range was an inspired defensive tactic and allowed the Spaniard to control the pace, while keeping the charging Mercedes at bay.
Sadly, on the final lap, the hard-charging Russell clipped the barrier. He ended up in the wall and out of the race, handing third spot to Hamilton.
Next week it will be the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and all eyes will be on Red Bull.
I am sure you are aware of Felipe Massa’s intended legal action against Formula 1. He is challenging the FIA over the result of the 2008 World Championship, which he believes was “manipulated”.
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It was the year of “crash-gate”, when a Renault driver crashed his car deliberately to assist his team-mate. Apparently then F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone told the F1 Insider he knew about “crash-gate”.
It was a race where Massa experienced a bad pit stop, subsequently receiving a penalty, dropping him from first to 11th. The resulting loss of points ultimately cost him the championship. The Brazilian is determined to correct the result and is to continue the matter in the courts of law.
Subsequent to this, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff is said to be following the situation “with interest”. It could set a new legal precedent.
Could this mean another round of court action? The memory of Abu Dhabi 2021 is still very strong in the minds of the Brackley-based team.
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