Toto Wolff has said that Mercedes are watching with ‘curiosity’ as to how Felipe Massa‘s legal case works out as the Brazilian chases the 2008 Formula 1 championship.
Following comments by Bernie Ecclestone the ex-Ferrari driver has opened a legal case to see if he can claim the title he lost out on 15 years ago.
The former-F1 boss said that he knew of a rule to cancel the result of the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix after it was revealed Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed on purpose to win help teamate Fernando Alonso win race.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was dominating the Grand Prix and should the incident never happened, it would have allowed Massa to win the title by seven points ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who was crowed the eventual champion.
With a raised eyebrow, Wolff hinted that at the German team could start litigation regarding the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP; when Hamilton lost a record-breaking eighth driver’s championship after the FIA incorrectly applied safety car rules.
“Well, interesting to follow,” Wolff said to the media. “Clearly, it’s not something that anybody saw coming. The rules are pretty clear in Formula 1.
“Is there a civil case behind it? It will certainly set a precedent, whatever it is. We’re looking from the side-lines with curiosity.”
Mercedes protested the result of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP at the time, but it was later rejected by the stewards, effectively crowning Max Verstappen as the 2021 champion.
The team then appealed that decision but later withdrew their protest, although Wolff and Hamilton refused to attend the FIA‘s prize-giving ceremony that year.
Massa case doesn’t involve modern McLaren
As the team Hamilton drove for in 2008, the action is involved with McLaren‘s history and heritage.
But the CEO of McLaren Zak Brown said that the team has had no contact regarding the litigation and thus will remain out of the dispute for now.
“It was obviously well before my time,” Brown said to media. “I was actually at the race and yeah, we’ve we’ve not been contacted, not been asked about it.
“This is the first time I’ve been asked about it so doesn’t really involve today’s McLaren, so I’m a little surprised it’s come up now. I’m not sure what’s, what’s triggered it now, but we’ll just wait and see if it develops further.”
