Massa claims Ferrari silenced him over crashgate

Massa Claims Ferrari Silenced Him Over 2008 'Crashgate'

Felipe Massa testified in a London court that Ferrari tried to prevent him from speaking publicly about the 2008 'crashgate' scandal. He also claimed that his future teammate, Fernando Alonso, was aware of the intentional crash from the beginning.

"In October 2009, I told journalists that I believe Fernando Alonso knew the crash was intentional," Massa said during his testimony in a lawsuit against the FIA, F1, and former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. "This assertion was not well-received at the time."

Massa stated that Ferrari’s contract management firm, GSA, drafted a formal letter asking him to retract his comments. The letter was signed by Henry Peter, the Swiss lawyer representing Ferrari.

Despite pressure, Massa refused to release the statement Ferrari prepared for him. Instead, he chose to say publicly that it was time to focus on the future.

Testifying further, Massa revealed that Jean Todt, Ferrari’s team principal and father of Massa’s manager Nicolas Todt, was convinced the Renault crash was deliberate. However, Massa himself doubted it at the time due to Todt’s known dislike of Flavio Briatore.

"Todt said he was convinced Nelsinho had crashed the car on purpose," Massa said. "I didn’t believe it at the time because I knew how much Jean disliked Flavio Briatore."

Massa narrowly lost the 2008 world championship to Lewis Hamilton by just one point.

Author’s summary: Felipe Massa claims Ferrari tried to silence him over the 2008 crashgate scandal and reveals key figures’ knowledge of the deliberate crash, highlighting internal conflicts within the team.

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Nextgen-Auto.com Nextgen-Auto.com — 2025-11-03

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