Former FIA president Jean Todt reiterated his view that the 2008 Singapore GP should have been canceled by the FIA when it first emerged that the race had been manipulated.
Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has embarked on a legal battle to challenge the results of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship, arguing that the FIA's knowledge of Nelson Piquet Jr's deliberate crash during the Singapore GP, which ultimately benefited teammate Fernando Alonso, warranted the race annulment.
Massa believes that the FIA had sufficient time to act on the information and invalidate the race results before the F1 title was officially awarded, with the world championship ultimately going to Lewis Hamilton
If the race were deemed null and void, Massa would be the rightful champion.
However, the FIA Statutes' stipulation that results are final from the end of the year in which the event took place presents a significant hurdle for the Brazilian’s quest to overturn the outcome of the championship.
Todt, who assumed the FIA presidency in 2009, well after the Singapore GP controversy, acknowledged last week in an interview with Italy’s La Stampa that the race was “rigged”.
Speaking this week to France’s L’Equipe, he confirmed his view, adding that the case was unique due to the timing of the revelations of the cheating.
He explained that the FIA's decision to maintain the race results was based on the presumption that race winner Alonso was not aware of Renault's orchestrated maneuver.
"This case is special," Todt said. "There was proven cheating that we only found out about later. The rule at the FIA has always been that the results must be ratified by December 31, and that we never go back on them.
"For this Singapore case, the facts were only revealed a year later, and the sanctions imposed by the FIA before my arrival were cancelled by the Paris Judicial Court."
However, in light of recent revelations by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone that then FIA president Max Mosley and F1 race director Charlie Whiting were aware of the situation before the season-ending Brazilian GP, Todt acknowledged that the FIA should have handled the situation differently.
"According to Bernie Ecclestone, Max Mosley, my predecessor, and Charlie Whiting, [F1] race director, were in the know from the beginning," added the Frenchman.
"When I was president of the FIA, I was not informed of this. Discovering that the federation knew the truth before this famous December 31 could indeed change things.
"Unfortunately, Charlie and Max have passed away. In hindsight, well, we should have asked for the race to be cancelled.
"The completely new fact, if it is true and verifiable, is that the regulator who made the championship official knew [about what happened]."
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