Felipe Massa calls out Daniel Ricciardo after ‘not particularly nice joke’ made

Felipe Massa says Daniel Ricciardo’s joke in Singapore about bringing “Piquet back” was “not a particularly nice” joke as that 2008 crash was “not correct” for F1.

Nelson Piquet Jr crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix in what he at the time called a “simple mistake”, but it was later revealed to have been orchestrated by Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds.

Felipe Massa wasn’t laughing at Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘Piquet’ joke

The timing of the crash elevated Piquet Jr’s team-mate Fernando Alonso into the lead and he won the race while Massa, who had been leading before the crash, had a botched pit stop and drove off with the fuel hose still attached.

He finished the race outside the points and today blames Crashgate, as it became known, for losing the Drivers’ title to Lewis Hamilton by a single point.

He’s suing then-F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA after the former supremo revealed last year that he already knew about the scandal in 2008 and “decided not to do anything” to “protect” the sport.

Formula 1 was back at the scene of the crime last month for the Singapore Grand Prix where Ricciardo , who was contesting his final race with VCARB, joked about needing all the help he could get after having been knocked out in Q1.

“Hopefully, a well-timed Safety Car,” he said. “Bring Piquet back, and let’s make it happen!”

Massa wasn’t laughing.

“I think jokes are jokes,” he told Motorsport-Total.com . “But that is perhaps not a particularly nice joke. Joking about something that was not correct for the sport is not so nice.

“But I was not there, I did not hear the exact wording, and I understand that jokes are jokes. But it is definitely not a nice joke, and of course not a nice thing that this happened to me.”

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Issuing an update on his legal proceedings against Ecclestone, the FIA and F1, Masa says things are “going well.

“We are definitely fighting for justice because it was not fair. Especially to hear after 15 years that they already knew in 2008 and decided not to do anything at all. That was too much for me.

“That is why I have put together a group of professional legal representatives. It is not my area of ​​expertise, of course, but we have a large team fighting for justice and the right thing and that is what we are doing.

“For sure we are fighting because of something that was not fair, because of what happened,” he added. “What I am definitely looking for is to be recognised. Recognised as a champion because I deserve it.

“It was not fair what happened to me, because of something that happened in the race and is not part of the sport. That is why I am fighting and I am definitely fighting to the end.”

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