POLE POSITION: It’s been 15 years, Felipe, and you’re still not the rightful champion. It’s time to admit defeat!

If Felipe Massa had any sense of decorum, he would accept the result of a world championship that ended fifteen years ago.

But only in recent days has the Brazilian indicated that he is seeking compensation for his loss to Lewis Hamilton in 2008, marking the Briton’s first and most dramatic title success, achieved at the final corner of the season in Sao Paulo.

Admittedly, Massa himself came so close to victory that until Hamilton passed Timo Glock, his family was jumping for joy in the Ferrari garage. Their boy, the local favourite, had taken the checkered flag as champion, but was cruelly stripped of the prize as the final threads of the race unraveled behind him.

I can still remember when his father Luis’ mouth fell to the floor when he realized the sporting disappointment that had befallen his relatives.

So I do not speak without sensitivity on this subject, but there are a few details that need to be corrected.

Let’s start with his lawyers’ claims, which are based on the points Massa believes he missed when Fernando Alonso took a lopsided victory in Singapore earlier this season – the staged race that became known as ‘Crashgate’.

“Simply put,” the lawyers argue, “Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Drivers’ Champion, and F1 and the FIA ​​ignored the misconduct that stripped him of that title.

‘Mr Massa cannot fully quantify his losses at this stage, but estimates that they are likely to exceed the tens of millions of euros.

“This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational damage suffered by Mr. Massa.”

Where to start with this package of assumptions?

Well, to say that he is the rightful champion – however simply put – is nonsense. You can’t just transfer Alonso’s points to his and declare QED. The whole dynamic of the season would have been affected, and who’s to say what could have happened?

An example of an unexpected result of an unpredictable event is close by. Massa led in Singapore. When Nelson Piquet Jnr crashed deliberately at the behest of his Renault masters, triggering teammate Alonso’s win, Massa pitted. It was a stop made as a direct result of a circumstance.

The Ferrari mechanics then climbed into the pits. Massa did not score a run. Subsequently, it is extremely doubtful that Formula 1 and the FIA ​​deliberately ignored Renault’s deception.

Massa bases the accusation on an interview that appeared on an obscure German website in March, in which he claimed to quote former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone as saying that he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew about Piquet’s crash in 2008 and did not trade . Ecclestone confirmed last week that he does not recall saying this. My own understanding of the developing scandal, having covered it extensively at the time, is that the crime did not come to the attention of officials until the following season. This was when Piquet was about to be sacked by Renault boss Flavio Briatore and the endangered driver’s disgruntled father, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet Snr, took aim at the duplicitous team.

And on to Masses of ‘losing’. They are only worth considering if he can be determined to be the ‘rightful’ champion. See above for the refutation of that claim.

In any case, Massa is a multi-millionaire who has done very well in his successful career. He doesn’t need money. It is therefore inappropriate to comb the beach with a metal detector on this detachment.

As for the ‘moral’ damage he claims to have suffered, I suggest his right to the crown was washed away by the rains at Monaco and Silverstone. His performance didn’t scream world champion. At the latter he spun five times, in contrast to Hamilton’s mastery that saw him triumph amphibiously by over a minute.

As for the reputational damage, he is known for painfully missing out on the title by one point. He is not charged as a pederast.

Even current Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur is not convinced by Massa’s case.

“I’m not very much in favor of changing the result fifteen minutes after the flag,” he said, suggesting, “Never mind after fifteen years.”

Massa should please himself and act as honorably as he did for him that painful night in his hometown. He could not have been more gracious in crushing defeat.

Felipe, let the past pass.

Lewis’ delay blows a hole in Wolff’s credibility

Toto Wolff is embarrassed by Lewis Hamilton’s recalcitrance in refusing to sign his new contract, despite all essentials already being dealt with (according to Wolff).

Not only is this pantomime a distraction for a team that needs as little of it as possible, but what’s really damaging is the credibility hole that Hamilton is punching through his team boss. Think back to Monday, June 12, when Wolff claimed the deal would be completed in “days” rather than “weeks.” Alternatively, he said all it took was a conversation over a cup of coffee to tie up loose ends.

These unfulfilled statements left Wolff as a bystander with no clue as to what is going on in his own team. And made it look like the tail was wagging the dog. Imagine Sir Alex Ferguson being fooled in this way. Or, in Formula 1 terms, Bernie Ecclestone or Ron Dennis or Luca di Montezemolo. Or, to the minute, Christian Horner.

Wolff’s final explanation for the delay is that the paperwork is handled by the lawyers. You hope they don’t charge by the hour.

But more seriously, if Mercedes wants to return to the top, clear leadership is needed, not this muddled message that smacks of a team in decline.

Verstappen’s appeal is clearly visible

The roads to the rain-ravaged Zandvoort were already full yesterday. That’s just a faint foretaste of the orange mania that’s set to kick in this weekend.

It all reflects the fact that Max Verstappen, who is chasing a record ninth straight win at the Dutch Grand Prix, is by far the most famous sports star in the Netherlands today.

Without him this race would not take place. That is the appeal that Verstappen exerts, however monopolistic his grip on all prizes is.