Felipe Massa sues Formula 1, can Lewis Hamilton stay focused in Japan?

The Formula 1 world has descended on the Suzuka Circuit for the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix. As ever there is no shortage of talking points to get to, including Felipe Massa’s attempt to sue Formula 1 for the 2008 World Championship which he believed was stolen from him.

Red Bull’s season of dominance came to a crashing halt in Singapore when Max Verstappen’s unprecedented run of victories was ended. Verstappen finished in fifth place whilst teammate Sergio Perez struggled to an eight-place finish.

Red Bull was never expecting Singapore to be a fast race for them but the manner of their performance will be some cause for concern. Both drivers complained at length about the car, with some suggesting new technical directives were the cause.

Don’t be surprised if Verstappen is back on top of the podium come Sunday as Red Bull could well put together another comprehensive performance as they look to rebound from a difficult weekend.

Singapore saw Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finish second and seventh respectively, showing McLaren’s continued improvement throughout the season. The Suzuka Circuit may not play to their strengths as much as Singapore but they could well end up in the points once again.

It was a dominant performance for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in Singapore, leading the race from start to finish and using some serious nous to keep the chasing Mercedes off his back, gifting Lando Norris DRS to maintain his own speed, aiding in his fight for second.

With Ferrari’s win in Singapore, the race for second place in the Constructors' Championship is heating back up. Mercedes were on track for a comfortable second-place finish but Sainz's win has started to build some pressure against the German team.

For Mercedes, Japan will be a chance to go even better than their efforts in Singapore, with Lewis Hamilton coming in third place and George Russell putting his car in the wall with just a few laps to go and the podium waiting.

Whilst the Driver’s Championship is all but wrapped up, and second place too, bv Verstappen and Perez respectively, the battle for third place has suddenly become interesting. It seemed as though the veteran Fernando Alonso had it all but sewn up but a resurgent Hamilton and Sainz will make this a battle that goes right to the wire.

Outside of the top teams, there have been few more surprising storylines this season than Liam Lawson’s sudden rise at Alpha Tauri. Effectively the deputy to the deputy as he replaced an injured Daniel Ricciardo (who had replaced Nyck de Vries already) Lawson has finished 13th and ninth in his two race starts, showing real promise for a young driver.

It was a weekend to forget for Aston Martin in Singapore with Alonso struggling for pace and enduring a 25-second pit stop at one point. This was after Lance Stroll missed the race due to injuries sustained in a heavy crash in qualifying. He is back for Japan and will hope he and his teammate can have slightly more success.

For Mercedes, this weekend could prove a little bizarre as Felipe Massa is attempting to sue Formula 1 for the 2008 World Championship, which was won by Lewis Hamilton as a McLaren driver. Massa is claiming he was the victim of a “conspiracy”, allowing Hamilton the chance to win at his expense.

The Austrian, Wolff, who is currently the Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes F1 team is never one to keep quiet, in response to the news regarding Massa, Wolff said, “If everybody were to open up situations then the sport would be in disarray and especially when you look at the full championships”.

Massa is basing his claim around the infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal where Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed leading to Massa losing out on first place.

The Brazilian claims the sport’s leaders knew about the deliberate sabotage of the crash during the season but chose not to take action until after the season had finished.

In Massa’s statement, he claims he is, “seeking justice, my childhood dream, a title for an entire nation, for Brazilians. And for the tifosi [Ferrari fans] too.”