Red Bull senior figure would like Felipe Massa to win his 2008 championship battle against Lewis Hamilton so the Brit could have 'one less' F1 title

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stated that he would love to see Felipe Massa celebrate his 2008 title as Lewis Hamilton will have one less world championship to his name.

The Brazilian has taken legal action for the 2008 title as he claimed he was 'cheated out of the title' given the controversial nature of the Singapore GP that season. While many in the sport have been against Massa's case, Red Bull's advisor was rather supportive of the former Ferrari driver.

Speaking with Kronen Zeitung, Helmut Marko claimed that he was always suspicious of Renault's actions during the race.

"Even the choice of lap for the stop was suspicious," he said. "Afterward, it was an open secret. I just wondered why it took so long for this matter to come to light. If there are new facts, then the case can be solved. And then the chances for Massa are not so bad. The only question is, where would we end up if we have to re-evaluate many other races where incidents have also occurred?"

"It was terrible to see Massa celebrating for 20 seconds that he had won the title in Brazil, and then suddenly, it was all gone. I would love to see him win the title - and Hamilton, for whom records are not so important, would then have one less," he added.

Lewis Hamilton gives his take on the Felipe Massa legal case

The Brit pointed out that he wasn't too bothered or focused on the events of 15 years ago as he wanted to focus on the present.

Ahead of the 2023 Singapore GP, Lewis Hamilton said:

“If that’s the direction that Felipe wants to go, that’s his decision. Whether it’s 15 years ago, two years ago, or three days ago. I’m only interested in the present and my focus is on helping my team this week.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff weighed in on the issue and said the team were focusing on the case and added:

"Clearly not something that anybody saw coming. The rule is pretty clear in Formula 1. There's a civil case behind it, it will certainly set a precedent whatever it is. We are looking from the sidelines with curiosity. The FIA commented on the 2021 race with a clear statement. So that is why we are looking at it with interest."

It will be fascinating to see how Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff react to Helmut Marko's comments.