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Lewis Hamilton insists he is “not focusing on what happened 15 years ago” when questioned on Thursday about Felipe Massa’s legal action over the 2008 Formula 1 title. Massa is seeking substantial damages following the 2008 Crashgate scandal and a subsequent alleged “conspiracy” after comments earlier this year by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Hamilton, now a seven-time world champion, won his first F1 title in 2008 on the final lap of a dramatic final race in Brazil, with Massa missing out by a single point. A formal eight-page ‘Letter Before Claim’ was sent to F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last Tuesday from London-based Enyo Law with the firm, acting on Massa’s behalf, alleging that the 42-year-old has been “the victim of a conspiracy committed by individuals at the highest level of F1 together with the FIA and Formula One management”. Yet Hamilton, when asked about the case ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, remained tight-lipped. “I’ve got a really bad memory,” Hamilton said. “I’m really just focused on the here and now and helping the team get back to the championship. I’m not focused on what happened 15 years ago.” Massa’s lawyers stated in their letter that the ex-Ferrari driver has lost out on tens of millions of euros in lost earnings and bonuses as a result of missing out on the 2008 title. What was the ‘Crashgate’ scandal? Crashgate rocked Formula 1 when the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix saw Renault’s Fernando Alonso win the race before it emerged that his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr had deliberately crashed to bring out a safety car that played into Alonso’s hands. That safety car prompted a Massa pit stop that Ferrari mishandled, with Massa eventually finishing the race 13th while Hamilton came home third – a difference of six points, a swing which ultimately impacted the title result. While Renault and team boss Flavio Briatore were punished in 2009 for Crashgate, the result of the race stood despite Massa’s protestations, with the FIA’s statutes making clear that overturning the classification from each season is impossible once the FIA Awards Ceremony for that year is complete, a rule set in the FIA International Sporting Code. Ecclestone revealed in March that both he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew of the Crashgate scandal in 2008, but refused to publicise the chain of events to avoid the sport a “huge scandal”. The 38-year-old also gave a simple “no” response when asked about any contract updates, with his current Mercedes deal set to expire at the end of the season. Hamilton has not won a race since Saudi Arabia in 2021, but he came close this time last year at Zandvoort before Max Verstappen came through to win his home race for the second year running. Verstappen, who has won 10 of the 12 races so far this season and is looking to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories this weekend, has a “high chance” according to Hamilton of winning every race until the end of the 2023 campaign. The Mercedes star himself, however, is targeting second place in the world championship. He is currently in fourth place, 41 points behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in second. “I think P2 [in the constructors’] is a huge achievement and something that has been overlooked if I’m completely honest,” he said, with the Silver Arrows the next-best behind Red Bull. “Ultimately we want to win, but I’m really proud of the team and the steps we’ve made with the car. “My goal is to make sure the team keep second in the championship and try to hunt down second in the drivers’ championship. That’s my goal – that’ll be fun.” Verstappen has a 125-point lead in the championship heading into his home race this weekend, with 10 races remaining this season. Read More Felipe Massa starts legal action over 2008 F1 title loss to Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton would be taking gamble by leaving Mercedes, says former rival F1 Dutch Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Zandvoort? F1 takes steps to prevent use of flares at Dutch Grand Prix F1 Dutch Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Zandvoort? F1 2023 race schedule: When is the Dutch Grand Prix?

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Haas has named an unchanged driver line-up for 2024 with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg both retained by the American team. Hulkenberg, 36, had been without a full-time seat on the grid since 2019, but has impressed since replacing Mick Schumacher. Magnussen, 30, was handed a second stint with Haas on the eve of last season after Russian driver Nikita Mazepin was sacked. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said: “It’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula One and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward. “Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours. With 113 starts for our team alone, we know where his strengths lie and his knowledge and experience of our organisation pairs very well with that too. “On the other side of the garage, Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team. He’s approaching 200 starts in Formula One and we’re very happy to be the beneficiary of that experience behind the wheel.” Heading into the second half of this year’s 22-round campaign, Haas are eighth of 10 in the constructors’ standings. Hulkenberg scored the team’s best result of the season so far with a seventh place in Australia in April. He also qualified second at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, and has scored nine points to Magnussen’s two. “It’s nice to get things sorted early for next season to just keep the focus on racing and improving performance,” said the German. Magnussen added: “I’m obviously very happy to see my relationship with Haas extended once again. “My return in 2022 had been unexpected but was filled with numerous highlights, and although this season hasn’t gone quite as we’d hoped, we’ve still managed to get into the points and shown potential in the package we have.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Haas have confirmed an unchanged line-up on the grid for the 2024 Formula 1 season with both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen retaining their seats. The experienced pairing have combined well so far in 2023, with Hulkenberg particularly impressive in qualifying. Though the team’s qualifying speed has translated to just three combined top ten race finishes, Haas hope that tweaks made during the F1 summer break will allow them to climb the Constuctors Championship standings from their current position of eighth. And some reports suggested that Guenther Steiner’s team may look to refresh their driver line-up with a younger option alongside one of the veterans in 2024, Haas have now confirmed that the German and the Dane will again combine. “I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula 1 and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward,” said team principal Steiner. “Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours. With 113 starts for our team alone, we know where his strengths lie and his knowledge and experience of our organisation pairs very well with that too. “On the other side of the garage, Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team. He’s approaching 200 starts in Formula 1 and we’re very happy to be the beneficiary of that experience behind the wheel. “We’ve had to tackle our issues this season with regards to the VF-23, we don’t hide from that, but we’ve been extremely fortunate to have had two drivers whose feedback is invaluable in assisting our engineering objectives.” Hulkenberg was given a surprise F1 lifeline before the start of this season, with the German called in from a position as Aston Martin’s reserve driver to replace compatriot Mick Schumacher. It represents the first full-time seat that the 36-year-old has held in the sport since 2019, and Hulkenberg has enjoyed a number of strong showings, making it to Q3 at half of the 12 races so far and recording a best finish of seventh at the Australian Grand Prix. “It’s nice to get things sorted early for next season to just keep the focus on racing and improving performance,” Hulkenberg said. “I enjoy being part of the team and share Gene [Haas] and Guenther’s passion for it. We’re competing in a very tight midfield and I’m looking forward to building on what we’ve done together so far and taking that forward into 2024.” The Formula 1 campaign resumes in the Netherlands this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix. Hulkenberg and Magnussen are currently 14th and 18th respectively in the Drivers’ Championship standings, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen streaking towards a third consecutive world title. Read More Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick? Mick Schumacher’s crash on ‘slow lap’ in Japan was final straw, says Guenther Steiner F1 2023 calendar: Every Grand Prix race this season F1 2023 calendar: All 23 Grand Prix this year F1 takes steps to prevent use of flares at Dutch Grand Prix Felipe Massa starts legal action over 2008 F1 title loss to Lewis Hamilton

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