Ferrari's Felipe Massa has encountered more difficulty coming to terms with his agonizing championship loss in 2008 than his recovery from a life-threatening accident that curtailed last year's campaign. The Brazilian, who suffered substantial a head injury during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix last July, also had a painful experience a year before when he lost to the Formula One world title to Lewis Hamilton by a single point. As if losing the title on the final bend of the final race was not bad enough, the revelation that the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was fixed compounds his misery as the result potentially cost Massa the crown. “Physically I now feel better than I did before the accident,” he told reporters at a pre-season ski retreat ahead of the season opener in Bahrain on March 14. “The accident hasn't changed my life, hasn't changed the way I think or work.” Massa initially did not realise how serious his injury was. “I was sure after the accident when I was in hospital in Hungary that I was in a position not to miss any races,” he said. Massa has moved on from the accident but if he wanted to forget Singapore 2008, two recent events have revived the memory. Former Renault boss Flavio Briatore was found guilty by the FIA of ordering Nelson Piquet to crash, letting Fernando Alonso win and stopping Massa maybe gaining key points for the title. This month, Briatore's life ban was overturned by a Paris court but Massa is still wondering if the 2008 standings could not have been amended after last year's expose of the affair. “Honestly, if you see something that's not right in sport and done in a way which is against the rules, I don't think it would be difficult to change the result even if it would not be great for the sport,” Massa said.
