17/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Felipe Massa has launched a £65m lawsuit against F1, the FIA and the sport's former supremo, Bernie Ecclestone over the outcome of the 2008 title.
The Brazilian is demanding £65m ($82m) which he claims is the financial loss he suffered as a result of being denied the title.
As previously reported, the lawsuit refers to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix which, it subsequently turned out, had been 'fixed' in the incident that came to be known as 'Crashgate', whereby Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed in a bid to aid his teammate, Fernando Alonso.
While Piquet and his team were subsequently punished the result of the race stood, which was bad news for Massa as he finished 13th following a disastrous pit stop made during the Safety Car period that followed the Renault driver's crash. Prior to the crash Massa had been leading.
Fast forward to the season finale, and in one of the most memorable conclusions to a season - Abu Dhabi 2021 aside - Massa looked to have won the title until Lewis Hamilton passed Timo Glock on the final corner of the final lap to claim fifth and thereby the title.
It was the following summer when the 'Crashgate' scandal broke, however, last year former F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone reportedly told the German website F1 Insider that Massa had been "deprived of the title he deserved" as there had been sufficient evidence at the time to suggest the crash had been deliberate and warranted an investigation and thereby the disqualification of the Renault team from the result. However, the Briton later claimed to have no recollection of the interview and denied making the comments.
"Attempts to resolve the matter amicably have not been successful so far, leaving, therefore, no alternative but to take the issue to court," Said Massa's Brazilian law firm, Vieira Rezende Advogados, in a statement.
"Recent events highlight the continued relevance of issues of transparency and integrity in Formula One, and it is clear that serious work is needed to restore its credibility and secure its long-term future."
The "recent events" mentioned in the statement no doubt refer to the recent claims by a whistle-blower - a former FIA employee now working for Formula One Management - that the governing body's current president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, sought to interfere in the result of last year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and allegedly also urged officials not to certify the Las Vegas street track just days before the event.
"Mr Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA breached its regulations by failing to promptly investigate Nelson Piquet Junior's crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and that had it acted properly," read the law firm's statement, "Mr Massa would have won the drivers' championship that year.
"Mr Massa also seeks damages for the significant financial loss he has suffered due to the FIA's failure, in which Mr Ecclestone and FOM were also complicit."
Ironically, Ferrari has thus far not given its support to Massa's claim, even though he was driving for the Scuderia at the time.