Felipe Massa is suing Formula 1, the sport’s governing body the FIA, and former F1 president Bernie Ecclestone over the 2008 championship won by Lewis Hamilton.
The Brazilian wants an admission that sports lawmakers did not adequately investigate the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ scandal. The impact of the opening race in Singapore on that year’s championship became clear when Hamilton won the final lap of the final race, with then-Ferrari star Massa missing out by a single point.
Ecclestone’s new comments about the scandal in Singapore in 2023 encouraged Massa to take legal action; His lawyers sent an eight-page ‘Pre-claim Letter’ to F1 and the FIA last August, claiming their client was “the victim of an incident”. complo”.
Having failed to receive a suitable response, Massa confirmed on Monday that his lawyers had filed a lawsuit in London’s High Court. The 42-year-old is seeking more than £62 million ($80 million) in damages and a recognition that the FIA breached its own rules by failing to properly investigate Nelson Piquet Jr.’s crash. Massa believes he could have won the 2008 title against Hamilton if the crash had been properly investigated.
Massa told Brazil’s Globo channel on Monday: “I always said I would fight to the end. As the FIA and FOM [Formula One Management] We decided not to do anything, we will seek compensation for this historical injustice in the courts.
“The matter is now in the hands of the lawyers and they are fully authorized to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice in sports.”
F1 and the FIA declined to comment when contacted by The Independent on Monday afternoon.
‘Crashgate’ broke out in Formula One at the first Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, when it was revealed that Renault’s Fernando Alonso won the race, when it was revealed that teammate Piquet Jr had deliberately crashed to bring out a safety car that Alonso had taken over. It shook .
The safety car forced Ferrari to make a pit stop on Massa, and Massa finished the race in 13th place, while Hamilton finished third; A six-point lead was a swing that ultimately affected the championship outcome.
While Renault and team principal Flavio Briatore were penalized in 2009, the race’s result stood despite Massa’s objections; The FIA’s statutes clearly state that it is impossible to reverse each season’s standings once that year’s FIA Awards Ceremony has been completed; This is a rule. It is stated in the FIA International Sporting Rules.
Ecclestone revealed last March that both he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew about the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ scandal but refused to publicize the chain of events to prevent the sport from turning into a “major scandal”.
He has since said he doesn’t remember saying the important lines. Reuters: “I honestly don’t remember any of this. “I definitely don’t remember giving an interview.”
Ecclestone said F1-Insider information In early 2023: “We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a major scandal. So I used angelic tongues to persuade my old driver, Nelson Piquet, to stay calm for now.
“There was a rule at the time that the world championship standings after the FIA awards ceremony at the end of the year were inviolable, so Hamilton was given the trophy and all was well.
“We had sufficient information in time to investigate the matter. According to the regulations we should have canceled the race in Singapore under these circumstances.
“This means that this will never happen in the championship standings. Then Felipe Massa would be world champion, not Lewis Hamilton.”
Last August, ahead of the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton said: “I have a really bad memory. I’m really just focused on the here and now and helping the team get back to the championship. I’m not focusing on what happened 15 years ago.”
Here’s the full statement from Brazilian law firm Vieira Rezende Advogados: “Mr Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA breached its rules by not promptly investigating Nelson Piquet Junior’s crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and that he would have breached the FIA’s rules if he had acted properly.” , Mr. Massa.” he would win the drivers’ championship that year.
“Mr Massa is also seeking compensation for the significant financial loss he suffered as a result of the failure of the FIA, in which Mr Ecclestone and FOM were complicit.
“Attempts to find an amicable solution have failed, leaving Mr Massa with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings.”
Despite the start of the legal process, Massa does not appear to be able to officially overturn the result; The FIA’s own International Sporting Rules state that protests and investigations will end 14 days after the competition and four days before that year’s awards ceremony.
Massa’s best result in F1 was the 2008 season, from which he retired in 2017. Hamilton won a further six championships with Mercedes and holds the joint record of seven F1 World Championships with Michael Schumacher.