Felipe Massa will take Formula 1 to court chasing $125 million in compensation for his loss to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 world championship.
Hamilton narrowly beat the Brazilian by just one point in one of the most thrilling championship conclusions ever. However, doubts linger over the Singapore Grand Prix from that same year.
At that race, Nelson Piquet Jnr was ordered by Renault’s top brass to deliberately crash his car in order to benefit his teammate Fernando Alonso.
Massa failed to score points in Singapore due to a refuelling problem, with Hamilton securing third place.
The revelation of the conspiracy was brought to light by Piquet in 2009.
In 2020, Massa disclosed his contemplation of pursuing legal recourse regarding the handling of the ‘crashgate’ scandal.
The decision was made after Formula 1’s former commercial chief, Bernie Ecclestone, revealed that he was aware of the scandal long before it was made public, giving him the opportunity to intervene before the conclusion of the 2008 championship.
Allegations also suggest that the former FIA president, Max Mosley, was informed about the controversy.
Following the scandal becoming public, Renault’s technical director, Pat Symonds, and team principal, Flavio Briatore, were both given lifetime bans.
The French court overturned those decisions, leading to both individuals now serving as consultants for Formula 1.
Despite Renault’s proven misconduct, the outcome stands, and Alonso is still recognized as the official victor of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
At first, Massa’s legal battle aimed to reverse the result of the world championship that year.
If the result of the Singapore Grand Prix is nullified, the Brazilian driver would become the world champion.
Unfortunately, it seems that once the FIA prize-giving ceremony has taken place, it is highly unlikely that the world championship result can be overturned.
Therefore, Massa is seeking £64 million (AUD $124 million) in compensation for the income he believes he lost by not winning the title.
According to the documents submitted to the London High Court, it has been alleged that Massa did not receive a €2 million bonus from Ferrari due to his failure to win the championship. Additionally, it is believed that he could have made further salary demands in the following years, resulting in an estimated loss of £64 million.
In addition to pursuing financial compensation, Massa is also requesting the FIA to acknowledge that it did not adhere to its own regulations as outlined in the International Sporting Code.
Massa contends that the sport has violated its own regulations due to the fact that there was prior knowledge of the incident before the 2008 prize-giving ceremony, and yet no investigation was conducted.
Consequently, he has initiated legal proceedings in the London High Court against the FIA, Formula One Management, and Ecclestone.
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