The legal battle between Felipe Massa, the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone has officially begun in London, as the former Ferrari driver seeks justice over the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship and the long-standing Crashgate controversy.
The preliminary hearing of the case Felipe Massa vs FIA, Bernie Ecclestone, and Formula One Management (FOM) took place at the Royal Courts of Justice, Court 73, with the Brazilian driver present in person. At the center of the dispute is the handling of the infamous 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, known as Crashgate — a scandal which Massa claims decisively altered the outcome of the championship, ultimately won by Lewis Hamilton by just one point.
This is not yet a full trial, but rather a three-day hearing in which the legal representatives of each party present their arguments to Justice Jay, who will decide whether the case should proceed to trial. Massa is demanding £60 million in damages and an official public declaration recognizing him as the “rightful 2008 world champion.” However, both sides acknowledge that the court has no authority to alter the official sporting results of that season.
Tension rises again between Massa and Ecclestone over Crashgate
During the opening day, the lawyers representing Ecclestone and the FIA described Massa’s initiative as a “misguided attempt” to reopen matters that were settled 17 years ago. David Quest KC, Bernie Ecclestone’s lawyer, stated in his written defense that the Brazilian’s claims “turn the court into a sports debate club,” asking the judge to reconstruct race events long past. Quest added, “Hamilton didn’t make the same driving errors as Massa, such as restarting from the pit lane with the fuel hose still attached to the Ferrari.”
The lawsuit stems from Ecclestone’s 2023 interview, in which he admitted that both he and then-FIA president Max Mosley were aware that Nelson Piquet Jr.’s crash at the 2008 Singapore GP had been deliberate — and that they chose not to act at the time. According to Massa’s argument, both Ecclestone and Mosley decided to keep the truth hidden to avoid a scandal that could damage the reputation of Formula 1. The incident only came to light in 2009, after Renault dismissed Piquet Jr.
In her defense statement, Annelise Day KC, representing Formula One Management, dismissed the case as “a claim destined to fail.” She wrote, “It is in no one’s interest — least of all Mr. Massa’s — to prolong the disappointment of losing the 2008 title,” emphasizing that “the only outcome of another 18 months of hearings would be to enrich the lawyers.”
Meanwhile, John Mehrzad KC, representing the FIA, described the lawsuit as “convoluted and overly ambitious,” adding that Felipe Massa “ignores a long list of mistakes made by himself and the Ferrari team during the Singapore Grand Prix and throughout the rest of the season,” which ultimately contributed to his second-place finish in the championship.
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