Former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa has initiated legal proceedings at the High Court of Justice in London against the FIA, FOM, and Bernie Ecclestone for the “crashgate” scandal during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. According to the Brazilian, the outcome of that GP should be nullified.
Last April, Felipe Massa had announced his intention to assemble a legal team to challenge the final result of the 2008 Formula 1 championship, lost by a single point to Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren.
Towards the end of 2023, the Brazilian turned his words into action, writing a letter to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and FOM CEO Stefano Domenicali outlining details of the potential legal action. Both parties responded, asking for time due to the complexity of the case.
However, this Monday, Felipe Massa’s representatives confirmed that legal action had been taken at the High Court of Justice against the three parties involved: Formula 1, the International Federation, and Bernie Ecclestone, who was in charge of FOM at the time. Massa believes that the result of the Marina Bay race, influenced by the infamous “crashgate,” should be annulled.
The story of that Grand Prix is well-known, with Renault driver Nelson Piquet deliberately crashing into the barriers to bring out the Safety Car, benefiting his teammate Fernando Alonso. In the confusion of pit stops behind the safety car, Massa left the pit lane with the fuel hose still attached to the car, requiring him to stop in the pit lane for the mechanics. In contrast, Hamilton finished in second place, gaining several points on his rival in the championship battle.
In an interview last year, Ecclestone had stated that there was enough information available at the time to investigate the case and annul the result even before the end of the season. However, the former head of F1 later claimed not to remember giving the interview.
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The Brazilian law firm Vieira Rezende Advogados highlighted this aspect in a statement released on Monday, announcing the start of the legal process that will bring the cited parties to court: “Mr. Massa asks to declare that the FIA violated its regulations by not promptly investigating Nelson Piquet Junior’s incident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and that if it had acted correctly, Massa would have won the drivers’ championship that year.”
“Mr. Massa also seeks damages for the significant financial loss suffered due to the failure of the FIA, in which Mr. Ecclestone and FOM were also complicit.”
“Attempts to find an amicable solution have been unsuccessful, leaving Mr. Massa with the only choice of initiating legal proceedings,” reads the law firm’s statement, referring to the letters sent by Massa last year in an attempt to resolve the situation before resorting to legal action.
The FIA is also under scrutiny for recent revelations, particularly the investigation into Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who reportedly attempted to intervene in the approval of the Las Vegas circuit and the result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP to overturn a penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso.
“Recent events naturally demonstrate that transparency and integrity issues in Formula 1 remain relevant, and it is clear that serious work is needed to restore its credibility and long-term future.” According to reports, the former Ferrari driver is seeking compensation ranging from £60 million to £150 million.
