Ex-driver sues F1, Bernie Ecclestone and FIA over world champion claims
Felipe Massa has taken legal action against Formula One, racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone and governing body the FIA.
Brazilian driver Felipe Massa is suing Formula 1. Pic: Reuters
The ex-Ferrari driver is chasing recognition as the 2008 world champion, alongside a payout of £64m.
The Brazilian has claimed since last year that he is the “rightful” 2008 world champion due to one of the sport’s biggest scandals, dubbed “Crashgate” by some.
The legal actions stems back to a controversial crash in 2008. Pic: Reuters
At the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr says he purposefully crashed into a wall in an effort to help Renault teammate Fernando Alonso – who went onto win the race.
Nelson Piquet Jr’s car is lifted by crane after he was ordered to crash. Pic: AP
Piquet Jr said he had been ordered to do so by his team, igniting a controversy that saw Renault choose not to contest a charge of race-fixing and the departure from the team of two senior figures.
The crash led to a safety car being deployed, during which Ferrari bungled a pit stop and Massa tumbled from first place to a 13th-place finish.
At the end of the season, Massa lost out by a single point to Lewis Hamilton, meaning the incident had a significant impact on the title.
Crashgate only came to light a year later, and Renault were punished but officials insisted the time that had elapsed meant the results could not be overturned.
On Monday, the 42-year-old, represented by Brazilian law firm Vieira Rezende Advogados, filed the lawsuit.
In a statement he said: “I always said that I would fight until the end. As FIA and FOM decided to do nothing, we will seek the correction of this historical injustice through the courts.
“The matter is now with the lawyers and they are fully authorised to do whatever is necessary so that justice is done for the sport.”
Mr Ecclestone, 93, who led F1 for four decades until 2017, said on Monday: “If he had asked me, I would have said it was the complete right thing to do, to sue, and to let an English judge decide what is right and wrong.
“I cannot say anything about the outcome and what will happen. I have not got a clue, I don’t think anyone has, but from his point of view, it is better that an English judge comes up with a verdict. It will be of more help for him.”
Former F1-chief Bernie Ecclestone arriving at court for a fraud case. Pic: REUTERS/Belinda Jiao
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Speaking last September, Mr Hamilton, who won his first title in the year of the controversy, said: “If that’s the direction that Felipe wants to go, that’s his decision. I prefer not to focus on the past.
The ex-Ferrari driver has sworn to fight until the end. Pic: Reuters
“Whether it’s 15 years ago, two years ago, or three days ago, I’m only interested in the present and my focus is on helping my team this week.”
The £64m figure comes from the estimate of the alleged financial loss suffered from missing out on the title, plus interest.
The sum represented the difference in salary for the remainder of his career and money from sponsorship and commercial opportunities, as well as a £1.7m bonus he would have received from Ferrari.
Formula One Management (FOM) and the Paris-based International Automobile Federation both refused to comment.
Massa did not win again after 2008, with the Brazilian suffering a near-fatal head injury at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. He retired in 2017.