Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit against the Formula One Management and the FIA regarding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Former Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa has launched a case against the FIA, FOM, and Bernie Ecclestone in the London High Court in response to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix “crashgate” incident.
The Brazilian has filed a lawsuit against the three parties in the High Court of Justice, according to his representatives on Monday. This comes after he lost out on the 2008 Formula One drivers’ championship to Lewis Hamilton who was driving for McLaren at the time by one point and feels that the Marina Bay race result should be overturned.
The controversy was unearthed after the motive behind Nelson Piquet Jr.’s crash on the fourteenth lap of the race came to light. The Renault driver had consented to intentionally crash his car in a bid for his teammate Fernando Alonso to gain an advantage from the Safety Car period and went on to win the race.
Massa’s chances of securing the title were hampered by his botched pit stop during the Safety Car period, which barred him from collecting any points during the race. The plan’s details came to light in 2009 and since the 2008 championship was already over, there were no changes made to the race result.
However, considering Ecclestone’s remarks last year, Massa believes the FIA was aware of the conspiracy early enough to act. He contends that the race results ought to have been invalidated making him the winner.
A statement from Brazilian law firm Vieira Rezende Advogados read: “Mr Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA breached its regulations by failing to promptly investigate Nelson Piquet Junior’s crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and that had it acted properly.
“Mr Massa would have won the drivers’ championship that year. Mr Massa also seeks damages for the significant financial loss he has suffered due to the FIA’s failure, in which Mr Ecclestone and FOM were also complicit.”
The legal team representing the former Formula One driver filed an inquiry with the FIA and FOM last year; however, their attempts to follow through on these requests were met with challenges, including the 2023 summer break.
The statement added: “Attempts to find an amicable resolution have been unsuccessful, leaving Mr Massa with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings.”
In the fifteen years since the race, a number of the FIA’s top officials have left the organization. However, the governing body is under scrutiny as president Mohamed Ben Sulayem is under investigation for allegedly interfering with race results last year.
It is also reported that Ben Sulayem sought to prevent the Las Vegas street circuit from being homologated in time for its inaugural race last year.
“Recent events naturally demonstrate that issues of transparency and integrity in Formula 1 remain relevant, and it is clear that serious work is needed to restore its credibility and long-term future,” the statement concluded.
Massa is seeking compensation worth between £60-150 million. FOM declined to comment when contacted by Racetrackmasters.com.
