"Crashgate" from 2008

World Championship dispute escalates: Massa sues Formula 1

Felipe Massa

(Bild: AP)

Felipe Massa is getting serious in his fight for the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship victory and is going to court. Almost 16 years after the "Crashgate" in Singapore, the Brazilian filed a lawsuit in London on Monday against the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the current world championship rights holder FOM and the former owner Bernie Ecclestone. This was announced by his Brazilian lawyers. It also involves claims for damages of at least 82 million dollars (75 million euros).

A court document submitted by Massa's representatives states that this amount is the best estimate of his alleged financial losses due to missing out on the title by a single point. This sum would be the difference between the salary for the rest of his career and the income from sponsorship and advertising contracts, as well as a bonus of 1.7 million pounds that he would have received from Ferrari if he had won the title. According to Brazilian media reports, Massa is even demanding up to 175 million euros.

"I have always said that I will fight to the end. As the FIA and the FOM have decided to do nothing, we will try to correct this historic injustice through the courts," said Massa. "The matter is now with the lawyers and they are fully authorized to do whatever is necessary to bring justice to the sport."

The 42-year-old believes he is the rightful world champion of 2008 because of the incident known as "Crashgate", when he finished second in the overall championship standings, just behind Britain's Lewis Hamilton. According to the former Ferrari and Williams driver, his case will be heard by the King's Bench Division of the High Court. He now wants to be retroactively recognized as world champion in court.

Safety car after Nelson Piquet junior's accident
Massa's case concerns the events surrounding the 2008 Singapore race, when the Brazilian Nelson Piquet junior deliberately crashed his Renault into the crash barriers on the narrow street circuit. The accident and the subsequent safety car phase allowed his team-mate at the time, Fernando Alonso, to take victory. It later transpired that Flavio Briatore, then Renault Team Principal, and Pat Symonds, then Technical Director, had ordered the crash in the fourth-last race of the season. Both were banned - and later reprieved.

Nelson Piquet junior's accident brought Fernando Alonso victory in the 2008 Singapore GP.

(Bild: REUTERS)

Massa led the night race for a long time. After the Piquet crash, however, Ferrari made a botched pit stop and tore off the fuel tank nozzle, which meant that Massa only finished 13th with no points. In the final race in Brazil, he was only one point behind world champion Hamilton in the McLaren.

Ecclestone interview as trigger
Massa's actions were triggered in particular by an interview with former Formula 1 boss Ecclestone, according to which the controversial incident involving Piquet junior was allegedly already known in Formula 1 and FIA circles before the end of the 2008 season. However, the decision was made not to take any action. Ecclestone is also said to have said that Massa had been "robbed of the title he deserved". The now 93-year-old said last year that he could no longer remember saying that.