Lawyers for the FIA and ex-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone have issued strong rebuttals to Felipe Massa’s legal challenge over the 2008 World Championship.
The erstwhile Ferrari driver insists he was denied the title by a cover-up linked to the ‘Crashgate’ scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Massa, who lost the championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point, argues that Renault’s deliberate crash during the Singapore race unfairly altered the outcome of the season.
His £64 million claim targets the FIA, Formula One Management, and Ecclestone, alleging they knew of the incident before the end of the 2008 campaign but failed to act.
The hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, presided over by Mr Justice Jay KC, will decide whether the case proceeds to a full trial.
Massa attended in person as his lawyers argued that the FIA breached its duties and that the race should have been annulled – a move that would crown him champion.
Lawyers for the FIA, FOM, and Ecclestone have pushed for the case to be dismissed.
Ecclestone’s counsel, David Quest KC, called the suit “a misguided attempt to reopen the results of the 2008 F1 drivers’ championship”, adding that it would “treat the court as a sports debating club”.
He said Massa’s poor result in Singapore was due to his own mistakes, not Renault’s actions.
“At the Singapore Grand Prix, Mr Massa performed very poorly in that race: he finished in 13th place and scored zero points and that was largely due to errors he made during the pit stop, running over a member of his pit crew and then leaving the pits with the fuel hose still attached.”
The FIA’s written defence echoed that argument, stating: “Mr Massa’s claim is as torturous as it is overly ambitious. The multi-millionaire Brazilian national and resident brings a claim… concerning events at and around the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix over 17 years ago.”
It also highlighted “a catalogue of his own errors or those of his team, Ferrari, during the Singapore GP and at other GPs which contributed to his overall second place finish.”
The defence further questioned the Brazilian’s motives, noting that although his lawyers have said the case is “not financial,” he is seeking £64 million in damages.
Anneliese Day KC, representing Formula One Management, added that the claim “will fail,” stressing that it was not the safety car triggered by Nelson Piquet Jr’s deliberate crash that ruined Massa’s race, but “a series of subsequent racing errors by him and his team during the remaining 47 laps.”
Massa’s legal team countered that the defendants “cannot establish that Mr Massa’s claims have no real prospect of success”, insisting the matter deserves a full trial.
For his part, Massa has said the case is about recognition, not money.
“The recognition as the 2008 Formula One Official World Champion is something I have to fight for. So that is what I am doing.”
The hearing is set to conclude this week, with a ruling expected in the coming months.
READ MORE – Felipe Massa’s 2008 F1 title court challenge begins in London
Discussion about this post