Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit searching for over $80million in damages from the FIA, System 1, and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone over the 2008 Crashgate scandal.
Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to crash intentionally through the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix as a way to assist Fernando Alonso’s technique, with the Spaniard happening to win a race Massa had been main. Within the ensuing security automobile interval, Massa suffered a pit cease problem and completed exterior the factors, whereas title rival Lewis Hamilton got here dwelling third to attain six factors.
The scandal solely turned public a 12 months later, and with the FIA statutes stating a end result can’t be modified following the end-of-year prize giving ceremony, the end result remained unchanged. Nonetheless, feedback attributed to Ecclestone final 12 months prompt he and the FIA had been conscious of allegations referring to it earlier than the top of the 2008 season.
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Hamilton beat Massa to that 12 months’s championship by a single level in the long run, and final 12 months the Brazilian launched a authorized problem, along with his legal professionals issuing a letter to each the FIA and System One Administration (FOM) that learn: “Merely put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Drivers’ Champion, and F1 and FIA intentionally ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title.
“Mr Massa is unable to totally quantify his losses at this stage however estimates that they’re prone to exceed tens of hundreds of thousands of Euros.
“This quantity doesn’t cowl the intense ethical and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa.”
Having not acquired a suitable response, Massa’s legal professionals at the moment are searching for greater than $80million in damages and an admission from the FIA that it didn’t observe its laws appropriately.
The lawsuit has been filed within the Excessive Courtroom in London, with Brazilian regulation agency Vieira Rezende Advogados confirming the submission by way of a press release.
“Mr Massa is searching for declarations that the FIA breached its laws by failing to promptly examine Nelson Piquet Junior’s crash on the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and that had it acted correctly, Mr Massa would have received the Drivers’ Championship that 12 months,” the assertion learn.
“Mr Massa additionally seeks damages for the numerous monetary loss he has suffered because of the FIA’s failure, by which Mr Ecclestone and FOM had been additionally complicit.
“As Mr Ecclestone has admitted, there was ‘sufficient data in time to research the matter’ in 2008 and ‘cancel the race in Singapore’. Mr Ecclestone additional affirmed that, had the outcomes of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix been canceled, “Felipe Massa would have grow to be world champion” and that Mr Massa ‘was cheated out of the title he deserved’.
“Makes an attempt to seek out an amicable decision have been unsuccessful, leaving Mr Massa with no alternative however to provoke authorized proceedings.
“Current occasions naturally reveal that problems with transparency and integrity in System One stay related, and it’s clear that critical work is required to revive its credibility and long-term future.”
Massa himself advised Brazilian broadcaster Globo that his intention is to obtain justice for the 2008 championship end result. There have been three additional races that season following the spherical in Singapore.
“I at all times stated I might combat till the top,” Massa stated. “Because the FIA and FOM have determined to do nothing, we’ll search redress of this historic injustice within the courts. The matter is now with the legal professionals and they’re absolutely approved to do no matter is important in order that justice within the sport is completed.”
