Bernie Ecclestone responds to $82m F1 lawsuit after ‘unacceptable’ Massa claim
Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa is legally contesting his 2008 title defeat to Lewis Hamilton
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has denied that the sport’s authorities attempted to hide the truth behind the ‘Crashgate’ Singapore 2008 race at the centre of Felipe Massa’s $82million lawsuit.
It comes after Massa, the former Ferrari driver, claimed that it would be “unacceptable” if those in charge are found to have “concealed their own misconduct.”
Bernie Ecclestone: ‘No way’ to cancel ‘Crashgate’ 2008 Singapore GP
Massa was famously denied the World Championship in 2008 by a single point to Lewis Hamilton, then of McLaren, at a dramatic title decider in Brazil.
The Brazil race came just weeks after the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, where Renault instructed its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to crash to bring out the Safety Car and help teammate Fernando Alonso to victory.
Massa, who had been leading at the time of Piquet’s accident, eventually finished 13th in Singapore after the race was turned on its head, with the lost points ultimately proving costly in his battle with Hamilton.
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The so-called ‘Crashgate’ scandal came to light the following year, shortly after Piquet Jr was replaced by the Renault team, resulting in team principal Flavio Briatore receiving a lifetime ban from F1.
Briatore’s ban was overturned after a legal challenge in France. The Italian was named as an executive adviser with the Renault-owned Alpine team in 2024.
In 2023, Massa announced plans to begin legal proceedings against governing body the FIA, commercial arm Formula One Management and Mr Ecclestone himself over the 2008 World Championship.
Massa’s decision to take legal action came shortly after Mr Ecclestone revealed in an interview with German publication F1 Insider that he and Max Mosley, the late FIA president, had learned of the true circumstances behind the Singapore Grand Prix during the 2008 season. All parties on the case deny the claims.
Mr Ecclestone admitted that the sport’s authorities had opted to take no action at the time to protect F1 from “a huge scandal.”
He also conceded that Massa was “cheated out of the title he deserved” and that the Singapore race “should have” been nulled in retrospect.
Massa’s case is set to be heard next month, with PlanetF1.com reporting earlier this year that it will begin at the High Court in London on October 28.
The 44-year-old, who is being represented by Nick de Marko KC, is said to be seeking up to $82 million (£60m) in damages.
In a new interview with the Times, Mr Ecclestone has argued that there was no attempt by F1’s authorities to hide the true story behind the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix – insisting there remains no possibility to wipe the race from history.
He said: “There is no way in the world anyone could change or cancel that race.
“There is always something going on where someone would like to cancel it if they could.
“To try to persuade the president of the FIA to call a special meeting where the FIA would have to cancel the race — there were no provisions for that to happen.
“Max knew there was not enough evidence at the time to do anything.
“It only started later when young Nelson decided he wanted to say something when he found out he was not going to get a seat for the following year.
“Max was not saying we should cover this up but just that it was not good for the image of Formula 1.”
Mr Ecclestone, who will celebrate his 95th birthday on the day Massa’s case begins in October 28, went on to claim that he “didn’t even remember the bloody interview” in question until the former Ferrari star submitted his legal challenge.
He said “This was an interview I gave to someone in Germany.
“And the guy at the time, his English wasn’t that good and he was taking notes, and it was picked up by someone in England.
“The lawyers for myself, the FIA and F1 do not understand how it can be heard in a court.”
Mr Ecclestone’s comments come after Massa, who made his last F1 appearance in 2017, vowed to fight “to the very end” for “a just and fair outcome.”
He told the newspaper: “Accountability is key to preventing future fraud.
“Those entrusted with protecting the sport directly violated their duties, and they cannot be allowed to benefit from concealing their own misconduct.
“Such conduct is unacceptable in any sphere of life, especially in a sport followed by millions, including children.
“We will pursue this to the very end in order to achieve a just and fair outcome — for myself, for motorsport in Brazil, and for the sport as a whole.”
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