Bernie Ecclestone and FIA take Felipe Massa title lawsuit to Supreme Court
Felipe Massa leaves the Ferrari pit box with fuel hose still attached. Singapore 2008.
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Management and the FIA are heading to the Supreme Court to argue against Felipe Massa’s $82 million lawsuit over the Crashgate scandal.
Massa is suing Ecclestone, FOM and the FIA for $82 million in damages, as he believes the infamous Crashgate scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix robbed him of a maiden world title.
Bernie Ecclestone and FIA challenge Felipe Massa’s legal battle
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That Sunday, Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to crash at the Marina Bay circuit to aid his teammate Fernando Alonso, who had just pitted. With the rest of the field, including race leader Massa, pitting behind the Safety Car, Alonso was gifted the lead and went on to win the Grand Prix.
As for Massa, his pit stop went horribly wrong when Ferrari prematurely released him with the fuel hose still attached to the car.
He finished the race outside the points while his championship rival Lewis Hamilton scored a further six points towards his championship campaign with a P3 result.
Massa would go on to lose the title by a single point to Hamilton.
He claims Formula 1 and the FIA should’ve erased the race result from the championship in light of their knowledge about the scandal.
Massa was given the right to take the matter to London’s High Court, but to sue only for damages as the court rejected his claim that he should have won the 2008 title.
In March this year, Ecclestone, FOM and the FIA were ordered to pay Massa £250,000 in legal costs.
The High Court judge, though, did grant the trio the right to appeal directly to the Supreme Court.
Sky reports that Ecclestone, FOM and the FIA have been greenlit for a “leapfrog” appeal, successfully bypassing the standard appeal process.
The defendants will now have a direct route to challenge the ruling that Massa’s conspiracy claim can go to trial.
More on Felipe Massa’s legal battle
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Massa insists he was robbed of a first world title.
“I lost my peace because I knew that I was robbed,” Massa said. “Since then I was never relaxed.
“This is against a race that was manipulated. (The 2008 season) was an incredible championship. It was a big fight from the beginning to the end.
“It was a great championship from my side. I was the driver who won more races that year, who started in pole position more times as well.
“Formula One now is a different from Formula One from then, the FIA now is different from the FIA of the past.
“I really hope they understand that what happened in the past was not fair for the sport and I really hope that they fix the case.”
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