Felipe Massa update as wait for 2008 damages verdict begins

Felipe Massa will have to wait on a future judgment in his legal case against Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA and Formula One Management, over the 2008 World Championship.

With a pre-trial of his case having been heard in the UK over the course of last week, Mr Justice Jay said that “judgment will be reserved to be handed down at a future date.”

Felipe Massa update as pre-trial hearing ends in London

This first result had been previously set to be announced at a later date after three days of hearings in London, with the as-yet-unknown initial outcome set to determine whether or not a full trial will go ahead at another time.

The former Ferrari driver has been seeking compensation worth up to $82m (£64m) in damages, claiming lost earnings and sponsorship as the potential result of having become World Champion in 2008, when Lewis Hamilton beat him to the title in a dramatic season conclusion at Interlagos, winning the championship by just one point.

The crux of the claim stems back to an interview former F1 supremo Ecclestone gave surrounding the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ scandal at the Singapore Grand Prix, when Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr was found to have been told to deliberately crash to help teammate Fernando Alonso’s prospects in the race.

Massa had started the race from pole, but fell out of points contention after leaving his Ferrari pit box with the fuel hose still attached during the Safety Car period brought on by Piquet’s crash.

More on the legal action Felipe Massa is bringing

👉 From Crashgate to courtroom: A deep dive into Felipe Massa’s $82 million lawsuit

👉 Felipe Massa ‘cheated’ out of F1 2008 title as fresh $82m legal case details emerge

While Renault was later found guilty of ordering this crash deliberately the following year, an interview Ecclestone gave to a German outlet in 2023 claims he said that he and ex-FIA President, Max Mosley, had been made aware of the incident during the 2008 season. Ecclestone, the FIA and FOM have all denied the claims against them, with Ecclestone having said he does not remember giving the interview in question.

Massa’s legal representation brought claims of breach of contract or duty to court, saying the former Ferrari driver was “cheated” out of the 2008 title, while John Mehrzad KC, representing the FIA, described Massa’s claim as “torturous as it is overly ambitious”.

David Quest KC, representing Ecclestone, said in a statement that Massa’s claims “are a misguided attempt to reopen the results of the 2008 F1 Drivers’ Championship.”

The driver himself, though, told PlanetF1.com in 2023 that he has been wanting to “fight for the justice of the sport”, and has made clear that his legal battle is not against Hamilton himself, but rather a case of wanting to challenge the result of what he called a “manipulated race” in Singapore.

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