Felipe Massa awarded £250k Bernie Ecclestone, FIA and FOM legal costs payout – report
Felipe Massa on the third and final day of his hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Management and the FIA have been ordered to cover £250,000 worth of legal fees as part of Felipe Massa’s 2008 title lawsuit, it has been reported.
It comes after Massa’s case was given the green light to proceed to trial.
Felipe Massa reportedly to receive £250k legal costs payment
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.
Sky Sports reports that the order has come from a high court judge, with the trio having 14 days to pay the costs.
Massa’s representatives opened legal proceedings against F1’s commercial arm Formula One Management, governing body the FIA and former Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.
It relates to the outcome of the 2008 World Championship – in which Massa was defeated by Lewis Hamilton by a single point – after Ecclestone told German publication F1 Insider in 2023 that he and then FIA president Max Mosley were made aware of the 2008 Singapore GP ‘Crashgate’ scandal during the season.
In that race, Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to deliberately crash by his Renault team in order to aid his teammate, Fernando Alonso, who duly went on to win the race.
Meanwhile, Massa, who had been leading, suffered a disastrous pit-stop behind the resulting Safety Car, and finished outside the points.
Ecclestone has denied recollection of ever giving that interview, with all parties denying the claims brought against them in Massa’s case.
Back in November, it emerged that Massa’s case would continue to trial, in part, following a three-day pre-trial hearing at the High Court in London.
Massa’s hopes of being retrospectively crowned the 2008 World Champion, almost two decades on, were dismissed at the pre-trial. It meant that Lewis Hamilton’s status as a record-equalling seven-time World Champion was secured.
Massa is seeking up to $82million in damages, and as part of this ongoing case, Ecclestone, the FIA and FOM, have reportedly been ordered to pay Massa £250,000 in legal costs.
Latest F1 2026 talking points via PlanetF1.com
Australian GP driver ratings: Russell shines, day to forget for DNS Piastri
McLaren wants closer Mercedes HPP ties as PU information talks continue
When his case was partially cleared to proceed in November, Massa announced, via a social media statement, that his confidence for a successful outcome was at an all-time high.
“This is a tremendous victory – a great day for me, for justice and for everyone who loves Formula 1.
“The court has seen the strength of my case and refused to let the defendants silence the truth about 2008. They did everything possible to stop this case, but our fight is for fairness and today we have won.
“The truth will prevail at trial. We will leave no stone unturned. I am more determined and confident than ever.
“Justice will be done. For me, for the Brazilians, for the tifosi, for all motorsport fans, who deserve an honest sport, and for the future of Formula 1.
“I want to thank my outstanding legal team, my family and to God, who guided us and never let me lose my faith.
“Together we will see this through to the end.”
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Australian GP conclusions: Formula Net Zero, Russell’s main threat, Aston Martin-Honda mistake
