Felipe Massa makes new announcement ahead of $82million F1 lawsuit
Felipe Massa was moved to tears after his 2008 title defeat to Lewis Hamilton in Brazil
Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has announced a ‘strategic partnership’ with leading sports and entertainment marketing agency EMW Global.
It comes just weeks before the start of his long-awaited legal case over the outcome of the F1 2008 world championship later this month.
Felipe Massa strikes deal ahead of $82million F1 legal case
Massa famously missed out on the title by a single point to then-McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton at the 2008 season finale in Brazil.
The title decider in Massa’s hometown of Sao Paulo came just weeks after one of the most controversial F1 races in history in Singapore, remembered for the infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal, where Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr crashed deliberately to help teammate Fernando Alonso to victory.
Massa was leading from pole position at the time of Piquet’s crash, which turned the race on its head.
The Ferrari driver eventually finished in 13th place with the lost points proving costly in his title battle with Hamilton.
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Massa announced his intention to take legal action against F1’s governing body the FIA, commercial arm Formula One Management and former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone – all of whom deny the claims – in 2023.
It came hot on the heels of an interview given by Ecclestone to the German publication F1 Insider, in which he revealed that he and late FIA president Max Mosley were made aware of the true circumstances behind Alonso’s Singapore win during the 2008 season.
Ecclestone went on to admit the sport’s authorities opted to take no action to protect F1 from “a huge scandal.”
As reported by PlanetF1.com earlier this year, Massa’s hearing is set to begin at London’s High Court on October 28, two days after the Mexican Grand Prix.
Massa, who is being represented by Nick de Marko KC, is said to be seeking up to $82million (£60m/€68.7m) in damages.
Ahead of the start of the case, Massa has revealed that he has struck a ‘strategic partnership’ with EMW Global to ‘leverage global marketing opportunities’ in regions including Latin America, Europe, the United States and Asia.
As part of the deal, EMW Global will provide Massa ‘with strategic support and management in key areas, including commercial prospecting and activation, brand strategy, and digital marketing.’
In a statement provided to PlanetF1.com, Massa said: “This is, without a doubt, an important partnership with EMW Global, an agency recognised for its work in sports marketing and its global reach.
“We will work together to explore great opportunities in strategic markets.”
Michael Rocha-Keys, the chief executive and founder of EMW Global, added: “We are excited to establish this partnership with Felipe Massa, a true legend of motorsport.
“Our presence in Latin America, Europe, the United States and Asia will allow us to expand Felipe’s brand and commercial presence, connecting him to new audiences and opportunities around the world.”
Speaking last month, Massa vowed to fight “to the very end” for a “just and fair outcome” as he prepares to contest his 2008 defeat to Hamilton.
He told the Times: “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.”
Meanwhile, Ecclestone argued that the 2008 Singapore race cannot be wiped from history and denied an attempt to cover up the true circumstances at the time.
He told the same source: “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.”
Ecclestone went on to indicate that his 2023 interview with F1 Insider was lost in translation, adding: “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.”
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