Felipe Massa issues update ahead of huge $82m lawsuit over Hamilton defeat

Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has vowed to pursue his $82million legal claim over his F1 2008 title defeat to Lewis Hamilton “to the very end” in order to “achieve a just and fair outcome.”

It comes ahead of the start of the long-awaited hearing at the High Court in London next month.

Felipe Massa to fight ‘to the very end’ ahead of F1 2008 hearing

Massa was famously denied the World Championship at the final race of the 2008 season in Brazil, where he missed out on the title by one point to then-McLaren driver Hamilton.

The title decider in Massa’s hometown of Sao Paulo came just weeks after the Singapore Grand Prix, the scene of the infamous Crashgate scandal, where Renault instructed its driver Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash in order to help teammate Fernando Alonso to victory.

Massa, who was leading the race at the time of Piquet’s accident, went on to finish a distant 13th in Singapore, with the lost points proving costly in his title battle with Hamilton.

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In an interview with German publication F1 Insider in 2023, former Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone revealed that he and then-FIA president Max Mosley were made aware of the true circumstances behind Alonso’s Singapore victory during the 2008 season.

Mr Ecclestone went on to admit the sport’s authorities opted to take no action to protect F1 from “a huge scandal.”

A short time later, Massa announced his intention to take legal proceedings against the FIA, F1’s commercial arm Formula One Management and Mr Ecclestone, all of whom deny the claims.

As reported by PlanetF1.com earlier this year, the hearing is poised to begin at the High Court on October 28.

And ahead of the trial, Massa has reiterated his desire for a “just and fair outcome” and vowed to “pursue this to the very end.”

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.”

The newspaper adds that Massa, who is being represented by Nick de Marko KC, is seeking up to $82 million (£60m/€68.7m) in damages.

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