The 2008 World Championship won by Lewis Hamilton amidst a controversial season. Felipe Massa was the driver who lost out on the championship by a mere one-point deficit. The ‘Crashgate’ Scandal involving Nelson Piquet Jr. and Fernando Alonso was one of the major reasons for Massa to lose out on the championship. Hence, the Brazilian driver had logged his questions to FIA and FOM but the authorities did not respond to him until the summer break of the 2023 season.
Former F1 CEO, Bernie Ecclestone was also highly involved during the entire controversies of 2008. Ecclestone had recently claimed that the governing body was aware of the sufficiency of information available back then. The investigation could’ve been carried out and the results could have been overthrown for the Singaporean GP. However, as evident from the course of action, F1 and FIA were completely silent over the matter. Hence, Felipe Massa decided to take steps against the 2008 championship result. The F1 supremo even badmouthed Felipe Massa for his actions.
As a result, the Brazilian decided to take strict action against FIA and F1 over the matter as the governing body refused to help the driver. Massa filed the case to the London High Court against the FIA, FOM, and Bernie Ecclestone. A Brazilian Law Firm named Vieira Rezende Advogados put forth the case on behalf of the ex-world champion. The case reads how the governing body overlooked the 2008 crash back then. Hence, the case seeks a declaration from FIA over the breach of regulations.
Mr Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA breached its regulations by failing to promptly investigate Nelson Piquet Junior's crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and that had it acted properly. The Law Firm declared on behalf of Massa, as reported by Autosport.com.
Felipe Massa demands $164 million compensation from F1 and FIA
Additionally, The case reads how Massa would win the 2008 World Championship following the overturn of results in the Singaporean GP. Apart from this, the former driver also seeks monetary gain from the significant financial loss caused to him by the false results. Hence, the case will drag on for a bit before the details are entirely revealed to the public. Currently, the grid of Formula 1 is booming with shocking news every single day.
Mr Massa would have won the drivers' championship that year. Mr Massa also seeks damages for the significant financial loss he has suffered due to the FIA's failure, in which Mr Ecclestone and FOM were also complicit.
However, Massa had previously explained how he wouldn’t fight the battle solely for monetary gains. Despite the previous comments, the 42-year-old seeks an approximate compensation of £60-150 million (approximately $164 Million). Additionally, the driver would also be termed as the world champion of the 2008 World Championship and reduce Lewis Hamilton’s championships to six.
Hence, the entire case is extremely imperative for the sport. 16 years after the season was concluded, Massa has reignited the entire case. Following multiple other controversies in the sport, Formula 1’s public image might be hampered due to the issues. As a result, the sport might be willing to reach a settlement with the Brazilian driver.
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