Former Driver Massa Says He’s Suing F1 And The FIA For The Incident That He Thinks Cost Him The 2008 Title.

SAO PAULO — Former driver Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit in London against the FIA, Formula One Management, and Bernie Ecclestone to reclaim the 2008 title.

According to a document The Associated Press obtained on Monday, Massa added that he was seeking at least $82 million in damages. That figure included the prize money he forfeited and any potential deals he may have gotten as an F1 winner.

Massa has claimed he was the “rightful” 2008 champion since last year, citing the “Crashgate” incident. The 42-year-old Brazilian, who has never won the driver’s championship, finished second to Lewis Hamilton by one point.

Former Driver Massa Says He’s Suing F1 And The FIA For The Incident That He Thinks Cost Him The 2008 Title.

Massa, a former Ferrari and Williams driver, stated that his case would be heard at the King’s Bench Division of the High Court.

His decision followed months of preparation, including his attorneys requesting the motor racing body respond to his public contract violation charges.

“I always said I was going to fight until the end,” Massa said. “Because the FIA and FOM chose not to take action, we will attempt to correct this historical injustice in court. The situation has now been turned over to our lawyers, who are fully authorized to do everything it takes to ensure that justice is delivered in sports.”

His charges stem from the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, in which Nelson Piquet Jr. purposely crashed to assist then-Renault teammate Fernando Alonso in winning the race.

The Renault team was subsequently fined, although the results remained in the 15th of 18 races that season. Massa never got close to the title.

In an interview with F1 Insider last year, former F1 boss Ecclestone revealed that he discovered that Piquet Jr. crashed on purpose in 2008. He also stated that he elected to examine the occurrence once the season had been completed; at this point, it was too late to modify the standings.

Piquet Jr. crashed while Massa was in the lead in Singapore. A safety car was deployed, erasing his lead and giving Alonso a clear advantage because he was the only driver who had already made a pit stop to refuel. Massa dropped out of the points in 13th place following a disastrous pit stop, while Hamilton finished third in that race.

According to Massa’s filing, he seeks “a declaration that the FIA acted in breach of its regulations in failing to investigate the circumstances of the crash promptly in 2008” and “a declaration that if the FIA had not acted in breach of its regulations, it would have cancelled or adjusted the results of the Singapore Grand Prix, with the consequence that Mr Massa would have won the drivers’ championship in 2008.

The paper stated, “The defendants’ actions caused significant financial loss to the claimant.” The next year, news of Piquet Jr.’s race-fixing scandal broke.

The driver’s complaint also stated that the FIA’s refusal to swiftly examine Crashgate “constituted a most serious form of wrongdoing.”

Former Driver Massa Says He’s Suing F1 And The FIA For The Incident That He Thinks Cost Him The 2008 Title.

Ecclestone told the British Press Association that the case should be taken to court.

“If he had asked me, I would have said it was the complete right thing to do, to sue, and to let an English judge decide what is right and wrong,” Ecclestone remarked at the time. “I cannot comment on the outcome or what will happen. From his perspective, it is preferable that an English judge render a verdict. It will be of more benefit to him.”

In an August interview with the AP, Massa stated that he had additional evidence of wrongdoing to support his claims. He further stated that he was considering launching more lawsuits connected to the same occurrence in other nations.

Massa was received with quiet in the paddock at the previous Brazilian Grand Prix as his case against the FIA and FOM loomed. At the time, he said he had a final deadline of November 15 to receive responses from car racing bodies before taking any action against them.

Former Driver Massa Says He’s Suing F1 And The FIA For The Incident That He Thinks Cost Him The 2008 Title.

“Many drivers agree with me on this but prefer not to speak up. “I don’t regret anything; justice is a greater good here,” he stated.

Jean Todt, a former team principal at Ferrari during Massa’s career and an ex-FIA president told the Italian daily “La Stampa” in December that he believed the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix should have been cancelled owing to Crashgate.

SOURCE – (AP)