by VALERIO BARRETTA
Massa from words to action: sue the FIA
After the threats, the facts: Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit against the FIA, the FOM and its former president Bernie Ecclestone. The Brazilian filed all the documents today at the High Court of Justice in London, after not having received a response from the leaders of Formula 1 to the complaint lodged against the decision to award the 2008 title to Lewis Hamilton despite Ecclestone having admitted (and then retracted) that he knew everything about the Singapore scandal and that the Brazilian had been defrauded of the title. The news was reported by Brazilian sources, including O Globe.
The lawsuit calls into question the outcome of the 2008 F1 championship and, in particular, the failure to cancel the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The former Ferrari driver was awaiting a response to the eight-page letter he sent to the president F1 Stefano Domenicali and FIA number one Mohammed Ben Sulayem in August 2023.
Massa's words
“I always said I would fight until the end. Since the FIA and FOM have decided to do nothing, we will seek to correct this historic injustice in the courts. The matter is now the responsibility of lawyers, who are fully authorized to do everything necessary to ensure that justice is done in sport“, these are the words of the Brazilian, who would have asked for compensation that could even reach nine figures and would like the FIA to admit the violation of the regulation.
Crashgate, what happened
The Grand Prix in question is that of Marina Bay, in 2008, the first in history organized on the city track of Marina Bay. Starting from pole, the Brazilian had a great opportunity to reach the top of the championship. On the 14th lap, however, Nelson Piquet Jr. he hit the wall with his Renault and caused the Safety Car to come out to help his teammate Fernando Alonso, who had stopped shortly before, and who therefore was able to win ahead of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. The Briton gained six points on Massa, who due to a Ferrari mix-up in the pits took the fuel filler with him on the restart.
What was initially dismissed as a bad GP was then re-analysed when in 2009 Piquet jr. he was stopped by Flavio Briatore: the Brazilian spilled the beans on Singapore 2008, telling how he was asked to go to the wall to favor Renault's result and Alonso's race, and that he accepted for fear of not seeing his contract renewed. The FIA investigations clarified the “combine“: Briatore was removed from Formula 1 and from any managerial role (the decision was canceled in 2010, the manager then officially returned in 2022 as head of hospitality and ambassador) but Massa is left with a bitter taste about the World Championship which takes into account of the Singapore race.
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