Felipe Massa is hoping to deliver his authorized problem towards System 1, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone to trial after a date has been set for October – but it surely would possibly by no means make it that far.
The previous Ferrari driver is in search of damages, having been narrowly crushed to the F1 drivers’ title by Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
The claims are based mostly on the Singapore Grand Prix ‘Crashgate’ incident, which noticed Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately slam into the limitations to deliver out a security automobile and assist team-mate Fernando Alonso in securing the victory.
Listed as a breach of contract declare, it’s slated to be heard on the King’s Bench Division of the Excessive Courtroom, though Motorsport.com understands there’s a strike-out utility which may see the case thrown out earlier than it begins.
The defendants (F1, FIA and Ecclestone) are more likely to have claimed there isn’t a substance to Massa’s case, which could possibly be linked to the speculative final result of the 2008 title struggle and if the Singapore fallout ought to have been dealt with in a different way.
Massa in the end missed out on the title by a single level, having completed down in thirteenth in Singapore after qualifying on pole and main the race earlier than Piquet’s misdemeanour.
Nelson Piquet Jr., Renault R28 crashes into the wall
Photograph by: Sutton Photos
Final yr, the Brazilian introduced he deliberate to take F1, FIA and Ecclestone to courtroom after the latter gave an interview wherein he revealed that he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew concerning the controversy surrounding Piquet’s crash earlier than the top of the 2008 season.
Ecclestone, who has since claimed he has no recollection of the interview, informed F1-Insider in April 2023: “In keeping with the statutes, we must always have cancelled the race in Singapore below these circumstances.
“Which means it will by no means have occurred for the world championship standings. Then Felipe Massa would have turn out to be world champion and never Lewis Hamilton…right now I’d have organized issues in a different way.”
Ecclestone went on to say that he and Mosley didn’t take motion in order to not “hurt the picture” of F1 however has since admitted he understands why Massa has taken authorized motion.
These feedback will type the premise of Massa’s case, along with his defence claiming he was the sufferer of a conspiracy – not in relation to the Piquet incident in Singapore, however fairly over the occasions that adopted.
Massa is in search of monetary recompense for the income he misplaced for not being topped world champion and now has his courtroom date set, a yr and half after Ecclestone’s revelations first led to the 43-year-old starting authorized proceedings.
Talking final October, Massa stated: “I hope the proper factor occurs, for justice, for one thing that was not a part of the game that punished me massive time.
“That is what we’re combating for, which I consider is right, particularly after 16 years and on listening to issues which you by no means thought it was actually like that.”
On this article
Mark Mann-Bryans
System 1
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