It’s been more than two years since former Formula 1 racer Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit against the sport’s controversial boss Bernie Ecclestone, alleging that Ecclestone knew of the fixed race result involving Renault’s Flavio Briatore, Fernando Alonso, and Nelson Piquet Jr, and did not act ethically and according to the series’ standards. The case is being heard at a London court this week, where the old F1 supremo’s lawyers are claiming it’s a “misguided attempt” to overturn an official result.
The lawsuit, which also involves various executives from F1’s corporate entity and the FIA, has been public since 2023. Still, we’re just now seeing the action play out in court, and there are several surprises. For starters, it’s not just Ecclestone’s legal defense that’s attempting to have the case thrown out, but also the FIA and Formula One Management.
“Mr. Massa argues that, but for the FIA’s handling of the crash, he would have won the drivers’ championship,” said Ecclestone’s lawyer David Quest KC in a statement. “These declarations treat the court as a sports ‘debating club’, asking it to embark upon a counterfactual exercise concerning the ‘refereeing’ of a sporting event which took place nearly 17 years ago.”
“[This] would deprive Mr. Hamilton of his 2008 title despite the Briton being equally exposed to the crash,” he added.
The popular Brazilian missed out on the F1 drivers’ title to Lewis Hamilton, who won the championship by one point in 2008. He alleges two matters: One, that had it not been for the fixed outcome at the Singapore Grand Prix, the points tally would’ve been different by the season’s end, and it would’ve played in his favor. Two, that Ecclestone and various F1 and FIA executives knew of the fixed race before the end of the 2008 season and did nothing to right that wrong, while the rules still allowed them to do so.
A lawyer for the FIA claimed that the Brazilian’s claims are “torturous as it is overly ambitious” and “conspicuously overlooks a catalogue of his own errors.” The FIA’s defense claims Massa did not lose the title due to Renault’s illegal and unethical actions, “but rather a series of subsequent racing errors by him and his team during the remaining 47 laps of the race.” They also added that the lawsuit “will fail” and that “Mr. Hamilton outperformed Mr. Massa and everyone else [in 2008].”
Massa seeks $84 million plus interest in his lawsuit, claiming those are the wages he missed out on by not becoming a champion in 2008. He also seeks that the FIA admit guilt for failing to investigate and address the scandal upon learning of Renault’s fixed race.
Who do you think is the rightful 2008 champion?
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