Felipe Massa sues FIA, F1 & Bernie Ecclestone over 2008 Singapore GP

Massa lost out the 2008 world championship by 1 point to Lewis Hamilton.

According to reports, former Brazilian Formula 1 driver, Felipe Massa has filed a lawsuit against the FIA (governing body), F1 Management & Bernie Ecclestone over the events that transpired during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Massa is reportedly seeking US$ 82 million in damages, which covers the prize money he lost and other potential deals he could have obtained as an F1 world champion. Massa's representatives confirmed that they had filed the lawsuit at the London High Court on Monday.

Vieira Rezende - a law firm, released a statement which stated that if the FIA had acted properly, Mr Massa would have won the Driver's Championship that year. The statement reads, "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. As Mr Ecclestone has admitted, there was 'enough information in time to investigate the matter' in 2008 and 'cancel the race in Singapore'. Mr Ecclestone further affirmed that, had the results of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix been cancelled, 'Felipe Massa would have become world champion' and that Mr Massa 'was cheated out of the title he deserved'."

Talking about the lawsuit itself, the statement reads, "Attempts to find an amicable resolution have been unsuccessful, leaving Mr. Massa with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings. Recent events naturally demonstrate that issues of transparency and integrity in Formula One remain relevant, and it is clear that serious work is needed to restore its credibility and long-term future. Although the FIA investigation in 2009 concluded that it had 'never before considered charges as serious', even after the revelations brought forward last year, the results of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix still stand and remain officially sanctioned by the FIA."

Reports also claim that former F1 Chief Bernie Ecclestone and then-FIA President Max Mosley were aware of the potential breach during the 2008 season, but decided not to do anything. Reports state that Ecclestone chose not to investigate the incident until the end of the season, by which time it was too late to change the standings.

Felipe Massa, who was on his way to win the 2008 Singapore GP, lost out after Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed, helping his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. The Piquet crash brought out the safety car, resulting in Massa losing his lead and falling to 13th place. The incident, later coined as 'Crashgate', left a significant impact on the driver's title race, wherein Massa lost out the world championship by 1 point to Lewis Hamilton.

Source: SkySportsF1