Sixteen years after the events, the Brazilian driver is still trying to obtain justice for the loss of the 2008 championship, in court against the FIA, Formula 1 and Bernie Ecclestone himself, but he is running out of steam…
The Massa saga continues in the legal field despite the passage of time and the slim chances of leading to a review of the results so long after the facts.
As a reminder, Felipe Massa lost the title in 2008 in the final corner of the last Grand Prix at Interlagos to Lewis Hamilton, but it is rather about the Singapore race that the Brazilian’s complaint is based.
Race manipulated in Singapore
In the city-state, we remember that the dice had been loaded by the deliberate crash of Nelson Piquet Jr’s Renault to favor the victory of his teammate Fernando Alonso, an accident which caused a neutralization during which the refueling of the Ferrari of Felipe Massa had gone badly.
This points deficit is at the origin of the loss of the world title, argue Massa’s lawyers, but the sportingly manipulated conduct of the Singapore Grand Prix was confirmed afterwards by the FIA, which condemned those responsible for the plot, and recognized by Bernie Ecclestone himself.
The confessions of Ecclestone and the FIA
“I hope that justice will be done because extra-sporting events have been greatly detrimental to me, deplores Felipe. When the International Federation and the promoter of the championship themselves admitted the facts, we put together a very professional team in several countries to win our case.”
“We believe that what happened was wrong and that we can get this stolen world crown back even sixteen years later, he argues. The trial has been underway for five months and I hope that the court will deliver its verdict quickly now, because the legal costs are significant.”
