Felipe Massa’s legal challenge to overturn the result of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship is set to be heard across October 28-31.
The initial hearings will take place in London with representatives of Formula One Management [FOM], the FIA, and ex-FOM chief Bernie Ecclestone, who will turn 95 during proceedings.
The Brazilian, who retired from F1 at the end of 2017, lost out on the Drivers’ title that season to Lewis Hamilton, then with McLaren, at the final round in Brazil.
Massa crossed the line to win the race, appearing to have done enough to claim a maiden crown in front of his adoring and passionate home crowd.
However, Hamilton famously overtook the slowing Toyota of Timo Glock at the final corner to finish fifth, giving him enough points to claim the first of his seven championships.
Massa is seeking recourse to legally challenge the result of the championship via the outcome of that year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
The race was won by Fernando Alonso – driving for Renault – after benefitting from a Safety Car period that was caused by team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr’s crash.
The shunt was later proved to have been planned by Renault, the incident commonly known as Crashgate which saw Flavio Briatore receive a ban that was overturned.
The comment that sparked Massa legal action
Ecclestone stated in an interview with F1-Insider in 2023 that both he and then-FIA President Max Mosley “had enough information” to investigate the incident.
“According to the statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions,” he said.
“That means it would never have happened for the championship standings. And then Felipe Massa would have become World Champion and not Lewis Hamilton.”
Massa was leading the race at the time of Piquet’s crash, and a botched pitstop whilst the Safety Car was out condemned him to a 13th-place finish.
Meanwhile, Hamilton came home in third, earning him a six-point swing which turned-out to be a crucial advantage come the campaign’s conclusion.
Despite Ecclestone later claiming he did not remember making such comments, Massa has used them to bring the case to court, making the case that the unlawful nature of the race’s outcome damaged his chances of becoming World Champion.
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