Felipe Massa’s £64m Claim Over 2008 F1 Title Can Go To Trial, Rules Judge

Felipe Massa’s £64m declare against Formula One, its governing assemblage nan FIA and Bernie Ecclestone complete Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 world title in 2008 tin spell to trial, a precocious tribunal judge has ruled.

Massa claims he is nan rightful champion aft nan Brazilian mislaid by a azygous constituent erstwhile Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed astatine nan Singapore Grand Prix. Ecclestone, who was F1’s impresario for 4 decades earlier he was deposed successful 2017, suggested successful 2023 that nan sport’s executives were alert of nan cover-up – which became known arsenic Crashgate – earlier nan 2008 run concluded. The 95-year-old Ecclestone, nan FIA and Formula One Management are defending nan claims.

Last month, they asked nan tribunal successful London to propulsion retired nan case, saying that Massa performed poorly astatine nan 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, yet starring to him losing nan championship, and arguing that nan declare had been brought excessively late.

In a written judgement handed down connected Thursday, Mr Justice Jay said nan lawsuit could spell ahead. He said that Massa had “no existent imaginable of establishing that nan FIA’s duties were owed to him”, but that “he does person a existent imaginable of proving astatine proceedings each nan components of his unlawful intends conspiracy”. “The aforesaid study applies to nan inducement claim,” Jay said.

“The coming declare cannot, of course, rewrite nan result of nan 2008 drivers’ world championship, but if declaratory alleviation on nan lines sought were granted that is really Mr Massa would coming his triumph to nan world and it is besides really it would beryllium perceived by nan public.

“The 2nd declaration is successful nan position that were it not for nan FIA’s breaches of duty, Mr Massa would person won nan championship: successful different words, that he should person won nan championship. The FIA, arsenic an world sporting assemblage extracurricular nan scope of this court, could and would simply disregard immoderate specified declaration.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa celebrates claiming rod position astatine nan Marina Bay Circuit Park successful Singapore successful 2008. Photograph: David Davies/PA

“That underscores its deficiency of applicable utility, but nan declaration comes excessively adjacent successful my position to impinging connected nan correct of nan FIA to govern its ain affairs.”

At nan 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Renault staged a triumph for Fernando Alonso by ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to crash, which brought retired a information car and meant Massa, who was starring nan title for Ferrari, vanished successful 13th aft his strategy was compromised. The pursuing season, Piquet revealed he had been nether instruction by his bosses to clang deliberately.

Massa’s lawyers declare Ecclestone knew nan clang was deliberate and that he and nan FIA grounded to analyse it. At nan October hearing, Nick De Marco KC, for Massa, said successful written submissions that nan defendants could not “establish that Mr Massa’s claims person nary existent imaginable of success”.

Adding that Massa had “a existent imaginable of succeeding connected each of nan grounds”, he said nan matter should spell to a afloat trial.

David Quest KC, for Ecclestone, said Massa’s claims were “a misguided effort to reopen nan results of nan 2008 F1 drivers’ championship”. John Mehrzad KC, for nan FIA, said Massa’s declare is “torturous arsenic it is overly ambitious” and “conspicuously overlooks a catalogue of his ain errors”. Anneliese Day KC, for Formula One Management, said successful written submissions that nan declare would “fail”.