Lewis Hamilton faces losing F1 title as Massa launches legal action vs FIA

The next step in Felipe Massa’s legal proceedings against F1 and the FIA is now underway with the Brazilian driver pushing for financial remuneration for the reputational and mental damage caused by the events that cost him the 2008 World Championship.

According to a report from Reuters, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem have received a Letter Before Claim document informing them that Massa is commencing legal proceedings against the two parties. 

Why is Massa taking legal action?

The now-42-year-old Brazilian would have won the 2008 title if it weren’t for the events of the Singapore Grand Prix. Massa was leading that race before Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed into the wall to bring out the safety car and bring team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was running a bizarre alternate strategy, into play on his way to the race victory.

The scandal rocked F1 in 2009 when Piquet blew the whistle on the fiasco, but it was a recent interview from Bernie Ecclestone that sparked this legal action. Speaking to F1-Insider, Ecclestone revealed that he knew about Renault’s race manipulation at the time, but waited to act in a bid “to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal.” Had he acted sooner, Massa could have been awarded the trophy.

The Sao Paulo-born driver will now pursue justice through the courts with his lawyer explaining in his Letter Before Claim: “Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver’s Champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title.

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“Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros. This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa.”

Will Lewis Hamilton lose the 2008 world title?

While the points lost from the Singapore 2008 saga cost Massa his maiden F1 title, they led to Lewis Hamilton claiming his first-ever World Championship. The British driver overtook Timo Glock in the final sector on the final lap at the Brazilian Grand Prix, meaning he beat Massa to the crown by a single point. 

In the documents currently available to the public, Massa has not confirmed that he will be pursuing the awarding of the 2008 crown, previously acknowledging that, within the FIA rulebook, once the winning driver receives the champion’s trophy, the outcome cannot be changed.

It is therefore expected that while Massa does believe that he was unlawfully prevented from winning the 2008 World Championship, he will likely pursue financial gains from F1 and the FIA via the upcoming legal battle. This is not confirmed, however, and the Brazilian could indeed come after Hamilton’s title.

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Massa vs F1 and the FIA: What happens next?

Given the severity of Massa’s legal case and the complexity of the scandal at hand, it is unlikely that we will see a quick resolution of the conflict. 

That said, the ball is now rolling with Massa’s lawyers confirming that if they receive no correspondence from F1 and the FIA within the space of 14 days, they will expect “to commence legal proceedings in the English courts without further notice”.

Should the parties fail to reach an agreement from there, legal proceedings then commence, starting the long process of determining justice for the incident. 

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