FIA launch defence against 'torturous' Felipe Massa claim in Lewis Hamilton title trial

The court representative for the FIA has issued a response to Felipe Massa's legal challenge against F1's governing body, former CEO Bernie Ecclestone, and Formula One Management (FOM).

The former Ferrari driver is seeking damages of up to £64 million for what he alleges was a breach of contract or duty regarding the 2008 scandal known as 'Crashgate'.

At the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed into the wall in order to help his team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race, something which came to light a year later in 2009 after Piquet Jr had been dropped by Renault and team principal Flavio Briatore had been banned from the sport.

However, comments made in 2023 by Ecclestone suggested that he and then FIA boss Max Mosley knew about Renault's plan earlier than when Piquet publicly revealed it in 2009, but wanted to avoid a scandal in the sport.

Massa is alleging that this was a breach of contract or duty, particularly as that race saw him finish 13th, and championship rival Lewis Hamilton up in third. Massa went on to lose out on the 2008 championship by a single point, with now seven-time champion Hamilton taking his maiden win instead.

He claims that the result of the race could have been null and void if Renault had been investigated sooner, and is therefore seeking damages worth around £64 million for what he claims is loss of earnings and sponsorship.

With the case taking to court this week, the FIA have been able to issue a response to the claims, via their King's Counsel (KC).

In a written submission in court, John Mehrzad, KC for the FIA, said Massa's claim is as "torturous as it is overly ambitious" and "conspicuously overlooks a catalogue of his own errors."

What is the FIA's part in the 'Crashgate' scandal?

Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA acted in breach of its own regulations, and that if it had not done so, it would have cancelled or adjusted the results of the Singapore Grand Prix and he would have won the 2008 drivers' championship.

That is something that F1's governing body deny, and they alongside FOM and Ecclestone applied for the case to be thrown out entirely earlier this week.

But Massa's representative, Nick De Marco KC, said in written submissions that the defendants cannot establish that the claims have no real prospect of succeeding, adding: "Mr Massa has a real prospect of succeeding on all of the grounds."

The barrister also stated that whether or not the FIA breached its duty as F1's governing body was 'a fact-sensitive issue', disagreeing that a mini trial would help to come to a decision.

The court hearing is expected to conclude on Friday, and then a ruling is likely to be made at a later unconfirmed date.

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