Filipe Massa seeks justice and proper justification from Formula 1 (F1) and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) regarding the incident that occurred during the 2008 Championship. Massa’s legal team has announced their intention to file a lawsuit against F1 and the FIA for the perceived injustice surrounding that year’s championship. Massa finished second in the championship, losing to the winner by just one point, with the infamous crash gate incident cited as one of the main reasons for his defeat.
According to Massa’s legal team, their main focus is not to recover the financial damages suffered by Massa due to the unfair loss of the championship. Massa missed out on a significant salary increase and possible sponsorships and brand deals as a result of not winning the title in 2008. The estimated loss is valued at $76.4 million, which Massa seeks to recover through the lawsuit against F1 and the FIA.
Initially, the lawsuit filed in the British court did not mention the specific incident. However, Massa’s legal team now claims that both F1 and the FIA did not take appropriate measures at the time and should be held accountable for the damages. The legal drama began with a former F1 executive’s admission that F1 took no action regarding the crash gate incident, despite being aware of the facts.
The crash gate incident is considered one of the most controversial moments in F1 history. To help the winner of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Renault instructed a driver to intentionally crash during the race. As a result, the safety car was deployed and Massa dropped to 13th place, losing valuable points in the championship.
Last year, Bernie Ecclestone, a prominent figure in F1, revealed that both F1 and the FIA were aware of the deliberate accident. In response, Felipe Massa filed an official lawsuit, which also included Ecclestone. Ecclestone acknowledged that Massa is taking the right action.
The lawsuit filed by Massa has caused division within the F1 community. F1 and the FIA must handle the situation carefully, as a court decision favorable to Massa could set a precedent for other teams and drivers who feel disadvantaged in the past to file their own lawsuits, using Massa’s case as leverage.
