White six wrote: ↑1 month ago
Massa is sueing then.
Be fun to see if they can find people to back up Bernie's claim
Yeah its official. Its seems the words of a bloke in his mid nineties, well known for pot stirring has triggered the latest claims and actions.
Massa is going for money rather than the title it seems. Anyway he has issued proceedings against the FIA and FOM plus Bernie ,
Statement from Massa’s lawyers
On March 11, 2024, Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit in the High Court in London, England against Formula One Management Limited (FOM), Bernard Charles Ecclestone, and the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA).
Mr Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA breached its regulations by failing to promptly investigate Nelson Piquet Junior’s crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and that had it acted properly, Mr Massa would have won the drivers’ championship that year. Mr Massa also seeks damages for the significant financial loss he has suffered due to the FIA’s failure, in which Mr Ecclestone and FOM were also complicit.
As Mr Ecclestone has admitted, there was “enough information in time to investigate the matter” in 2008 and “cancel the race in Singapore”. Mr Ecclestone further affirmed that, had the results of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix been cancelled, “Felipe Massa would have become world champion” and that Mr. Massa “was cheated out of the title he deserved.
Attempts to find an amicable resolution have been unsuccessful, leaving Mr Massa with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings.
Recent events naturally demonstrate that issues of transparency and integrity in Formula One remain relevant, and it is clear that serious work is needed to restore its credibility and long-term future.
Although the FIA investigation in 2009 concluded that it had “never before considered charges as serious”, even after the revelations brought forward last year, the results of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix still stand and remain officially sanctioned by the FIA.
Felipe Massa is represented in England by barristers Nick de Marco KC and Kendrah Potts, instructed by Richard Levett and Daniel Levy (Enyo Law LLP). The full team also includes Bernardo Viana (Vieira Rezende Advogados), Antonio J. Perez-Marques (Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP), Michele Bernasconi (Bär & Karrer), and Olivier Loizon (Gide Loyrette Nouel).
He is seeking confirmation from the FIA that he would have won the 2008 world championship had the governing body investigated the "suspicious crash" in that year’s Singapore Grand Prix more promptly..
You cant nullify a race 15 plus years down the track. They certainly cant say the race would have been nullified. The obvious thing would have been to DSQ Renault had it been investigated at the time. Surely thts all the FIA have to say in thi instance Net result of that would be Hamilton won the title by even more points. If they want to make it right they (the FIA) simply have to retrospectively DSQ Renault.
You dont nullify a race because one team cheats. You DSQ the team or in this case the remaining team driver, Alonso., and those behind get elevated positions.
No doubt when this fails Massa will sue Ferrari for screwing up his pitstop that day, to which Ferrari would respond by saying Felipe lost the championship by spinning on his own in Malaysia or even his incompetence at the wet British GP where he spent much of the day spinning off the track etc.
Not only will Felipe lose the case but he will lose the credibility he had, the manner in which he accepted defeat in Brazil. He will still be the "What if" WDC
