Felipe Massa’s longstanding grievances with Formula One management from the “Crashgate” saga may finally be coming to an end after his latest legal win.
The former Ferrari star has secured a partial victory in the London High Court, keeping alive his attempt to challenge the outcome of the 2008 F1 World Championship, a title he lost to Lewis Hamilton by a single point.
For motorsport fans in Pakistan and around the world, the dispute reopens one of F1’s most debated races: the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where Nelson Piquet Jr.’s deliberate crash reshaped the entire championship battle. Massa filed a lawsuit against Formula One Management, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, and the FIA, seeking both a declaration that he should have been world champion and damages worth £64 million.
Judge Robert Jay ruled that Massa’s claims related to inducement of breach of contract and conspiracy could move forward, particularly because a 2023 interview in which Ecclestone admitted knowing the crash was intentional.
However, the court rejected the most explosive part of Massa’s appeal, refusing to declare him the rightful 2008 world champion.
Reacting to the ruling, the Brazilian said it marked “a great day for justice,” insisting once again that Piquet’s crash “stole the World Championship” from him. Massa maintains that his goal is to expose what he believes was a cover-up at the top of Formula One’s governance.
The infamous 2008 race remains one of the sport’s darkest moments. Piquet Jr. later confessed he had been ordered by Renault team bosses to crash, a tactic that allowed teammate Fernando Alonso to win the race while derailing Massa’s championship challenge.
Lawyers for F1 and the FIA argued that Massa’s own and Ferrari’s errors during that grand prix were the real reason he lost points, and that any legal challenge was filed too late.
With the High Court’s latest ruling, Felipe Massa now pursues damages rather than a rewritten title outcome, but the legal battle ensures that the Crashgate controversy remains far from settled.
