Motor racing-Massa takes action against F1, FIA, Ecclestone in London High Court (updated)

Liberty Media

11/03/2024 18:40

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      Massa wants recognition as 2008 champion
    

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      Hamilton won that title, first of his seven
    

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      Brazilian says missed out on 64 million pounds 
    

  
 (Adds detail of compensation sought, Massa quotes)
    By Alan Baldwin and Sam Tobin
       LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Former Ferrari driver
Felipe Massa has taken action in the London High Court against
Formula One, former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the
governing FIA seeking recognition as 2008 world champion and
financial compensation.
        A court document provided by Massa's representatives
said the best estimate of his alleged financial losses from
missing out on the title by a single point was 64 million pounds
($82 million) plus interest.
  
        That sum represented the difference in salary for the
remainder of his career and money from sponsorship and
commercial opportunities, as well as a 1.7 million pound bonus
he would have received from Ferrari.
  
        "I always said that I would fight until the end. As FIA
and FOM decided to do nothing, we will seek the correction of
this historical injustice through the courts," Massa said.
  
        "The matter is now with the lawyers and they are fully
authorized to do whatever is necessary so that justice is done
for the sport."
  
        Formula One Management (FOM) and the Paris-based
International Automobile Federation would not comment on the
move when contacted by Reuters.
    The 2008 title went to Britain's Lewis Hamilton, who was
then racing for McLaren and is now a seven-times champion with
Mercedes.
        Reuters was unable to locate immediately a record of a
lawsuit brought by Massa on the court's electronic filing system
but Massa's representatives provided court documents which
stated that the lawsuit was filed on Monday.
        Massa, 42, wants the FIA to acknowledge it breached its
own regulations by not immediately investigating a Singapore
Grand Prix crash that blew up the following year into one of the
sport's biggest scandals.
    The Brazilian has highlighted an Ecclestone quote to the
German website F1 Insider stating that Massa should have been
world champion and was "deprived of the title he deserved".
        The Briton, now 93, also said there was not "enough
information at that time to investigate the matter" and cancel
the Singapore race.
    Ecclestone told Reuters last August he could not remember
saying the quotes attributed to him.
    "Attempts to resolve the matter amicably have not been
successful so far, leaving, therefore, no alternative but to
take the issue to court," Brazilian law firm Vieira Rezende
Advogados said in a statement.
    "Recent events highlight the continued relevance of issues
of transparency and integrity in Formula One, and it is clear
that serious work is needed to restore its credibility and
secure its long-term future."
    Massa was leading the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix from pole
position when fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr crashed into the
wall on lap 14 of 61.
    The crash triggered the safety car and benefited Piquet's
Renault team mate Fernando Alonso, who won the race. Massa
failed to score after a bungled pitstop.
    Piquet revealed in 2009 that he had been told to crash by 
team bosses, who were subsequently banned.
    Hamilton won the 2008 title from Massa after overtaking
Toyota's Timo Glock for fifth place on the last lap of the
season's final race, won by Massa, in Brazil.
    Massa did not win again after 2008, with the Brazilian
suffering a near-fatal head injury at the 2009 Hungarian Grand
Prix. He retired in 2017.

 (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
 ((alan.baldwin@thomsonreuters.com; +442075427933;))