Ex-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has seen his £64 million claim concerning his 2008 title approved to go to trial.
Massa claims that he is the rightful winner of Lewis Hamilton’s first world title in 2008. The Brazilian dramatically missed out on the title by 1 point in the final race in Brazil.
The enquiry is centred around the ‘crash gate’ scandal which saw Nelson Piquet JR allegedly deliberately crash his Renault in Singapore, handing the race victory to teammate Fernando Alonso.
Shockingly, the following season, Piquet claimed he received orders to deliberately crash.
Repercussions followed for team principle Flavio Briatore and chief technical officer Pat Symmonds. Both subsequently received bans from F1 for several years.
Massa missed out on victory here which would have seen him claim the title at his home race in Brazil.
Ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone added fuel to the fire by in 2023 claiming the sport’s executives were aware of the cover up.
Ecclestone, the FIA and Formula 1 Management argued to the court that Massa lost the championship due to poor performances that cost the Brazilian the title.
Despite this, the court has ruled that the case can go ahead. However, despite the case going ahead Hamilton’s first title will still stand.
In a social media post, Massa claimed that it was “a tremendous victory.”
“A great day for for me, for justice and for everyone who loves Formula 1.”
“The court has seen the strength of my case and refused to let the defendants silence the truth about 2008. They did everything possible to stop the case, but our fight is for fairness and today we have won.”
“The truth will prevail at trial. We will leave no stone unturned. I am more determined and confident than ever.”
“Justice will be done. For me, for Brazilians, for Tifosi, for motorsport fans, who deserve an honest sport, and for the future of F1.”
Feature image courtesy of the BBC