Massa’s F1 2008 Lawsuit Allowed to Proceed in Part by London’s High Court

Felipe Massa’s lawsuit against Formula One, its former chief Bernie Ecclestone, and the FIA has been allowed to proceed in part by London’s High Court. Massa is seeking £64 million in damages, claiming he was deprived of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship title and lost to Lewis Hamilton by one point, as a result of the “Crashgate” incident at the Singapore Grand Prix, in which a deliberate crash benefited a rival.

In that incident, Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed to benefit his teammate, and Massa alleges that Ecclestone and the FIA knew about the deliberate crash during the 2008 season but failed to investigate or act, effectively concealing the truth until decades later.

The court permitted Massa’s claims for inducement of breach of contract to continue, noting he may only have realised he could sue after a 2023 interview with Ecclestone, but rejected his bid to have the championship result rewritten and dismissed claims that the FIA breached a duty to investigate. As a result, the case will proceed on narrow grounds, potentially limited to damages, without altering the 2008 title outcome.