More than 15 years after the Singapore Grand Prix in the 2008 season, the Crash Gate affair is still making waves. At that time, Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately drove into the wall on lap 14 to help Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso win. Massa was in the lead at the time of the fake accident, but only ended up in 13th place after a pit stop mistake by his Ferrari crew.
Lewis Hamilton finished the race in third place and thus collected six championship points. In the end, the Brit won the title by just a single point. If the manipulated race had been completely removed from the rankings, Massa would have become world champion in the end – at least that is the argument of the 42-year-old’s lawyers.
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Nelson Piquet’s fake crash not only changed the result of the 2008 Singapore GP, but also the order in the World Championship standings.
Massa is suing F1 and FIA
In August 2023, Massa’s lawyers sent a letter to F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to seek compensation for their client. But the accused did not respond despite the announcement that they would take legal action.
Six months later, Felipe Massa is now officially filing a lawsuit against Formula 1 management, the FIA and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. Massa and his lawyers are convinced that it was a conspiracy that would have cost the Brazilian the only World Cup title of his career.
The alleged victim commented on the action: “I have always said that I will fight to the end. Since the FIA and the FOM have decided not to take any action, we will try to correct this historical injustice in court. The matter “It’s now up to the lawyers and they have full authority to do whatever it takes to bring justice to the sport.”
Damages demanded
The law firm Vieira Rezende Advogados explains that, in the plaintiff’s eyes, the FIA acted contrary to its own rules: “Mr Massa requests a declaration that the FIA violated its regulations by reporting the accident of Nelson Piquet Junior at the Great “The 2008 Singapore Prize was not promptly investigated and that had Mr Massa acted properly he would have won the Drivers’ Championship that year.”
The former number 2 in the Ferrari team alongside Michael Schumacher is now demanding financial compensation for the loss of income: “Mr. Massa is demanding compensation for the significant financial loss that he suffered due to the failure of the FIA, which also involved Mr. Ecclestone and the FOM were complicit,” it says.
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Felipe Massa’s lawyers claim that the pilot lost millions of dollars in revenue.
Ecclestone is causing a stir
Massa feels forced to file a lawsuit. “Attempts to find an amicable settlement were unsuccessful, leaving Mr Massa no choice but to take legal action.”
The basis for the charges are alleged statements made by Bernie Ecclestone. The then F1 boss is said to have admitted in an interview in March 2023 that he knew about the fake accident in 2008 but did not react. However, when asked, the 93-year-old Brit stated that he no longer remembered these statements.
The eleven-time Grand Prix winner is represented in the lawsuit by lawyers Nick de Marco KC and Kendrah Potts as well as Richard Levett and Daniel Levy from Enyo Law. Massa’s entire team is made up of other law firms: Bernardo Viana (Vieira Rezende Advogados), Antonio J. Perez-Marques (Davis Polk), Michele Bernasconi (Bär & Karrer) and Olivier Loizon (Gide Loyrette Nouel).