F1 News: Felipe Massa Demands Compensation As Fight Over Lewis Hamilton's 2008 Title Continues
It has been revealed that former F1 driver Felipe Massa's lawyers are fighting for compensation over his 'lost' 2008 championship title, which was Lewis Hamilton's first championship win.
The former Ferrari driver has launched legal action against both the Formula One management and the FIA. He alleges a 'conspiracy' at the top levels denied him the 2008 championship title.
Listen To The Latest Driven Mad Podcast Episode
The 'Letter Before Claim' alleges Massa lost tens of millions in earnings and bonuses due to this supposed interference. It's worth noting that a 'Letter Before Claim' is a necessary step before formal court proceedings can begin. As of now, there's been no comment from the FIA or Formula One.
The legal document from Enyo Law states, according to Reuters.com:
"Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver's Champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title.
"Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros
"This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa."
The letter further reveals that while Massa hasn't determined the exact amount of his losses, he estimates they're in the tens of millions of Euros. Moreover, this does not account for "the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa."
The notice was directed at both Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula One, and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA president. The letter asserts that unless there's a satisfactory reply within 14 days, Massa's legal team will initiate proceedings in the English courts.
The root of Massa's claim lies in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. During this race, Nelson Piquet crashed his Renault, an event that ended up benefiting his teammate Fernando Alonso, who subsequently won the race. This crash affected Massa's standings, and he lost the championship to Lewis Hamilton by just one point. In 2009, Piquet revealed that he had been instructed to crash by the Renault team bosses in what came to be known as the 'crashgate' scandal.
Massa's pursuit for justice was reignited after recent comments made by Bernie Ecclestone, who explained:
"We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal.
"He was cheated out of the title he deserved, while Hamilton had all the luck in the world and won his first championship."
Mercedes AMG F1 Media