F1 News: Felipe Massa Threatens Court Case Over Lost Championship To Lewis Hamilton

The latest statements from former F1 driver Felipe Massa, who was a victim of the 2008 Crashgate scandal, suggest that he is eager to move to court if the FIA and FOM don't reply to the notices sent by his lawyers, keeping "justice for the sport" in mind.

Massa believes that he was robbed of the title in 2008 due to a manipulated race that caused Lewis Hamilton to become the world champion. The Brazilian driver is of the opinion that the race results should be changed to reflect this.

Listen To The Latest Driven Mad Podcast Episode

Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone said earlier this year that he and the then-FIA President Max Mosley were aware of the scandal that cost Massa the championship but they didn't reverse the decision to save the sport.

Since his statements, Massa has hired a group of lawyers and initiated action against the FIA and FOM, seeking compensation and the lost salary that he would've otherwise earned by winning the championship. His legal team awaits a reply based on which, they would decide the next steps.

He recently revealed in a talk to Infobae:

“I was robbed, for sure. It was a perfect Championship, which ended by one point at Interlagos. But then we saw that there was a manipulated race (Singapore), and the result should have been cancelled.

They (Formula 1 and the FIA) didn't do it because they didn't want to destroy the F1 name. Bernie Ecclestone said it in an interview, that the 2008 Championship for him is mine and that the race in Singapore should have been cancelled. They didn't do it and they knew in 2008 about the manipulation."

Not Fair For The Sport

Massa said that the fight was not just to obtain his lost championship title and compensation but, also for the sport. He continued:

"For me it was a very difficult situation. We prepared a large legal team with lawyers from six countries. We are going to fight until the end because what happened was not fair for the sport, for me, for my country, for the fans, for Ferrari.

It's a case of manipulation. We have to work for justice for the sport. We will see what answer they (FIA and FOM) give us and whether we will go into court or a tribunal, that's something we have to decide."

When asked if he was "robbed of the title, but not of his dignity," he concluded:

"For sure.

I was champion for 38 seconds, but it wasn't true. I was champion forever.”

The FIA and FOM are in the process of conducting an internal investigation into the matter and have requested one last extension to the deadline they initially asked for, from 12 October to 15 November.