Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa has won a crucial part of his high-profile legal battle against former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA, and governing body Formula 1.
A High Court judge has ruled that Massa can continue to pursue a claim for damages in relation to an alleged 'conspiracy' by those involved in denying him the 2008 drivers' title, which was won by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
Massa had claimed that he was the rightful winner of the championship following Nelson Piquet Jr's deliberate crash at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008. Piquet had deliberately crashed to allow his Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso to win the race, and Ferrari botched Massa's pit stop during a safety car period.
The court has allowed Massa to proceed with his claim that he was denied the title due to an alleged conspiracy involving Ecclestone and other parties. However, the judge rejected Massa's claim for declaratory relief, which would have stated that he should have won the championship.
Massa is seeking compensation in the region of about £64m from Ecclestone, F1, and the FIA. He maintains that if the governing bodies had investigated the incident sooner and annulled the result, he would have been crowned world champion.
The ruling has given Massa a boost as his case continues. However, for Ecclestone and other parties involved, it marks an end to their claims that the case was brought too late.
A High Court judge has ruled that Massa can continue to pursue a claim for damages in relation to an alleged 'conspiracy' by those involved in denying him the 2008 drivers' title, which was won by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
Massa had claimed that he was the rightful winner of the championship following Nelson Piquet Jr's deliberate crash at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008. Piquet had deliberately crashed to allow his Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso to win the race, and Ferrari botched Massa's pit stop during a safety car period.
The court has allowed Massa to proceed with his claim that he was denied the title due to an alleged conspiracy involving Ecclestone and other parties. However, the judge rejected Massa's claim for declaratory relief, which would have stated that he should have won the championship.
Massa is seeking compensation in the region of about £64m from Ecclestone, F1, and the FIA. He maintains that if the governing bodies had investigated the incident sooner and annulled the result, he would have been crowned world champion.
The ruling has given Massa a boost as his case continues. However, for Ecclestone and other parties involved, it marks an end to their claims that the case was brought too late.
...massa has been through so much with this whole thing, and now he's finally getting some traction 
...the conspiracy angle is wild, i mean who would do something like that? 
...it's not just about the money either, it's about justice for massa and all those who were wronged by the system 
...f1 needs to get its act together and take responsibility for its mistakes 
...ecclestone's got a lot of skin in the game now, this could be huge for him 
...anyway, this is just the beginning of massa's journey towards justice 
...can't wait to see how it all plays out 
. but, on the other hand, bernie ecclestone and co. are basically off the hook 
. it's just weird that massa can still go after them for damages, even if they don't have to face any further scrutiny over the whole title thing. i guess we'll see how this all plays out in the end... will massa get his £64m? only time will tell 
.
, finally some justice for Felipe Massa! I mean, come on, what's up with Bernie Ecclestone? 
He's always been shady about his dealings in F1. The fact that he and the FIA thought they could just sweep this under the rug and let Lewis Hamilton win without a proper investigation is low-key ridiculous 
.
. I mean, who else would do something like that? 
And the fact that Ferrari botched his pit stop during the safety car period? ¡Eso es un error grave! (That's a big mistake!) 
It's about time these parties in F1 were held accountable for their actions 
.
Also, I wonder what's next for this case... is Massa gonna try to get more compensation or is he happy with the £64m? 
! It's crazy to think that all these years later, someone is still fighting for what they believe is rightfully theirs 
). Still hopeful that this will all get sorted out soon and we can finally know what really went down in 2008 
He was so robbed of that drivers' title back in 2008 and it's crazy to think about how much he could've won if the governing bodies had actually done their job properly 
Anywayz what do u think guys? Should Felipe get the recognition he deserves or is it too late now? 
#JusticeForMassa. The fact that he can now continue pursuing damages for the alleged conspiracy is super empowering 
, but at the same time I think he's being super optimistic 
. I mean, even though the court ruled in his favor and allowed him to continue with his claim, it's still pretty harsh to expect £64m from Ecclestone and co