FOLLOW US

Felipe Massa is suing the governing bodies of Formula One and its former CEO for £64 million ($81.5 million), claiming he would have beaten Lewis Hamilton to the 2008 motorsport title if a scandal over an allegedly deliberate crash had been investigated properly.

Former driver Massa Sues F1 Bodies : Allegations of Conspiracy

The Brazilian driver said in a High Court claim that the motorsport's leaders took part in a "conspiracy" to hide a deliberate crash — branded "Crashgate" — at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. This allowed the British driver to beat Massa in the championship by one point, according to the March 11 claim, which has recently been made public.

The driver, who won 11 Grands Prix in a Formula One career between 2002 and 2017, argues that he is the rightful winner. He added that he lost out on some £64 million in prize money, salary, and sponsorship deals as a result of his loss.

Former driver Massa Sues F1 Bodies : Details of the Crash

"If the results of the Singapore Grand Prix were allowed to stand despite the race being tainted by fraud or the deliberate manipulation of results by Renault, Mr. Massa was the individual who would suffer harm as he would wrongfully be denied the drivers' championship," the claim says.

Massa is suing Formula One Management Ltd., the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and Bernie Ecclestone, the former chief executive, for breach of contract. He alleges that they broke the sport's rules by failing to promptly investigate Crashgate.

Former driver Massa Sues F1 Bodies : The Role of Renault

He claims that Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr., a fellow Brazilian, intentionally crashed his car around a quarter of the way into the Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso. The crash led to a safety car being deployed during which a botched Ferrari pit stop caused Massa to fall from race leader to last place.

Alonso moved as a result from last place to fifth, and Hamilton — who went on to win the championship a joint-record seven times — dropped from second to eighth, the claim says.

Investigation and Aftermath

Allegations that the crash might have been deliberate surfaced two months later when the father of Piquet Jr. told FIA race director Charlie Whiting that his son had crashed on purpose and was told to do so by members of the Renault F1 team, according to the claim.

Max Mosely, the former president of the FIA, or Whiting then told Ecclestone, but the allegation was "deliberately concealed," and the FIA decided not to take any steps to investigate the crash, the filing says.