Former Formula One driver Felipe Massa said on Monday he had filed a lawsuit in a London court against the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Formula One Management (FOM) and Bernie Ecclestone, as he tries to obtain the title of world champion in 2008.
The Brazilian, now 42 years old, added that he also wants financial compensation, without specifying the amount.
Massa, who declared last year that he was the “real” world champion of the 2008 season due to an incident now infamously called “Crashgate”, finished second in the standings behind Britain’s Lewis Hamilton .
Massa, who has driven for the Ferrari and Williams teams, said in a statement that his case will be heard before the Court of King’s Bench in the British High Court.
Massa’s decision comes after months of talks between his lawyers and the organizations that oversee motor racing on the planet, because the Brazilian considers that they have never responded to his allegations made publicly.
“I always said I would fight until the end,” Massa said in a press release. Since the FIA and FOM have decided to do nothing, we will attempt to correct this historic injustice in court. This file is now in the hands of our lawyers, and they have received authorization to do everything possible to ensure justice is done in sport. »
His allegations stem from the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, after Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally caused an accident to allow his then-Renault teammate Fernando Alonso to win.
The French team was eventually found guilty and punished, but the results remained the same. This decision paved the way for Hamilton to win the world championship at Massa’s expense.
Last year, Ecclestone, the former boss of F1, mentioned in an interview with a site specializing in F1 that he had learned between the branches in 2008 that Piquet fils had intentionally caused an accident. He added that he had chosen not to investigate until the conclusion of the campaign, thus preventing any change in the rankings.
Piquet fils’ accident occurred while Massa was leading in Singapore. The safety car came on track, costing Massa’s lead and giving Alonso an advantage, the only driver to have already entered the pits to refuel.
Massa eventually ended up in 13th place, following a catastrophic pit stop, while Hamilton took third place.
The FIA, FOM and Eccletone have yet to comment on Massa’s decision.
Massa said in an interview with The Associated Press last August that he had gathered new evidence that supports his case. He also mentioned that he was considering filing new lawsuits related to this incident in other countries.