Felipe Massa has gone from words to deeds: the former driver is preparing to file a lawsuit against Formula 1, the FIA International Automobile Federation and the promoters of the World Cup. On August 15, the Brazilian sent a pre-trial claim to F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem explaining his position.
The text of the letter was at the disposal of Reuters, and it does not follow at all that Massa demands to recognize him as a world champion …
We understand what Felipe wants and if the results of the 2008 season will be reviewed.
what’s in the letter
Before we examine the content of the pre-trial lawsuit, let’s recall what exactly is the essence of the Massa case. It started not long ago, in April, after a scandalous interview with Bernie Ecclestone, the former F-1 promoter, on f1-insider.com. Bernie later admitted that the championship organizers knew that Piqué Jr. deliberately crashed the car at the Singapore Grand Prix and thus helped Alonso win even before the Brazilian publicly admitted it a year later. Ecclestone added that they decided to silence the story to preserve the image of the championship.
At the time of Piqué’s retirement, Massa was leading the race, but in an emergency pit stop in safety car mode, the mechanics did not have time to remove the fuel hose from his car, causing Felipe to lose control. first place and could not score. points. After hearing about Ecclestone’s interview, the Brazilian decided that since the race result was rigged and the promoters knew about it, the results should be cancelled. In this case, Hamilton, who finished third in Singapore, will lose six points and the 2008 championship will go to Massa. That is what he demanded through the press.
Weight at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix
Photo: Paul Gilham/Getty Images
However, in the pre-trial lawsuit, there is no talk of reviewing that season’s results. “Mr Massa is the rightful drivers’ champion of 2008, and Formula 1 and the FIA deliberately ignored the deception that cost him the title,” Reuters publishes excerpts from a pre-trial lawsuit drafted by London-based lawyer Felipe Enio Lowe. . “Mr. Massa was unable to compensate for damage amounting to tens of millions of euros. This amount does not include serious non-material damage and reputational losses suffered by Mr. Massa.
Yes, the lawyers call Massa a full-fledged champion, but there are no requirements to officially recognize the title for the Brazilian in the text, at least in the version in which Reuters quotes him. Instead, special attention is paid to Felipe’s financial losses: it can be concluded that at the moment the Brazilian’s goal is money. Justice, of which he spoke earlier, faded into the background.
Not just Crashgate:
5 scandalous victories in the history of Formula 1. In its context, the controversial victory of Hamilton is nonsense
Formula 1 is silent. Bye
Bernie Ecclestone, with whose words the process began, said he did not understand what was at stake. “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest. And I don’t remember this interview,” Bernie told Reuters reporters. From F-1 or from the promoters of the championship, there were no answers either: after this period, Massa will be able to sue. However, the Brazilian’s chances are not too great: he claims to have been the victim of a conspiracy, but the Ecclestone interview alone will be impossible to prove. And if he does not prove the conspiracy, on what basis does the Brazilian demand money?
It is not yet possible to judge whether Massa has given up his championship claims, or whether his lawsuit is the first step towards another trial, but Felipe has at least begun to act. Domenicali and Ben Sulayem will have to answer the questions raised one way or another; now it will be difficult to rule them out.
Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
In F-1, they clearly don’t intend to cancel the race results 15 years later; there were no such precedents in the history of the championship, and the Brazilian does not have another chance. After all, if only Renault cars (one Alonso) are excluded from the protocols, Hamilton will only have more points. If the case goes to court, simply paying Massa will not work either: the FIA will thus recognize the fact of a conspiracy, and this will give Felipe a reason for new trials.
One way or another, the culmination of Massa’s title campaign of 15 years ago is yet to come, but the outlook for the Brazilian is not looking bright. If necessary, the FIA and Liberty will be able to attract the best lawyers from both sides of the Atlantic, and Felipe needs to show something more serious than excerpts from the Ecclestone interview.
All the heroes of the Scuderia:
Classification
The 20 best Ferrari Formula 1 drivers in history: put them in their place!
