Bernie Ecclestone expressed his perspective on Felipe Massa’s potential lawsuit over the 2008 F1 title, indicating that had Massa sought his advice, he would have encouraged him to pursue legal action.
Recently, fresh details emerged concerning the 2008 F1 World Championship. Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 supremo, disclosed that both himself and then-FIA president Max Mosley were already aware of the truth behind the ‘Crashgate’ scandal at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008.
On that Sunday, Renault instructed Nelson Piquet Jr to intentionally crash in order to aid Fernando Alonso during the race. This maneuver occurred alongside a mishandled pit stop, causing race leader Massa to fall out of contention, while his championship rival Lewis Hamilton secured third place.
Hamilton ultimately clinched the title by a mere point ahead of Massa. This outcome could have been altered had Formula 1 authorities opted to cancel the Singapore Grand Prix and exclude its points from the championship race.
While initially believed that the truth behind the Crashgate scandal only surfaced a year later, Bernie Ecclestone revealed in April to F1-Insider that he was aware of it long before.
“According to the statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions,” he stated. “That means it would never have happened for the World Championship standings. Then Felipe Massa would have become World Champion and not Lewis Hamilton.”
Following Massa’s initial threat to sue Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1, and the FIA, Ecclestone changed his stance and informed Reuters, “I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.”
Six months later, Massa is proceeding with his legal action, asserting his claim as the “rightful” 2008 World Champion as a result of the Crashgate scandal.
This Monday, Massa took concrete action by filing a lawsuit in the United Kingdom’s High Court. In his lawsuit, he seeks to be recognized as the World Champion for 2008 and is pursuing a minimum of $82 million in damages.
Massa stated: “I always said I was going to fight until the end. “Since the FIA and FOM decided not to do anything, we will seek to right this historical injustice in court. The matter is now for our lawyers and they are fully authorized to do whatever is necessary so justice in sport is served.”
Despite being implicated in that lawsuit, Ecclestone asserts that the Brazilian is making the correct decision.
“If he had asked me,” Ecclestone reported. “I would have said it was the complete right thing to do, to sue, and to let an English judge decide what is right and wrong.
“I cannot say anything about the outcome and what will happen. From his point of view, it is better that an English judge comes up with a verdict. It will be of more help for him.”
