12 March 2024 , 09:49
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Bernie Ecclestone believes Felipe Massa has done "the right thing" with his legal challenge over the outcome of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship.
The Brazilian lost the title on the final lap of the last race of the year as Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock to secure enough points to become champion for the first time. He has won six more titles since, while Massa never managed to summit the F1 world.
But comments made by Ecclestone last year about the 'Crashgate' scandal from that year's Singapore Grand Prix led to Massa seeking legal advice. The 93-year-old suggested that he and FIA president Max Mosley were aware of Renault's alleged tactics but did not act.
Had the race result been annulled, Massa would have won the title that year. And, after months of consultation over the situation, the former Ferrari racer has decided to press ahead with legal action.
On Monday, he filed a lawsuit against F1, governing body the FIA and Ecclestone himself. He is not fighting to overturn the result of the championship, but to force the FIA to admit their alleged failures and to get more than £62m in compensation for earnings he claims he lost as a result of missing out on the title that year.
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A statement from Brazilian law firm Vieira Rezende Advogados read: "Mr Massa is seeking declarations that the FIA breached its regulations by failing to promptly investigate Nelson Piquet Junior's crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and that had it acted properly, Mr Massa would have won the drivers' championship that year.
"Mr Massa also seeks damages for the significant financial loss he has suffered due to the FIA's failure, in which Mr Ecclestone and FOM were also complicit. Attempts to find an amicable resolution have been unsuccessful, leaving Mr Massa with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings."
Ecclestone has previously said he has no recollection of giving the interview in which he gave the quotes which began Massa's crusade. And, despite being named personally on the lawsuit, the former F1 supremo has backed the Brazilian's decision to pursue the matter.
He said: "If he had asked me, 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. I have not got a clue - I don't think anyone has - but 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."