Massa’s 17-year ‘Crashgate’ grudge hits the London Courts

London’s Royal Courts of Justice is bracing for a blast from Formula 1’s past this week as Felipe Massa guns the legal throttle to prove he was cheated out of the 2008 world championship, while seeking roughly $80 million in damages to ease the pain.

Seventeen years after Lewis Hamilton pipped him by a single point, the Brazilian is suing the FIA, Formula One Management, and former F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone over the infamous Singapore Grand Prix ‘Crashgate’ scandal.

Spoiler: the defendants want the case binned before it even hits the grid.

The Crash That Changed Everything — and Nothing

The story begins under the lights of Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit in 2008. On lap 14, Nelson Piquet Jr. spun dramatically into the barriers, prompting a safety car that conveniently helped his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.

Massa, then leading the championship, endured a chaotic pit stop that dropped him out of the points – a disaster that ultimately handed Lewis Hamilton the title by a single point in Brazil, three races later.

At the time, Piquet Jr.’s crash was brushed off as driver error. But a year later, Piquet Sr. told the FIA it was deliberate, a move allegedly ordered by Renault bosses Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds. Renault’s leadership was punished, but the title race was already ancient history.

That was until 2023, when Ecclestone – now 95 – gave an interview claiming he and then-FIA president Max Mosley had known about the fix during the 2008 season but decided to bury it to “avoid a scandal.”

Ecclestone later insisted he couldn’t recall making the comments, blaming a translation error. For Massa, however, opportunity came knocking.

Massa’s Legal Gamble

In August 2023, Massa’s lawyers sent formal letters to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, accusing them of regulatory failure.

The full lawsuit followed in March 2024. Massa is not asking the court to strip Hamilton of his championship, but rather to declare that the FIA breached its own rules by failing to investigate promptly — and that, had it done so, the Singapore results would have been voided, making Massa champion.

His legal team, led by renowned sports barrister Nick de Marco KC, is demanding around $80 million in damages for the lost income, sponsorships, and prestige that never came his way.

The defense teams – representing Ecclestone, the FIA, and FOM – have strongly denied wrongdoing and are seeking to have the case thrown out before it reaches a full trial.

This week’s preliminary hearings will determine whether the case proceeds to discovery or is struck down as the legal equivalent of a DNF. The proceedings are expected to revolve around whether the court even has jurisdiction to reopen matters so deeply buried in F1’s past.

Old Race - Different outcome

While Massa insists his crusade is about “justice” and not money, critics see it as a belated tilt at windmills – a nostalgic quest to rewrite sporting history long since set in stone.

Even if successful, the court cannot reallocate championship points or rewrite the FIA record books.

• Read also: Ecclestone denies 'cover-up' as Massa’s Crashgate case hits court

For fans, the 2008 season finale remains one of Formula 1’s most iconic moments – Hamilton’s last-corner title win over a tearful Massa in Brazil.

Revisiting it in 2025 feels, to many, like replaying an old race hoping for a different outcome.

If the judge green-lights discovery, expect depositions, dusty emails, and maybe Piquet Jr. on the stand. If not, Massa’s legal lap ends in the barriers.

Either way, F1’s history books stay shut – for now.