Felipe Massa at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Image: XPB Images
The 44-year-old is seeking up to $82 million USD ($124.4 million AUD) in damages from the FIA, Formula One Management, and former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, claiming their handling of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix denied him the world championship.
All three parties deny the claims and are attempting to have the case struck out on the grounds that it is time-barred.
Speaking to The Times ahead of proceedings, Massa said he would not back down in his efforts to hold the sport accountable.
“Accountability is key to preventing future fraud,” he said.
“Those entrusted with protecting the sport directly violated their duties, and they cannot be allowed to benefit from concealing their own misconduct.
“Such conduct is unacceptable in any sphere of life, especially in a sport followed by millions, including children.
Full Credit to the Noise – Your light-hearted take on motorsport’s biggest news Click here to listen
“We will pursue this to the very end in order to achieve a just and fair outcome — for myself, for motorsport in Brazil, and for the sport as a whole.”
The case centres on the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed under team orders.
Massa, driving for Ferrari, was leading at the time when Piquet hit the wall at a section of track that guaranteed a safety car, as no cranes were available to remove a damaged car quickly.
The plan allowed teammate Fernando Alonso, who had just pitted, to benefit from the timing and go on to win the race, while Massa finished outside the points and ultimately lost the world championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point.
Nelson Piquet Jr emerges from his wrecked Renault at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Image: XPB Images
Although suspicions of foul play emerged immediately, the FIA did not launch an investigation until Piquet Jr revealed the scheme in 2009. By then, officials ruled it was too late to alter the results.
Massa’s case, however, hinges on comments made by Ecclestone in a 2023 interview with F1 Insider.
In it, Ecclestone admitted he and then-FIA president Max Mosley were told about the crash being deliberate shortly after the race but opted against acting on the information.
“We decided not to do anything for the time being to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal,” Ecclestone was quoted as saying.
“According to the rules… we would probably have had to annul the race in Singapore in those circumstances.
“That means that, for purposes of the world championship standings, it would never have taken place.
“Then Felipe Massa would have been world champion and not Lewis Hamilton.”
Ecclestone has since distanced himself from those remarks.
In his latest comments to The Times, the 94-year-old insisted there had not been enough evidence to pursue an investigation until Piquet Jr came forward the following year.
“There is no way in the world anyone could change or cancel that race,” he said.
“Max knew there was not enough evidence at the time to do anything.
“It only started later when young Nelson decided he wanted to say something when he found out he was not going to get a seat for the following year.”
He also claimed he “didn’t even remember the bloody interview” with F1 Insider, suggesting it may have been a case of misinterpretation.
The scandal reshaped Formula 1 in the years that followed, with Renault team principal Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds both sanctioned — penalties that were later overturned — while the team received a suspended two-year exclusion.