The case brought by Massa has been debated in London all week as he seeks justice over the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and the infamous 'Crashgate' scandal, where Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash, allowing teammate Fernando Alonso to win.

Now, Massa is seeking $82 million (£64 million) in damages for loss of earnings and sponsorship, following an interview given by Ecclestone to F1-Insider, stating that he and then-FIA president, Max Mosley, knew what Renault had done at the time, but then failed to act on the information.

This week in London, pre-trial hearings have been taking place to determine whether the case can proceed to a full trial. If it does proceed, Massa will not only pursue the $82 million compensation claim but also seek official recognition that the 2008 title loss resulted from a breach of Formula 1 regulations.

However, on Wednesday, the 44-year-old was on the receiving end of a fierce response from the FIA, saying: "Mr Massa's claim conspicuously overlooks a catalogue of his own errors or those of his team, Ferrari, during the Singapore GP and at other GPs which contributed to his overall second place finish in the Drivers' Championship that season.”

Friday's hearings also saw Massa's case hit with plenty of questions, as David Quest KC, John Merzhad KC, and Anneliese Day KC, lawyers for Eccestone, the FIA and FOM, respectively, responded to Massa's legal team, led by Nick de Marco KC.

After De Marco finished responding to the evidence given by the three KCs representing the three defendants, Merzhad responded by calling the hearing an "abject waste of time" and that it was only the possibility of a "conspiracy" centring around the lack of action from Ecclestone and Mosley.

In more written submissions, Quest said that Massa's claims "are a misguided attempt to reopen the results of the 2008 F1 Drivers' Championship," while De Marco said that the defendants are "unable to establish that Mr Massa's claims have no real prospect of success," arguing for a full trial, as reported by Sky Sports.

Friday's proceedings mark the end of the pre-trial hearing, and now a decision will be made in regards to whether this case will become a full trial.

However, there have been no indications that a decision will be made quickly, with Mr Justice Jay saying: "Judgment will be reserved to be handed down at a future date."