Massa takes action: big compensation claimed after lost 2008 title

Lawyers for former Formula1 driver Felipe Massa have taken the first legal action against Formula 1 and FIA for the lost world title in 2008. This title was allegedly lost due to 'cheating' at the Singapore Grand Prix. Massa is demanding hefty compensations.

Massa takes first legal action

It has long been known that Massa was going to take action following his lost title. At first, the Brazilian seemed to be aiming to dethrone Lewis Hamilton as 2008 world champion. However, Reuters.com reports that it is now about compensation. The former Ferrari driver is said to have engaged lawyers from France, Britain, the United States, Brazil and Switzerland.

Massa has had a so-called 'Letter Before Claim' written which stated the following: "Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver's Champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title. Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros. This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa."

What happened in 2008?

Hamilton became 2008 champion after a dramatic final stage in the final Grand Prix of the season, in Brazil. The Briton passed Timo Glock at the last corner, picking up enough points to become champion, despite Massa winning his home race. However, it turned out a year later that not all had gone fairly in 2008.

This involved the Singapore Grand Prix, which was won in 2008 by Fernando Alonso, who started from P15. However, this was made possible because Alonso's teammate Nelson Piquet put his car into the wall on lap 14, Massa then leading the race. In the end, Massa finished the race behind Hamilton partly due to a failed pit stop. In 2009, Piquet revealed that this crash was deliberate and earlier this year the then F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone revealed that he already knew about the scandal in 2008. For this reason, Massa is taking action.