Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton during the 2008 season. Photo: Race Pictures

Fellipe Massa wants $82 million over lost title vs Hamilton: 'Pursue to the end'

07:45, 25 Sep

Updated: 10:31, 25 Sep

byOlly Darcy

Former F1 driver Felipe Massa has sent out a warning, saying he will "pursue" the $82 million lawsuit over the 2008 championship loss to Lewis Hamilton "to the very end".

Felipe Massa missed out on the 2008 world championship by one point, despite winning the season finale Brazilian Grand Prix | Photo: Race Pictures

Such conduct is unacceptable in any sphere of life, especially in a sport followed by millions, including children.

- Felipe Massa

The Brazilian will travel to London next month to look for $82 million (£60 million) in damages, taking legal action against the FIA, Formula One Management, and Bernie Ecclestone, F1's former chief executive.

It comes after missing out on the 2008 world championship to Hamilton by a single point due to the FIA, FOM, Ecclestone and former head of the federation, Max Mosley, failing to act

“Accountability is key to preventing future fraud," the 44-year-old said in an interview with The Times.

“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.

“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.”

'Crashgate' scandal leads to 2025 legal battle

In 2008, Massa's fantastic title battle with Hamilton went down to the final race of the season in front of thousands of adoting Brazilian fans.

The Ferrari driver went on to win the race, doing all he could to try and take the title. However, an infamous move from Hamilton on Timo Glock in the final few corners saw the seven-time champion win his debut championship.

However, just a few weeks before the race in Sao Paulo, the Singapre Grand Prix took place, as did the 'Crashgate' scandal, with Renault ordering their driver, Nelson Piquet Jr., to crash deliberately to give teammate Fernando Alonso the victory.

At the time of the crash, Massa was leading the Grand Prix. However, when the chequered flag fell, the Brazilian had dropped all the way to P13, losing vital points in the title battle.

15 years later, Ecclestone then revealed in an interview that he and Mosley were made aware of the 'Crashgate' scandal during the 2008 season.

However, the former chief executive went on to say that the sport's authorities took no action agasint it to prevent the sport from "a huge scandal".

As a result, just a little while later, Massa then declared his intention to fight the FIA, FOM and Bernie Ecclestone himself, legally. The Brazilian will be represented by Nick de Marko KC in London in October.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.