The core of Massa's case argues that had the pertinent authorities at the time had taken action and annulled the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix he - not Lewis Hamilton - would have been crowned champion that year.

The defendants, the FIA, FOM and Ecclestone instead claim that it was the Brazilian’s own mistakes, along with Ferrari’s - his team at the time - were the cause of his defeat.

Massa is currently seeking compensation for the amount of approximately £64 million (around USD83 million).

This Thursday Mr Justice Jay ruled that the Brazilian had a "real prospect of proving at trial" his case for damages.

However, the Justice did clarify that the decision fell to close to “impinging” the FIA’s own governance. Rejecting Massa’s claim to “declaratory relief for reputation or publicity reasons,” adding that the outcome of the 2008 season’s title fight could not be overturned, he explained that if the declaratory relief sought was granted that would be a way for Massa to “present his victory to the world and it is also how it would be perceived by the public."

The Brazilian then responded to the High Court’s decision: “This is a tremendous victory, a great day for me, for justice, and for everyone who loves Formula 1.

Thanking his legal team and his family for their support, the Brazilian concluded by saying: “Together we will see this through to the end.”

In its statement describing the hearing as a “success,” the FIA highlighted that the Court had noted that Massa faces “a number of obstacles” on causation, referring to the difficulty of establishing that the alleged conspiracy directly caused the losses he claims.

According to the governing body's assessment, the Court has permitted what the motorsport Federation deems an "unlawful means conspiracy claim against the three defendants" to move forward to a full trial, albeit if on narrowed grounds and subject to certain conditions. Read the full story here.

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