Massa’s £64m Crashgate claim can go to trial, rules judge

Felipe Massa’s £64m claim against Formula One, its governing body the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone over Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 world championship in 2008 can go to trial, a high court judge has ruled.

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Massa claims he is the rightful champion after the Brazilian lost by a single point when Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed at the Singapore Grand Prix. Ecclestone, who was F1’s impresario for four decades before he was deposed in 2017, suggested in 2023 that the sport’s executives were aware of the cover-up - which became known as Crashgate - before the 2008 campaign concluded. Ecclestone, the FIA and Formula One Management are defending the claims.

Last month, they asked the court in London to throw out the case, saying that Massa performed poorly at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, ultimately leading to him losing the championship, and arguing that the claim had been brought too late.