F1
FIA defence claims Massa Crashgate case ‘torturous as it is overly ambitious’
The FIA’s legal defence has slammed Felipe Massa’s 2008 title conspiracy claim as the ‘Crashgate’ hearing kicked off in London
Massa says Ferrari reprimanded him for claiming Alonso in on 'Crashgate'
F1
Felipe Massa says his Ferrari team was extremely unhappy with comments he made about Fernando Alonso's role in 'Crashgate'
Massa claimed Alonso had to know about 'Crashgate' plan
Grand Prix Photo
Felipe Massa has said Ferrari took action against him in 2009, when he claimed his future Scuderia team-mate Fernando Alonso must have known about the infamous ‘Crashgate’ plan in advance.
The Maranello driver is seeking to make a claim against Formula One Management, its then-head Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA to recognise him as the rightful champion in 2008, as well as £64m in damages.
The pre-trial hearing began at London’s Royal Courts of Justice this week.
Massa leads Alonso at Monaco ’08
Grand Prix Photo
Massa is arguing that the results from the 2008 Singapore GP – in which Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr crashed deliberately – should have been annulled once Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley had learnt of the outfit’s conspiracy to influence the race, which its other driver Fernando Alonso ultimately won.
When the scandal went public the following year, Massa was enraged by what he felt was an injustice leading to him losing the title.
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“It was the team and Nelson, but Alonso was part of the problem,” the Brazilian said in an interview at the time.
“He knew. We cannot know it, [but] of course he knew. Absolute certainty.”
However, by this point Ferrari had already signed Alonso to drive for it in 2010 with Massa, leading to consequences for the Brazilian sounding off.
“In October 2009 I also told journalists that I believed Fernando Alonso (the other Renault driver who won because of Nelsinho’s crash) knew it was on purpose,” Massa says now in his witness statement.
“When Ferrari found out, GSA [a firm which dealt with Ferrari contracts] wrote me a letter on 16 October 2009 reprimanding me about making public comments about Fernando Alonso.
Spaniard celebrates Singapore win
Grand Prix Photo
“I found out before my accident in July 2009 that Alonso would drive for Ferrari in the 2010 F1 season [FM1-003].
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Felipe Massa’s claim to be 2008 F1 champion: how Crashgate led to court battle
Felipe Massa is due in court this week, claiming that Bernie Ecclestone and other F1 officials covered up Crashgate, and that he is the rightful 2008 world champion in place of Lewis Hamilton. Here’s the full story so far of his £64m compensation case
“The letter was signed by [one of Ferrari’s lawyers] Henry Peter. Ferrari then drafted a statement for me to issue but I refused to make that statement.
“Instead, I just said that it was time to look to the future.”
The pair did ultimately form a successful partnership for Ferrari, Alonso going close to winning the drivers’ title twice himself in 2010 and 2012.
After an investigation by the World Motor Sport Council, the then-Renault team boss Flavio Briatore received a lifetime ban from F1, while the team’s technical director Pat Symonds was given five years.
Despite Alonso being the main beneficiary of the plan in the race by emerging as victor, his reputation has come through unscathed, never being implicated in the investigation.
The hearing continues.
The ‘Crashgate Trial’: More on Massa’s £64m claim
F1
FIA defence claims Massa Crashgate case ‘torturous as it is overly ambitious’
The FIA’s legal defence has slammed Felipe Massa’s 2008 title conspiracy claim as the ‘Crashgate’ hearing kicked off in London
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Massa: ‘Briatore lied to me – and Todt was sure crash was deliberate’
Felipe Massa has said both Flavio Briatore and Nelson Piquet Jr denied trying to influence the 2008 Singapore GP when he questioned them
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Massa F1 court case is irrational. But it makes perfect sense
Felipe Massa faces a multi-million pound bill if he loses his High Court case to be recognised as 2008 F1 champion. By pressing on, the former Ferrari driver is showing that winning still means everything
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Felipe Massa’s claim to be 2008 F1 champion: how Crashgate led to court battle
Felipe Massa is due in court this week, claiming that Bernie Ecclestone and other F1 officials covered up Crashgate, and that he is the rightful 2008 world champion in place of Lewis Hamilton. Here’s the full story so far of his £64m compensation case
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F1 Crashgate: What happened and why Felipe Massa has reignited controversy
One of F1’s biggest-ever scandals, this is the full story of ‘Crashgate’ — what happened, plus why and how it affected the outcome of the 2008 world championship between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton
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