Felipe Massa case: Brazil wants to believe in a trial

On Friday, October 31, after three days of hearings, the judgment was reserved and the verdict will be delivered at a later date. Only then will Felipe Massa know whether the High Court in London has dismissed his complaint or whether it will allow a trial against Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA, and Formula One Management for breach of contract, failure to fulfill their obligations, and loss of revenue and sponsorship.

As a reminder, during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, the team Renault orchestrated the victory of Fernando Alonso by ordering his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. to cause an accident. This incident brought out the safety car and compromised the strategy of Felipe Massa, who was leading at the wheel of his Ferrari. In the confusion that followed the incident, the Team mismanaged the pit stop, and Massa left the pits prematurely with a fuel line still connected to his car, hitting a member of his team and finishing the race outside the points. He would ultimately lose the championship by a single point. The following season, Piquet revealed that he had been ordered by his superiors to deliberately cause an accident. In its plea, the prosecution relies on an interview Ecclestone gave to " F1 "Insider" in 2023, in which he claimed that he and the then FIA president, Max Mosley, knew that Piquet's crash was intentional, but did nothing to "protect the sport and avoid a huge scandal."

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To continue or not?

On the defense side, Bernie Ecclestone's lawyer, David Quest, asserts that his client "does not recall giving this interview" and that "it was the mistakes of Mr. Massa and Ferrari, and not Nelson Piquet Jr.'s accident, that prevented the Brazilian from winning the title." He concludes by stating that Mr. Massa's allegations "constitute a misguided attempt to reopen the results of the 2008 Formula One World Drivers' Championship" and that, should he be heard, "Mr. Hamilton would be deprived of his title,” even though he was “just as exposed to the accident.”

The FIA's lawyer, John Mehrzad, echoed this argument, stating that Felipe Massa "is conveniently ignoring a series of errors on his part." Anneliese Day, representing Formula One Management, offered a similar perspective. "It wasn't the safety car intervention that changed the course of events for Mr. Massa," she argued, "but rather a series of mistakes made by him and his team during the final 47 laps of the race."

This falls short for Nick De Marco, counsel for the Paulista driver, who believes the defense is struggling to demonstrate that "Mr. Massa's claims have no real chance of success." The lawyer also asserts that "the question of whether the FIA ​​failed in its obligations is a question of fact that should not be the subject of a mini-trial."

In conclusion, he argues for a proper trial, as it is "the most effective way to achieve justice in his case." The verdict, to be delivered later, will determine whether or not there are grounds for prosecution. Unless, of course, a secret agreement is reached between the various parties beforehand…