Felipe Massa's case for the 2008 Formula One drivers' championship title faces major hurdles as Bernie Ecclestone and his team argue that Massa made a "misguided attempt" to reopen the result of the race.
Massa, who finished runner-up behind Lewis Hamilton in the final standings, is claiming damages for loss of earnings and sponsorship. He also wants declarations that the FIA acted in breach of its regulations and should have cancelled or adjusted the results of the Singapore Grand Prix.
However, lawyers for Ecclestone and his team say Massa's claims are "torturous" and "overly ambitious". They claim that Massa drove poorly in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which ultimately led to him losing the championship. The defendants also argue that Massa overlooks a catalogue of his own errors.
The court has heard that Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash during the race, bringing out a safety car and changing the course of history for Massa's team. However, lawyers for Ecclestone and FOM say that this was not the cause of Massa's failure to win points in the race.
Massa is seeking declarations on several grounds, including breach of contract or duty by the FIA. His lawyer says that Ecclestone knew about the deliberate crash but failed to investigate it. However, Ecclestone's lawyers say that Massa's claims are a "misguided attempt" to reopen the result of the 2008 championship.
The case is set to conclude on Friday, with a ruling likely at a later date.
Massa, who finished runner-up behind Lewis Hamilton in the final standings, is claiming damages for loss of earnings and sponsorship. He also wants declarations that the FIA acted in breach of its regulations and should have cancelled or adjusted the results of the Singapore Grand Prix.
However, lawyers for Ecclestone and his team say Massa's claims are "torturous" and "overly ambitious". They claim that Massa drove poorly in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which ultimately led to him losing the championship. The defendants also argue that Massa overlooks a catalogue of his own errors.
The court has heard that Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash during the race, bringing out a safety car and changing the course of history for Massa's team. However, lawyers for Ecclestone and FOM say that this was not the cause of Massa's failure to win points in the race.
Massa is seeking declarations on several grounds, including breach of contract or duty by the FIA. His lawyer says that Ecclestone knew about the deliberate crash but failed to investigate it. However, Ecclestone's lawyers say that Massa's claims are a "misguided attempt" to reopen the result of the 2008 championship.
The case is set to conclude on Friday, with a ruling likely at a later date.
so what's going on here? Felipe Massa's trying to claim some cash from Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA after finishing second in the drivers' championship... but it's like he's expecting a free pass just 'cause his team got "helped" by that Nelson Piquet Jr crash 
. Newsflash, Felipe: if you're gonna make claims, you gotta back 'em up with some solid evidence... and from what I'm seeing, your case is looking pretty shaky 
. And can we please talk about how unfair it is to blame the FIA for all this? They're not the ones who made the rules, they're just enforcing 'em 
. It's gonna be a tough road ahead for Massa... and I gotta say, I'm kinda rooting for Bernie on this one 
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. I mean, can you believe Felipe Massa's team trying to get a second bite at the cherry? Like, dude, the cat's out of the bag already. Bernie Ecclestone and his crew are just trying to protect their interests here.
. And let's be real, if Nelson Piquet Jr had crashed on purpose, that would've changed everything 
. So, who knows? Maybe there's some truth to Massa's claims after all.
. They can just dismiss these allegations as a "misguided attempt" and move on with their lives 
. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out on Friday 
. The fact that his lawyers are trying to spin it as FIA failure is a bit dodgy. Either way, I think there's gonna be some juicy drama coming out of this case 
All these years later and Massa's still trying to get that championship title. It's crazy how much controversy surrounds this one guy's failure (or should I say, alleged misfortune? 
. And can we please not forget about Nelson Piquet Jr and his role in all this? It feels like we're back to those dodgy ref decisions from the early 2000s 
. And what's with all these 'torturous' claims? Massa made some mistakes, so now he wants to sue everyone? No way! The whole FIA thing about Nelson Piquet Jr was a dirty trick, but Massa's team should've been more on top of it, not him trying to drag everyone else down 
. And as for the deliberate crash, that's just one small part of the whole mess... don't expect a win now because you're too busy being a sore winner 
and now massa's lawyers are saying ecclestone knew about it but still went ahead and closed the result of the championship 
at the end of the day, i just hope massa gets some justice for his losses and can move on from this whole thing 
and his own team. It's all very complicated and I just can't see why Massa is going to win this case... Bernie Ecclestone's lawyers are right, it does seem like a misguided attempt to reopen something that's already been decided years ago 
. And even if the FIA did breach some contract, did they actually lose anyone any money? 
. It's just one big mess, and I'm not sure anyone's coming out looking totally clean 
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except himself. Lewis Hamilton was doing everything right, and it just didn't go in his favor. And let's be real, Renault did order that crash on purpose, so you can blame them too 
. And Ecclestone's lawyers are just trolling him hard with "torturous" and "overly ambitious". 
. I think it's unfair that Bernie Ecclestone and his team are pushing back hard against his claims, though. On one hand, you can't deny that Massa was having a tough season, and the crash in Singapore really changed everything. And yeah, Renault did order Nelson Piquet Jr to crash - that's not something Ecclestone or FOM should be able to just sweep under the rug 
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This whole thing seems super sketchy. I mean, if Renault really did order Piquet Jr to crash, that's a huge deal. It sounds like Massa is getting shafted in this whole situation. 
. If Ecclestone knew about it and just chose to turn a blind eye, that's some bad karma right there.
. Who knows what the verdict will be? But I've got a feeling Massa's gonna get some justice 
and that renault ordered nelson piquet jr to crash lol wut a coincidence 
but ecclestone's lawyers r all "nope u did it urself massa"