Felipe Massa can continue with part of the ‘Crashgate’ legal action, a High Court judge has ruled

Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa can continue part of his legal action over the “Crashgate” scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, but other elements of his case have been dismissed by the High Court.

A court ruling said Massa could try to recover damages in relation to the controversy, but rejected his claim to declare that he should have won the 2008 drivers’ title.

The Brazilian has sued former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1 and the FIA’s governing body over an alleged “conspiracy” which he says deprived him of the title won by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

Massa was leading in Singapore when Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed intentionally to create an opportunity for his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso to win the race.

Massa believes that if F1 bosses had investigated the incident earlier and had the result overturned, he would have been crowned world champion. The 44-year-old is seeking compensation of around £64 million.

At a hearing last month, the defendants – Ecclestone, Formula 1 and the FIA ​​- tried to have the case thrown out, saying it was Massa’s performance that prevented him from winning the title and that the matter had been brought too late.

Mr Justice Jay delivered his ruling from that hearing on Thursday. He allowed the matter to proceed and said Massa had “a real prospect of proving his case for damages at trial”.

He rejected the defendants’ claim that the case had been brought to court too late, with Massa only discovering the facts that helped his case until 2023 – when Ecclestone gave an interview in which he spoke about the 2008 incident.

However, the judge said that allowing the advertising element in Massa’s case to proceed “comes very close, in my view, to prejudice the FIA’s right to manage its own affairs”.

He added: “Mr. Massa is not entitled to claim declaratory damages for reasons of reputation or publicity.”

He added: “The current claim cannot of course rewrite the result of the 2008 World Drivers’ Championship, but if a statement is granted along the lines of what is requested, that is the way Mr Massa will present his victory to the world, and also the way the public will view it.”

Massa welcomed the ruling, saying in a statement that it represents “a great day for me, for justice, and for everyone who loves Formula 1,” and reiterated his belief that the accident “stole the world championship from me.”

Meanwhile, the FIA ​​noted that elements of Massa’s claim were rejected, and said that although the matter could go ahead, it was “based on very narrow grounds”.