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Hours After Lewis Hamilton’s Rejection, Felipe Massa Slapped With Another Brutal Blow in $13,000,000 Lawsuit

Published 08/26/2023, 3:30 AM EDT

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What would you do if someone else’s unfair play shattered your lifelong dream? Well, we don’t know about you but Felipe Massa has taken the F1 governing body to the court. Yet, the only thing Massa has faced until now is one blow after another. The Brazilian is now slapped with another brutal blow in his $13 million lawsuit just hours after Lewis Hamilton‘s rejection. What is that blow?

After Bernie Ecclestone commented about the FIA knowing about Crashgate before the season, Felipe Massa decided to take the 2008 championship to court. He filed a lawsuit to turn around the title decision along with compensation for moral and reputation damages. Despite Lewis Hamilton’s 1st title being under threat, the Briton refused to comment on the situation.

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Going into the Dutch GP, during the press day, when asked about the case, advised that he has a bad memory and isn’t focused on what happened 15 years back. And just hours after Hamilton’s rejection, Massa was served with another blow. While Massa has the choice to go to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), FIA wouldn’t recognize CAS’ decision in this matter. 

According to @FormulaDirecta’s Tweet, Craig Slater mentioned “Now Massa could go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He could make a decision there, but the problem is that the FIA ​​does not recognize CAS decisions, except in the case of violations of doping. So that wouldn’t help him annul or change the result of that Grand Prix.” [Translated Via Google]

CAS is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and resolves legal disputes in different fields of sports. However, this blow isn’t as big as the one that was forced upon Massa after the F1 megalomaniac retracted his statement.

Bernie Ecclestone leaves Felipe Massa’s lawsuit high and dry.

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Felipe Massa’s case was based upon Bernie Ecclestone advising the fact that FIA and F1 knew about the Crashgate incident before the season ended, yet decided not to take any action about it. Only after the championship was given away was the investigation done. However, Bernie Ecclestone has now retracted his statement.

via Imago

As per sources, Ecclestone told Reuters, “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest. I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.” As a result, it is unlikely that Massa’s suit will turn out to be a success. 

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Watch this Story: Felipe Massa’s Attempt to Take Back the 2008 F1 Championship Explained

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Written by:

Pranay Bhagi

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Pranay Bhagi is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports, who has always been passionate about sports and writing. With a degree from a prestigious institute, he has channeled his enthusiasm into sports journalism, particularly F1, a sport that has captivated him for over a decade. Pranay's deep-rooted love for the sport began during the Sebastian Vettel era, and he has been following it religiously ever since.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare