With back-to-back victories at the Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, Lando Norris’ inexorable march towards the 2025 Drivers’ World Championship is almost complete. Yet, in the wake of a recent judgement by Judge Robert Jay, could another Drivers’ World Championship be decided before the year is out?
In short— no.
Erstwhile Ferrari driver Felipe Massa had alleged that ‘Crashgate’ — where Renault driver Nelson Piquet admitted, in a 2009 interview, to deliberately crashing to aid his teammate Fernando Alonso – had deprived him of the 2008 Drivers’ World Championship. Massa brought the case not only wishing to re-litigate the Championship, but he also sued the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone for £64 million in damages.
Indeed, the ‘free’ pit-stop Alonso gained by pitting under the crash-induced safety car enabled him to finish first from 15th on the grid. A sterling comeback, which was too good to be true. Meanwhile, Massa, starting on Pole, saw his race wrecked to such an extent that he finished pointless in 13th. Considering Massa ultimately lost out on the Championship to Britain’s favourite son, Lewis Hamilton, by a single point, he was clearly wronged.
Nevertheless, Jay was unequivocal in stating Massa could not ‘re-write the outcome of the 2008 Drivers’ World Championship’. By extension, the first of Hamilton’s seven World Championships is safe.
The crux of Jay’s judgement lay in timings. In fairness, why would Massa have waited 17 years to challenge something as career defining as this? Well, Jay argued that simply not knowing he could challenge Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA was insufficient cause for re-litigation.
Jay did, however, rule that the second part of his case could go to trial. As a result, whilst Lewis Hamilton can sleep easy regarding 2008, the same cannot be said for the governing body of Formula One and its former CEO.
“Felipe Massa 2008 Canada” by Mark McArdle from Canada is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
