In an effort to win the 2008 championship, former Formula One driver Felipe Massa announced on Monday that he has launched a lawsuit in a London court against Formula One Management (FOM), the organization’s owner, and Bernie Ecclestone, the former CEO of FOM.
The 42-year-old Brazilian continued by saying he is requesting payment for losses that he did not reveal.
Massa finished second in the Driver’s Championship to Lewis Hamilton. Since last year, Massa has maintained that he is the “rightful” champion of 2008 because of the ‘Crashgate’ incident.
In a statement, the former Williams and Ferrari driver Massa claimed that the King’s Bench Division of the High Court will hear his case.
On lap 14 of the 61-lap 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally wrecked his Renault into the wall when Massa, who retired in 2017, was leading the race.
Due to a botched pit stop, Massa was unable to score, but teammate Fernando Alonso won the race thanks to the safety car that was activated by the collision.
Then, Hamilton—then an honorary Brazilian citizen and racer for McLaren—became the first of a record-tying seven titles by defeating Massa by a single point.
The only other driver to have won seven titles is Michael Schumacher, who was Massa’s close friend and former Ferrari teammate.
It was therefore against F1 policy to alter a championship’s conclusion following the season-ending awards ceremony.
Horner: “No tension” with Verstappen, but team is the priority for everyone.
Though he is still optimistic that the reigning champion will stick with Red Bull past the conclusion of this season, Christian Horner stated he would not prevent Max Verstappen from quitting the company if he so chooses.
Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, has been linked to leaving the club at the end of the season despite winning the first two rounds of the competition due to internal conflicts and disagreements.
After Red Bull GmbH, the team’s parent company, cleared Horner of claims of inappropriate behavior made by a female colleague, a rift emerged within Red Bull last week.
After a two-month probe, Verstappen’s father Jos demanded that Horner go, claiming the team would “explode” if he stayed in his role.
In response to a question about whether Horner and Verstappen’s relationship was suffering, Horner stated, “Everything with Max is fine.”
“He is contributing positively to the team. Both stress and tension are absent. His ease around the garage with all of the team members is evident, and it shows in his performance when he’s on track. So far, Max seems to be in good health.
“Obviously, I’m aware of all that noise, but it hasn’t distracted the team from the job, and we are one team now obviously.”
However, Horner went on to say that, in theory, he wouldn’t go in the way of Verstappen if the 26-year-old chose to quit the team before his contract expired.
“It’s like anything in life, you can’t force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper,” Horner stated. We won’t compel someone to be here against their will if they didn’t want to be a part of our team, you know.
“That holds true for anyone who works in a support role within the company, be it a designer, a machine operator, or someone else.
Participating in a group such as this calls for dedication and enthusiasm. And we’ve seen that Max possesses that.
“He moved here when he was eighteen years old. And I am confident in his future dedication and enthusiasm. However, it is essentially the current state of affairs. The team is greater than any one person.
“The car we drive is amazing. One spot is available for the following year. I think sixteen racers are vying for that spot in the car for the upcoming season.”
“We have a strong relationship with Max,” he continued. He’s performed brilliantly. His attention is mostly focused on staying on course, and that is our main concern.”
Prior to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this coming weekend, it was revealed that Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, had been connected to a fresh probe due to disclosures concerning the initial case.
Verstappen backed Marko when he told Austrian TV that the fresh inquiry might result in his suspension; however, things appeared to have calmed down when Marko met with Oliver Mintzlaff, the CEO of business initiatives at Red Bull, in the Formula One paddock on Saturday.
Horner downplayed rumors that the 80-year-old Austrian might be removed from his post, claiming he was unaware of Marko’s position being threatened until it had already been reported in the media.
“The rumours about suspension were as news to the team as it was to anybody else,” he stated. “So when we heard it, we were a little shocked.
Since Helmut works as a contractor for Red Bull GmbH, the matter was discussed between them; we were not involved.
It was in 1996 when I first met Helmut. Indeed, he has had a significant impact throughout the years. I’ve known him for a very long time, and you know, but that role has changed with time.
“Coming up to 81 years of age, he’s still obviously motivated about Formula One, which is a positive thing.”
