Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, Interlagos, 2008

The High Court in London will hear Felipe Massa’s case over his 2008 world championship defeat in October this year, according to multiple reports.

The first hearings will take place over the last four days of October.

Massa is seeking compensation from the FIA over its handling of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, during which he lost six points to rival Lewis Hamilton, who clinched the world championship by a single point three rounds later at the season finale.

The former Ferrari driver believes the FIA could have taken swifter action in response to suspicions Renault acted to manipulate the outcome of the race. The following year the FIA ruled Renault ordered its driver Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash in order to trigger a Safety Car period which his team mate Fernando Alonso benefited from.

Although the FIA banned Renault’s team principal Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds for their role in the conspiracy, the team was allowed to keep its victory and the points which came with it. Massa believes, based on a claim made by former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone last year, that the FIA could have acted before the 2008 season ended by annulling the result of the race. Had that been the case, Massa could have won the championship instead of Hamilton.

Massa is understood to be seeking financial compensation and an acknowledgement from the FIA that, had the governing body followed its rules, he would have been the champion that year.

“We are fighting because of something that wasn’t fair, because of what happened,” he said last year. “What I’m definitely looking for is to be recognised – recognised as a champion because I deserve it. It wasn’t fair what happened to me, because of something that happened in the race and is not part of the sport.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles