The Excessive Court docket in London will hear Felipe Massa’s case over his 2008 world championship defeat in October this yr, according to multiple reports.
The primary hearings will happen over the past 4 days of October.
Massa is looking for compensation from the FIA over its dealing with of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, throughout which he misplaced six factors to rival Lewis Hamilton, who clinched the world championship by a single level three rounds later on the season finale.
The previous Ferrari driver believes the FIA may have taken swifter motion in response to suspicions Renault acted to govern the end result of the race. The next yr the FIA dominated Renault ordered its driver Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash with a view to set off a Security Automobile interval which his staff mate Fernando Alonso benefited from.
Though the FIA banned Renault’s staff principal Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds for his or her function within the conspiracy, the staff was allowed to maintain its victory and the factors which got here with it. Massa believes, based mostly on a declare made by former System 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone final yr, that the FIA may have acted earlier than the 2008 season ended by annulling the results of the race. Had that been the case, Massa may have gained the championship as a substitute of Hamilton.
Massa is known to be looking for monetary compensation and an acknowledgement from the FIA that, had the governing physique adopted its guidelines, he would have been the champion that yr.
“We’re combating due to one thing that wasn’t truthful, due to what occurred,” he said last year. “What I’m undoubtedly searching for is to be recognised – recognised as a champion as a result of I deserve it. It wasn’t truthful what occurred to me, due to one thing that occurred within the race and isn’t a part of the game.”
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