P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton opens up on £64million court battle
Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton recently responded to legal action initiated by Felipe Massa over the 2008 title win, with the case progressing to court last week. Massa is seeking damages amounting to £64 million for a supposed breach of contract or duty related to the ‘Crashgate’ scandal from that year involving Renault. The scandal unfolded at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix when Nelson Piquet Jr intentionally crashed to benefit his team-mate Fernando Alonso, only coming to light later in 2009. Massa contends that had the scandal been detected earlier, the race result could have been voided, potentially impacting his championship loss to Hamilton by just one point.
Hamilton, who clinched the 2008 title under controversial circumstances, refrained from engaging in the matter, stating it is unrelated to him. Massa clarified that his case is not directed at Hamilton, and he does not seek to implicate the British driver in any way. During the 2008 season finale in Brazil, Massa won the race with Hamilton finishing sixth, initially appearing to miss out on the title. In a nail-biting twist, Hamilton managed to secure fifth place on the last lap, unexpectedly clinching his debut championship. Hamilton has since confessed to being unaware of his championship victory until informed via team radio amidst the decisive race’s frenzy.
