P1racenews AI automatic summary:
As Felipe Massa waits to see if his case will go to trial, Lewis Hamilton has addressed the ongoing lawsuit.
Lewis Hamilton has commented for the first time on the £64 million lawsuit filed by Felipe Massa against Bernie Ecclestone, F1, and the FIA regarding the 2008 F1 world championship. Massa, accompanied by RacingNews365, attended a pre-trial hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice led by Nick de Marco KC. Massa’s legal team argued in front of Mr Justice Jay that there was a “conspiracy” led by Ecclestone to conceal Nelson Piquet Jr’s deliberate crash in Singapore during the 2008 season. The case stemmed from a 2023 interview where Massa claimed he was informed of Piquet Jr’s crash during the 2008 season, not the 2009 World Motor Sport Council investigation. The defendants’ lawyers contended that the case was statute-barred, with Day suggesting Massa should have known about the crash’s nature due to Ecclestone and Mosley’s close ties. Massa seeks £64 million in lost earnings as the ‘rightful’ champion of 2008 but is not aiming to strip Hamilton of his title, pending Mr Justice Jay’s decision on whether the case proceeds to a full trial. Hamilton, not involved in the lawsuit, expressed detachment, stating it is not his concern and he is focused on his job, while acknowledging Massa’s determination in pursuing the case.
