Formula One, its ex-boss Bernie Ecclestone and the governing FIA on Wednesday sought to throw out Felipe Massa's lawsuit over the 2008 world championship, arguing the former Ferrari driver's mistakes were what cost the Brazilian the title.
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Massa is suing at London's High Court for a declaration that he should have won the 2008 championship, which he lost to Lewis Hamilton by a single point, and is seeking around 64 million pounds ($85.9 million) plus interest.
His case turns on the "crashgate" scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which Massa was leading from pole position when fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr crashed to try and help his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso, who won the race.
Piquet in 2009 revealed he had been ordered to crash by team bosses, who were subsequently banned. Massa's lawyers say Ecclestone already knew the crash was deliberate and Ecclestone and then-FIA president Max Mosley failed to investigate it.
Massa argues the results of the Singapore Grand Prix – which Hamilton finished third, scoring six points – should have been annulled with the result that he would have won the title.
Lawyers for F1, Ecclestone and the FIA, however, say the case was brought too late and argue Massa and Ferrari's errors in Singapore – including a disastrous pitstop in which Massa accidentally knocked down a crew member – are the reason he lost the race and ultimately the championship.
MASSA IN COURT FOR CRUCIAL HEARING
Massa sat in the public gallery for the first day of a three-day hearing and smiled as Ecclestone's lawyer David Quest told the court Massa had "performed very poorly" in Singapore, where he finished 13th and scored no points.
He filed the case last year, relying on comments made by Ecclestone in an interview with F1 Insider in 2023 when he said he and Mosley knew Piquet crashed deliberately and did nothing to "protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal".
Quest said former F1 supremo Ecclestone, who turned 95 on Tuesday, "does not remember giving this interview".
The defendants argue Massa knew enough to sue in 2008 and 2009, meaning the case should be thrown out as having been brought too late.
They also say the declaration Massa seeks is unfair to Hamilton, whose 2008 title was the first of a joint-record seven world championships and is not a party to the litigation.
Hamilton clinched the championship from Massa after overtaking Toyota's Timo Glock for fifth place on the last lap of the season's last race, won by Massa, in Brazil.
Massa did not win again after 2008, suffering a near-fatal head injury at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. He retired in 2017.
His lawyers say Massa did not know enough to bring a lawsuit until 2023, when Ecclestone's interview suggested the FIA knew Piquet crashed deliberately and decided not to investigate.
The hearing is expected to conclude on Friday with a ruling likely at a later date.