Felipe Massa files lawsuit against F1, FIA and Bernie Ecclestone over 2008 World Championship

Lewis Hamilton's first Formula One world championship is the subject of legal action after Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit against Formula One, its governing body the FIA and the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone in London’s High Court on Monday.

Brazilian Massa, 42, believes he is the rightful winner of the 2008 title he lost to Mercedes' Hamilton by just a single point following the 'Crashgate’ scandal at that year’s Singapore Grand Prix, and has estimated his financial losses from missing out at £64 million plus interest.

Renault staged a win in Singapore for Fernando Alonso by ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in the other car.

Ferrari’s Massa, leading at the time of Piquet’s smash, finished 13th, before losing the championship at the final round in Brazil.

Piquet revealed the following season that he was under instruction by his bosses to deliberately crash.

However, Ecclestone, who bossed F1 for four decades before he was deposed in 2017, revealed last year the sport’s executives were aware of the cover-up before the 2008 campaign concluded.

Massa has highlighted an Ecclestone quote to the German website F1 Insider stating that Massa should have been world champion and was "deprived of the title he deserved".

The Briton, now 93, also said there was not "enough information at that time to investigate the matter" and cancel the Singapore race.

"I always said that I would fight until the end. As FIA and FOM decided to do nothing, we will seek the correction of this historical injustice through the courts," Massa said.

"The matter is now with the lawyers and they are fully authorized to do whatever is necessary so that justice is done for the sport."

Lawyers acting on Massa’s behalf want the FIA to acknowledge it "breached