As revealed by Autosport earlier this month, Massa has been spurred into motion by feedback from former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggesting that data of the controversial ‘crashgate’ second on the 2008 Singapore GP got here early sufficient for motion to be taken that season.
Nevertheless, by the point that Nelson Piquet Jr.’s deliberate crash that helped Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso win was formally investigated the next 12 months, it was too late to return and amend the race consequence.
Chatting with F1-Insider, Ecclestone had stated: “We had sufficient data in time to analyze the matter. Based on the statutes, we should always have cancelled the race in Singapore beneath these situations.
“Which means it could by no means have occurred for the championship standings.”
With the factors that Massa misplaced to title rival Lewis Hamilton in that Singapore race proving to be vital to the result of the championship battle, the Brazilian is properly conscious that if the occasion has been cancelled by the FIA then he would have ended the season on high.
Massa stated that Ecclestone’s revelation about realizing of the Singapore GP occasions early sufficient for motion to be taken was sufficient for him to consider if there have been choices to name for a authorized overview.
Chatting with Autosport not too long ago, he stated: “There are guidelines, and there are various issues that, relying on the nation, you can not return after 15 years to resolve a scenario.
“However I intend to check the scenario; research what the legal guidelines say, and the foundations. We now have to have an concept of what it’s potential to do.”
Felipe Massa, Ferrari F2008
Picture by: Sutton Photographs
Autosport has discovered that Massa has now pulled collectively a group of legal professionals to guage the scenario and work out definitively if there are any grounds to take the matter additional.
Considered one of their first actions, nevertheless, has been to make sure that any more the scenario can be handled quietly behind closed doorways, which implies no extra public statements from Massa over the most recent steps.
Whereas Massa is pushing on with evaluating the scenario, there don’t seem like any reasonable choices to problem the 2008 championship.
The FIA’s personal Worldwide Sporting Code doesn’t permit protests after a race and any proper to request a overview expires 14 calendar days after a contest – and 4 days previous to the date of that 12 months’s FIA prize-giving ceremony.
Moreover, the FIA’s judicial system is obvious that the very best authority to make any ruling is the unbiased Worldwide Court docket of Attraction, and that any individuals concerned in a championship comply with abide by this. So, there aren’t any different courts that Massa may use.
Article 1.three.1b of the ISC states that rivals: “Shall undertake to submit themselves with out reserve to the above and to the choices of the sporting authority and to the implications ensuing therefrom.”
Whereas, in concept, Massa may hunt down the views of the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it has no jurisdiction over the FIA on points like this.
The FIA statutes dictate that the CAS might solely be concerned in issues regarding the FIA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee.
