Date set for appeal in £64 million Felipe Massa court case against Bernie Ecclestone, F1, and FIA

A date has been set for a UK Supreme Court appeal hearing into the ongoing Felipe Massa £64 million court case against Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA and F1 over the 2008 world championship. 

In October 2025, a three-day hearing at the UK High Court, attended by RacingNews365, was held in which evidence was put forward to Mr Justice Jay as Massa sought to be able to take his case against Ecclestone, the FIA, and F1 to a full trial of the High Court over the 2008 world championship. 

Massa is not seeking to overturn the result which saw Lewis Hamilton crowned champion for the first time, but rather he is seeking £64 million in damages for loss of potential earnings as a world champion after the controversial 2008 Singapore GP. 

Massa's lawyers argued that Ecclestone and senior then-FIA figures, including Max Mosley and Charlie Whiting, were aware during the 2008 season that Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed in Singapore to bring out a safety car, with Massa suffering from a botched pit-stop under it, resulting in him dropping out of the points.

The central piece of evidence came from a 2023 interview Ecclestone had given, in which he claimed he had early knowledge of the crash, prior to the 2009 formal investigation. 

Massa would go on to lose the title to Hamilton by just one point. Lawyers for Ecclestone, the FIA, and F1 claimed that the first they knew of the crash order was when Piquet Jr was fired in 2009 and the resulting 'crashgate' investigation. 

Ultimately, Mr. Justice Jay dismissed three of Massa's claims in his ruling, but refused to strike out the claim for "tort of unlawful means of conspiracy", meaning the case could proceed to a full trial of the High Court.

However, lawyers for Ecclestone, F1, and the FIA then lodged an appeal to the Supreme Court, the final court of appeal in the UK, attempting to put a block on a full trial by dismissing the conspiracy tort.

Lord Justices Reed, Hamblen, and Richards granted this appeal on June 4th this year, with the date now set for the appeal hearing as February 2nd and February 3rd, 2027. 

Should the Supreme Court decide to uphold the appeal, Massa's case will be thrown out and will not proceed to a full trial of the High Court. Should the Supreme Court reject the appeal, the trial will be held.