Felipe Massa’s lawyers have started legal action against Formula 1 and the FIA over the 2008 F1 title loss to Lewis Hamilton, seeking substantial damages following that year’s “Crashgate” scandal.<br /><br />Lawyers acting on Massa’s behalf allege that the former Ferrari driver has been “the victim of a conspiracy committed by individuals at the highest level of F1 together with the FIA and Formula One management.”<br /><br />Massa missed out on the 2008 title in dramatic circumstances at the final race in Brazil as Hamilton – then driving for McLaren - claimed the point he needed on the final lap in wet conditions.<br /><br />“Crashgate” rocked the sport when the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix saw Renault’s Fernando Alonso win the race before it emerged that his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr. had deliberately crashed to bring out a safety car that played into Alonso’s hands.<br /><br />That safety car prompted a Massa pit stop that Ferrari mishandled, with Massa eventually finishing the race 13th while Hamilton came home third.
