Felipe Massa has seemingly violated his legal team’s orders over publicly discussing his bid to overturn the result of the 2008 season.
Massa lost out on a shot at a world championship that year, as Lewis Hamilton scooped the trophy with a last lap overtake, securing his maiden title by just one point.
The Brazilian has been seeking to legally challenge the result after former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone admitted officials knew Nelson Piquet Jr crashed his car intentionally at the Singapore Grand Prix but failed to take action.
With the case ongoing, Massa was reportedly advised by his legal team to remain quiet over the case in public to avoid hurting his chances.
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However, the ex-F1 driver has appeared to ignore that suggestion, giving an interview to RacingNews365 about the saga, where he claimed he is “not doing this for money.”
“I’m not doing this for anything. Because it’s not what I aim to, but I’m doing this for the justice. Not only for me, but for my friends, my country, my family, Ferrari and Ferrari fans, so in the end there are so many things.
“You know also what a championship does for a country?
“You can develop the country. We don’t have Brazilian drivers now racing as well, so there are so many things.”
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Despite commenting on why he is launching the legal challenge, Massa failed to provide a timeline for the case or suggest whether he thought there was a chance that the result could be changed.
“I cannot say anything, we are studying everything for the moment,” he explained.
The FIA has previously been clear that, once the trophy has been awarded, the result of the Formula 1 World Championship cannot be altered, regardless of what new evidence or arguments are brought to light.