Massa has begun a legal process to try to overturn the 2008 F1 title outcome, after believing that a conspiracy robbed him of the chance to win the crown.
The Brazilian has suspicions that a cover-up by the FIA and F1 chiefs in the way it handled the Crashgate controversy from that year’s Singapore Grand Prix cost him the championship.
In letters before action sent to the FIA and F1, it was argued that the loss of the title subsequently hurt him with a damaged reputation and loss of earnings.
Last week, Massa’s Brazilian lawyer said that he believed they had a strong case and were adamant that their mission was to overturn the 2008 championship outcome, which was won that year by Lewis Hamilton.
Bernardo Viana said: “The objective is to bring the trophy home. It's not financial. To get there, several measures will be taken with different aims, some to obtain information and others to obtain statements.
"We want everything that happened in 2008/2009 to come to light.”
Massa’s actions in trying to pursue a legal challenge over a lost championship has prompted some discussion about whether or not a successful outcome for him could open the door for other controversial FIA decisions to be contested.
And the most obvious is the 2021 championship, which swung in a controversial final round at Abu Dhabi after the FIA’s handling of a late safety car restart opened the door for Max Verstappen to snatch the race win and title on the final lap.
Speaking at the Singapore Grand Prix, Wolff said that Mercedes was keeping a watching brief over developments in the Massa case – because there was scope for legal precedent to be set.
Source: Autosport