A high court judge has ordered the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone, and Formula One Management to pay Felipe Massa £250,000 in costs for an ongoing legal battle over the 2008 "Crashgate" scandal. The ruling allows Massa's legal action to proceed to trial after a November court decision rejected his claim for a 2008 drivers' title declaration but permitted him to seek damages.

Massa's case centers on the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where Renault allegedly staged a crash to help Fernando Alonso win. Massa, leading for Ferrari at the time, finished 13th after a compromised strategy and lost the championship by one point to Lewis Hamilton. The following season, Nelson Piquet Jr revealed he had been instructed to crash deliberately.

The judge also certified an important legal issue for direct Supreme Court consideration, with proceedings stayed pending that outcome. The defendants have 14 days to pay the costs. Massa stated he would use "all legal means" to prove the FIA and Ecclestone conspired to conceal the truth about the deliberate crash.