Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall

The first hearings in the Felipe Massa Crashgate case are set to take place this fall and this week’s Business of Motorsport brings you the details. I also have news of MotoGP’s new TV deal, the economics of F1 tracks, more controversy at the FIA and the latest motorsport legal news. All this and much more!

Motorsport Industry News

FIA

FIA Logo

As the FIA held their first World Motor Sport Council meeting of 2025, word has emerged that a number of FIA members had been denied entry because they refused to sign an NDA. FIA deputy president for sport Robert Reid and UK representative David Richards were two of those members.

“As is routine in all organizations, the FIA implements procedures including non-disclosure agreements to ensure confidential relationships between all parties, to safeguard personal information, and to protect our regulatory interests,” an FIA spokesperson said.

The Race reports that there is a potential for legal action. “There are suggestions that the issues surrounding the NDA are subject to legal letters and there could be interpretations that suggest decisions made before the matter has been settled could in theory be challenged. However, the FIA insists that interpretation is incorrect and that the WMSC meeting that took place on Wednesday was valid and run in full accordance with the FIA statutes.”

Formula 1

Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall

Adam Cooper reports that the Formula 1 organization continued to increase both revenue and operating income during the 2024 season, but Liberty Media admits that a poorer performance by the Las Vegas GP in its second season had an impact on the overall figures. Revenue by was up 6% from $3,222 million to $3,411 million, while operating income rose from $392 million to $492 million, a gain of 26%. Read his full report here.

The latest Autosport Business newsletter, The Business Formula, looks at why brands are flocking to Formula 1.

“The main reason for new brands entering F1 is that it now transcends the boundaries of sport,” Right Formula chief commercial officer Paul Gandolfi tells The Business Formula. “F1 has become a global entertainment property and when you open up new areas of interest, you knock down those barriers to entry. With F1 going into new territories like music, fashion, entertainment, gaming, it is tapping into a whole new audience set.”

“It’s definitely now less about branding on cars or even driver time. Companies are more interested in having an authentic and credible use case for their business. If you’re a tech company then access to technicians and engineers can help with product launches, conferences and road shows. Having that testimonial from an F1 team is very powerful from a storytelling perspective.”

Formula One is seeking between US$160 million and US$180 million per year from its next media rights deal in the US, according to Sports Business Journal (SBJ). Viewership for the 2024 Formula One season fell three per cent year-over-year on ESPN in the US. An average of 1.13 million viewers watched races, compared to 1.16 million in 2023. Neither figure matched the 2022 season, which averaged 1.19 million viewers.

Vincenzo Landino from the Business of Speed does a deep dive into the economics of F1 tracks and building modern circuits.

“F1 circuits are massive investments that generate tourism, boost local economies, and create year-round revenue opportunities. Building a modern F1 circuit costs $200M to over $1B, with hosting fees ranging from $15M to $50M annually. However, the returns are significant: events like the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix generated $1.5B in economic impact, while the Miami GP added $449M to the local economy.”

Read the full report here.

Five F1 teams have made the latest edition of Sportico’s World’s 100 Most Valuable Sports Teams. McLaren ($2.65 billion) and Aston Martin ($2.07 billion) were added this year while Ferrari ($4.76 billion), Mercedes ($3.94 billion) and Red Bull Racing ($3.5 billion) all rose at least 15 spots in the rankings.

The price of an F1 team has surged with new revenue opportunities and the introduction of cost caps in 2021. Every F1 team is worth $1 billion for the first time, with Haas in 10th on the circuit at $1.02 billion. F1 joins other sports properties where the “get-in” price has hit $1 billion over the past decade, including the NFL (2015), NBA (2018), MLB (2019) and NHL (2024).

IndyCar

IndyCar

In IndyCar news, new IndyCar Series president Doug Boles arrived at Sebring International Raceway last week to meet with team owners and drivers during the two-day test, and to spend time with the men and women he now leads on the IndyCar operations side of Penske Entertainment.

“Well, not unlike Jay, my plan is to get my hands dirty. That’s certainly what I’ve done at the Speedway. Even though I wear a tie when I’m there, I’m out working with everybody, and I think that’s the only way this is going to work. And as I said at the beginning of this, part of what I’m doing here (at Sebring) is to get in, start understanding what some of the challenges are, what are some of the perceptions, what are some of the optics? Let’s figure out how we start working through those.”

While Marshall Pruett looks at how IndyCar plans to expand its fan base in 2025. Zak Brown outlines what he feels is the investment needed to maximize IndyCar’s potential.

“IndyCar currently has some of the most committed fans in sport with the access it gives, but we have to make the investment and do the work to multiply that tenfold to get the series where it needs to be.”

While IndyCar has set a new leadership team as they work to introduce a new car, the series has announced that the IndyCar Leaders Circle contracts have increased by $100K.

General Motorsport Industry News

MotoGP

As reported by BlackBook Motorsport earlier this week, Fox Sports replaces Warner Bros Discovery (WBD)-owned TNT Sports as MotoGP’s US broadcast partner. TruTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On showed every race of the 2024 season live. The new deal starts from this weekend’s Thai Grand Prix, which will be shown on FS1.

This means that, at least for the start of the season, Fox Sports will be the home of MotoGP, IndyCar and Nascar in the US. The latter will depart the broadcaster in May when the Nascar season shifts to Amazon’s Prime Video, but this move cements Fox Sports’ position as the new home of motorsport in America.

NASCAR has said that it’s in deep discussions with automakers looking at joining its circuit, and two reports have pegged Dodge/Ram parent company Stellantis as one that could enter as soon as next year according to Sports Business Journal. “NASCAR news site Catchfence.com a week ago and The Athletic last night both reported that Dodge is working to re-enter the racing series initially through the third-tier Craftsman Truck Series, where every vehicle uses the same spec engine.”

Sports Business Journal is also reporting that NASCAR will work with the digital arm of horse track owner Stronach Group to bring parimutuel wagering to stock car racing in states in which regulators allow it.

The first of its kind pairing will use Stronach’s 1/ST Technology platform to create betting pools that will allow sportsbooks to set odds for NASCAR events in the manner that horse tracks and simulcast facilities do, with potential payouts fluctuating based on how much is wagered on each driver.

Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week

Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall

Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup

F1 V10 Engines

Can F1 return to V10 engines? Well it depends, and in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup I look at the possibilities of whether it may happen. Or not. I also look at NASCAR’s solution to food waste, why Mercedes F1 is planting trees and riding onboard a sustainably fueled Ford Mustang Darkhorse with Top Gear’s Richard Hammond.

The Numbers

Ferrari F1 2025

Ferrari’s F1 team has been heavily promoting its new superstar driver Lewis Hamilton ever since the start of the year, and that’s led to record social media figures for the team and a shot to the arm of the Italian luxury brand, writes Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern.

  • 379% increase in impressions YOY
  • 279% increase in engagements per post YOY

Motorsport Law Roundup

A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week

Crashgate

A year has passed since former Brazilian Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa filed a lawsuit in London against the FIA, Formula One Management (FOM), and Bernie Ecclestone over his 2008 title loss. Forbes reports that the first hearings for this case are set to take place between October 28-31 of this year at the High Court of Justice in London, according to multiple reports.

After several weeks following the conclusion of the 2024 Eurocup-3 season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on November 9-10, sporting justice has ruled in favor of Campos Racing and its driver, Christian Ho according to a team press release. The young Singaporean is now confirmed as the champion of last season, securing a second consecutive title for the Alzira-based team following Esteban Masson’s win in 2023.

Campos Racing appealed Decision No. 17 of the Race Stewards, who deemed valid the overtaking maneuver by Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. on Christian Ho using the Turn 1 escape road during Race 1 in Montmeló on November 9, 2024. On December 4, 2024, the Appeals and Disciplinary Committee of the Spanish Motorsport Federation (CAD) upheld the appeal, overturned the decision, and penalized MP Motorsport and Fittipaldi with a five-second penalty in Race 1, which ultimately awarded the championship to Christian Ho. Subsequently, MP Motorsport took the case to the FIA International Court of Appeal, which, following the hearing on February 11, 2025, ratified the CAD’s decision, officially confirming Christian Ho as the rightful Eurocup-3 champion.

A Denver personal injury lawyer asked the Tenth Circuit to reconsider its decision barring his $300,000 tax deduction for car-racing costs as professional advertising, saying the court deprived him of due process in dismissing his argument that the IRS wrongly denied him a chance to settle according to Law360.

Guenther Steiner has dropped his lawsuit against the Haas Formula 1 outfit after the former team principal came to an agreement during mediation proceedings. Documentation from the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court shows that voluntary mediation was held and, after 28 hours and 36 minutes, the parties reached an agreement on all issues.

Motorsport.tv Digital LLC must face a proposed class action alleging it shared the video-watching histories of subscribers with Meta Platforms Inc. without consent in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act. Lead plaintiff Alan Guereca sufficiently alleged the disclosure of “personal information” as required to state a claim under the VPPA, Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida said Wednesday. He also sufficiently alleged that Motorsport.tv transmitted his personal information to Meta through its pixel tracking tool, Altonaga said. Bloomberg Law has more details.

Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis

Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week

Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall

The Business of Running a Race Team

Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall

Who oversees all the cogs in the racing team machine? The team manager. But just how do they become team managers, what do they all do and how can you start on that path? Grassroots Motorsport explains.

Team & Manufacturer News

Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport

Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Mazda Miata
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Hearings in Massa Crashgate Case to Take Place This Fall
Mark Boudreau
Author: Mark Boudreau

Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.

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