Speaking to Motor Sport ahead of one of his biggest cases yet in Massa vs F1 and the FIA, the barrister in-demand says racing “raises fascinating legal questions; many of them unique to the discipline”.

De Marco’s rise to prominence has been in tandem with that of professional international sport itself, with its huge economic growth and soaring profits over the last 25 years meaning legal disputes (often about money) have become ever more crucial.

It was previously a quirky, quiet corner of the legal landscape, which is perhaps in line with De Marco’s own beginnings.

“I left school with few qualifications and no interest in university or the professions,” he says.

“I worked in a series of manual and service industry jobs, but also had a career as a film and video editor – sometimes in sport.

“But I always liked argument, and people often said I was persuasive. Eventually I decided to study law and try to earn a living from making arguments. That, and choosing to specialise in sport, turned out to be the best professional decisions I ever made.”

Called to the bar in 2001, De Marco initially worked in sports law as a sideline to other legal work, but emerged in the wider footballing conscience by being part of the team that successfully represented Queens Park Rangers FC – a club he had supported as a boy – when it was threatened with a points deduction over the signing of player Alejandro Faurlin, which would have puts its then-prospective promotion in jeopardy.

From there, the sports law work began to take over. As the success of the Premier League tore ahead of rival competitions, and other sports became more popular in the digital age too, so De Marco found himself involved in that world more also.

“Sports law is an exciting space for three reasons,” he says.

“First, nearly everyone loves sport – it’s not like banking or insurance. It’s fun, and it brings out passion in people. Second, it’s not really one area of law, but every area of law operating within a unique sports market – so you’re always doing something different, and the nature of the industry itself is fascinating.

“And third, it’s such a dynamic area. As organised sport has grown and diversified, so too has the law of sport. It’s developed more quickly than almost any other area my colleagues work in.”

De Marco’s passion and finely-honed expertise has resulted in some big wins in recent years.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta had serious spot-fixing gambling charges levelled at him by the FA in an investigation which lasted two years, however the Brazilian was cleared in July after the charges were not proven, being represented by De Marco.

Last year he successfully argued on behalf of Benjamin Mendy in his £11m claim for unpaid wages from Manchester City, and prior to that helped Leicester City in its dispute with the Premier League over a breach of its Financial Fair Play rules, which would have resulted in a points deduction.

Now De Marco, who also was an advocate for Newcastle in proceedings over its controversial takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, has been drawn into the world of motor sport through the Palou vs McLaren case.

The Woking squad is seeking $20m in damages from Palou over his breach of contract after electing not to drive for it in 2024. De Marco accused McLaren of trying to take his client “to the cleaners”, while the team said it had lost sponsorship opportunities and money invested through testing with Palou.

De Marco says the idiosyncratic nature of motor sport makes it an attractive proposition for someone intrigued by legal quandaries – and tells us why he thinks Palou and Massa picked him.

“I’ve acted across many sports, but I’ve long wanted to do more in motor sport,” he says.

“It’s one of the largest and most international of all sports, and it’s grown enormously in popularity in recent years. It also raises fascinating legal questions; many of them unique to motor racing.

“So I feel tremendously lucky to be leading counsel in two of the most significant current cases in world motor sport, acting for two great racing drivers. Though the fact that one follows immediately after the other means there’s not much downtime at the moment.

“It’s a coincidence that I was selected for these cases, but I think the drivers and their advisors were aware of my reputation from some of the big football matters I’ve done, and that may have given them confidence I could handle the high-stakes, public nature of their disputes.”

Massa and his team will be hoping their star signing De Marco, clearly a man for the big occasion, will help it put its best foot forward in the claim.

The case is set to make huge headlines, whatever the outcome.

“Although I can’t yet talk about them yet, there’s a good chance that one or both of my current motor sport cases will turn out to be among my favourites!” he says.

The Felipe Massa ‘Crashgate’ case begins in London tomorrow.