Hamilton appeal rejected

Eurosport - Wed, 24 Sep 09:19:00 2008

Lewis Hamilton said he was disappointed but not depressed after a court rejected McLaren's appeal to have the Formula One leader reinstated as Belgian Grand Prix winner.

FORMULA 1 McLaren Hamilton - 0

The decision left the 23-year-old Briton just one point clear of Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa with four races remaining.

The governing FIA said in a statement that the court of five judges had "concluded that the appeal is inadmissible" after Hamilton gave his version of events at the hearing in Paris on Monday.

"Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states that drive-through penalties are 'not susceptible to appeal'," the FIA added.

Hamilton, who was demoted from first to third at Spa-Francorchamps in the September 7 race after cutting a chicane, will now start Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix with 78 points to 77 for Massa.

Had McLaren's appeal been successful, Hamilton would have had a seven point advantage.

"People will probably expect me to be depressed about today's result, but that isn't me," he said in a McLaren statement.

"All I want to do now is put this matter behind me and get on with what we drivers do best - racing each other. We're racers, we're naturally competitive, and we love to overtake.

"Overtaking is difficult, and it feels great when you manage to pull off a great passing manoeuvre. If it pleases the spectators and TV viewers, it's better still. So I'm disappointed, yes, but not depressed."

A Ferrari spokesman said the Italian team would not be commenting on the verdict.

The race at Spa was a thriller but the excitement fell flat when stewards later ruled that Hamilton had gained an advantage by cutting the Bus Stop chicane while duelling with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen for the lead in the closing stages.

They imposed a retrospective drive-through penalty, translated into 25 seconds added to Hamilton's total time, which dropped him from first to third.

Massa, who had finished second, was awarded his fifth win of the season instead.

Hamilton, who had handed back the position gained before overtaking Raikkonen again into the next corner, told the court in Paris he felt he had acted according to the rules.

McLaren had also pointed out to the court that race control had twice given Hamilton the all-clear at the time.

"We are naturally disappointed with today's verdict, and to have received no ruling on the substance of our appeal," said McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh.

"No-one wants to win grands prix in court but we felt that Lewis had won the Belgian Grand Prix, on track, in an exciting and impressive manner.

"Our legal team and witnesses calmly explained this, as well as our belief that the appeal should be admissible, to the FIA International Court of Appeal," he added.

Hamilton arrived in Singapore on Tuesday, where he chatted and joked with fans while watching youngsters drive an F1 simulator in one of the city-state's plushest shopping centres.

Dressed in a grey suit, the driver told the crowd he was fully focused and looking forward to the sport's first night race.

Reuters

Comment 1035 - 1054 of 1054

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  1. basically the court are just so unfair and anyway raikkonen crashed in the end so that was totally out of order. GIVE HAMILTON THE WIN BACK !!!!!!! and another reason i like hamiltona nad backing him up coz i come fom stevenage too lol!

    From Alex, on Sat 27 Sep 10:36PM

  2. How many arrogant and stupid comment so far!
    Where was Lewis last year when he didn't declare that he was aware of the McLaren's cheating?
    Why only Alonso and De La Rosa admitted that?
    Was there such a clash when King Lewis pushed Kimi in the paddock lane takinig him out of the race (and Kimi was in front of Lewis) this year?
    Should the traffic lights become green when Lewis arrives?
    Why Alonso, last year, had to hide his car's settings to Lewis?Wasn't the King good enough to set his car?
    Please don't talk about mafia and all those stupid things with the same arrogance and loss of respect as Lewis does.
    It's offensive for all the italians, and gives no excuses to your ignorance.
    Farrari was not the cheating team, and I can still remember how Lewis lost the title with his own hands. The title had to be win by Alonso if McLaren could have built a car without cheating as good as Ferrari's.

    From Maurizio B, on Thu 25 Sep 11:51PM

  3. It is so unfair. it is always unfair when it comes to McLaren and Lewis, they are always finding faults...Lewis is the best and he will prove it. He is now going to get even better, come on Tiger :-)

    From amritabhinda@..., on Thu 25 Sep 8:24AM

  4. Jonny Maverick, I am a Raikkonen fan. I'm not a Ferrari fan though. The fact that Raikkonen forced Hamilton off the track at the chicane seemed like a legitimate tactic to me. When a racer tries to pass on the outside of a turn, he runs the risk that the driver on the inside will swing wide and force him off. That's racing. My point was that Hamilton didn't cut the chicane of his own accord, he was forced off. Had Raikkonen not forced him off, Hamilton would have gone on by. Punishing Hamilton for being forced off, gaining an advantage, giving it back, and then taking it again is ludicrious. Aren't these guys supposed to race?

    From fishblue6, on Wed 24 Sep 11:32PM

  5. The mafia win again money talks

    From tonyrlaw@..., on Wed 24 Sep 10:11PM

  6. Ramble on,sing this song,oh no more.(pleeeeease).

    From wizzo, on Wed 24 Sep 9:52PM

  7. fishblue6, so you're not really a raikkonen fan then?

    From jonny_maverick1, on Wed 24 Sep 9:04PM

  8. Hamilton has been royally screwed by this farce of a decision. However when Lewis exposes Massa for the weak, inconsistent driver he is and takes this championship the victory will be even sweeter!!!!! Lewis doesn't need to gain points by default to win this one.

    From mhobbs53, on Wed 24 Sep 8:33PM

  9. SOMEONE CAM HELP ME??????????????? WHAT MEANS this : Gasper J (Post No. 695) & Cash (Post No732) Have each by electronically published comment have commited a Race Hate Offence. Yahoo have been requested for identity of the named individuals.The two comments will be reported with the intention of persuing a prosecution . D.S. Smith.

    From gmladov, on Wed 24 Sep 8:01PM

  10. SOMEONE CAM HELP ME??????????????? WHAT MEANS this : Gasper J (Post No. 695) & Cash (Post No732) Have each by electronically published comment have commited a Race Hate Offence. Yahoo have been requested for identity of the named individuals.The two comments will be reported with the intention of persuing a prosecution . D.S. Smith.

    From gmladov, on Wed 24 Sep 8:00PM

  11. Some f**ls claim to have watched the spa bus-stop chicane seen a number of times and amazingly enough still don´t get it.
    L Hamilton gave back the lead, until later on fia changed the rule(additional rule - clarification to a new rule!!!).

    From doji_fere, on Wed 24 Sep 7:47PM

  12. I totally agree with your comments yearhell. I'm a white guy and I agree it's a colour thing. Lewis is the wrong colour to be an FIA world champ ( even though he is the best driver) and he cannot be allowed to win unless he drives a red car (ferrari).
    Like you i wont be watching F1 again as its a joke. Try watching Rossi and co on the bikes instead. Miles better!

    From williams.baconsthorpe@..., on Wed 24 Sep 7:01PM

  13. Forza, I had recorded the race so I watched the incident several times. From my perspective, Raikkonen (one of my favorite drivers) moved over on Hamilton, squeezing him off the track. Had the tables been turned, and it was Hamilton squeezing Raikkonen off the track, Ferrari would have been crying bloody murder and the same biased FIA stewarts probably would have punished McLaren for it. Watching the incident, it was clear that Hamilton didn't cut the chicane by choice. Raikkonen didn't want to let him by so he moved over. That's what racers do. I'm tired of seeing Ferrari win by playing politics with the FIA. They're one of the best teams, they'd do well with out the cheating, and Formula 1 fans would have much more respect for them if it was clear that they deserved to win. Ferrari's wins are tainted as far as I'm concerned.

    From fishblue6, on Wed 24 Sep 6:54PM

  14. kiky k: such stupidity of you placing a comment like that! place your comments somewhere else but not here! you maniac!

    From Leonil C, on Wed 24 Sep 6:38PM

  15. LEWIS HAMILTON, IS THE BEST DRIVER ON THE TRACK AND THE ONLY WAY TO HANDLE HIM IS TO GET THE FIA INVOLVE. AS A BLACK PERSON, I WILL NOT WATCH THIS SPORT AGAIN IT'S RACIST JUST LIKE AT MAX MOSELY FATHER!!! LEWIS GIVE BACK THE POSITION BACK TO KIMI, KIMI CAN'T HANDLE LEWIS HE NEEDS HIS FATHER MAX. I GOT BETTER THINGS DOING WITH MY TIME THEN WATCH APARTHEID SPORT.

    From l, on Wed 24 Sep 6:37PM

  16. Vinny, I like your suggestion. Something must be done about this. There are way too many drivers who cut the chicane regularly, Lewis being one of them.

    From Forza Ferrari, on Wed 24 Sep 5:52PM

  17. fishblue, I did watch the race. When you attempt to pass on the outside, you do so at your own risk. The driver on the inside has the racing line. Kimi had the racing line and Lewis should not have attempted that pass. What was Kimi supposed to do? Give up the racing line and let Lewis pass him? Let's be honest here. If there had been a wall or a gravel pit at that chicane, Lewis would never have attempted that pass. We should at least agree on that.

    From Forza Ferrari, on Wed 24 Sep 5:50PM

  18. thanks for all the interesting comments (of non bias )anyway,we all love formula 1 -as a sport ?,not because of one team or another ,or it will be like football fans !hating each other .Penaltys *fair/or not happen accept it and stop claiming bias towards wcertain teams.

    From Norman H, on Wed 24 Sep 5:48PM

  19. trdxzc, Hamilton was forced to cut the chicane by Raikkonen. You must not have watched the race.

    From fishblue6, on Wed 24 Sep 5:38PM

  20. How about for the permanent circuits no more asphalt run off, the whole layout is bordered by grass and gravel traps. Especially at the chicanes. Leave the walls for the street circuits.
    In golf if a players ball lands outside the fairway or off the green the player is subtley penalized and in some cases harshly. It could be the same in F1. Run off the track and you pay a price and it's on the driver to recover. You take the stewards out of the equation for these issues, and the aesthetics of the circuit don't lose much.

    From vinnydawg67, on Wed 24 Sep 5:22PM
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