Lewis Hamilton's Belgian GP win was short-lived
Lewis Hamilton won yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix - but two hours after the race, the stewards took his victory away under controversial circumstances.
The penalty hinged on Hamilton’s attempt to pass Kimi Raikkonen on lap 42. Raikkonen forced Hamilton off the track, meaning Hamilton had to let Raikkonen pass. He did this, but then re-passed Raikkonen at the next corner.
Hamilton penalty meant Felipe Massa inherited the win - Raikkonen crashed out on the penultimate lap. Should Massa have won?
The McLaren team has announed it will appeal the decision against Hamilton. F1’s governing body, the FIA, will hear the appeal at a hearing of the World Motor Sports’ Council, a date for which has not yet been set.
McLaren have had several run-ins with the sports governing body in the last 12 months. Before last year’s Belgian Grand Prix they were famously excluded from the constructors’ championship and fined $100m for alleging using confidential information belonging to Ferrari.
By appealing against Hamilton’s penalty they may risk getting an even stronger punishment.
Do you think Hamilton’s penalty should be overturned? Have your say in the comments below.
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35 Comments
September 8, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Looking at the incedent from a totally neutral propective I can understand how a penalty should have been imposed had Hamilton not yielded the advantage. In lieu of the fact that he did and had the initial incident not taken place Hamilton would have overtaken where he did anyway, it does seem to suggest ‘other factors’ are a play here. Not good for the sport
September 8, 2008 at 4:24 pm
well what a joke , clearly the stewards have got it wrong. lewis was alongside kimi at the last corner, kimi turned in and they hit each other, lewis was then in front , he was then radio by mclaren team and decided he MAY have gained an advantage , he backed off to allow kimi back past him , his data shows he lifted to half throttle for a short while and his speed was 6kms slower than kimi at the start line , having let kimi back past he then threw him a dummy into the hairpin, and re passed. the FIA have a problem with mclaren and favour ferrari in all matters , this decision is just to keep the scores closer for the last 5 races its a joke !!!
September 8, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Right at the end it turned into quite a race and I must say the result should have stood.
F1 officials have devalued that race from a great race to a farce.
I for one will not be turning into ITV to watch any more races this season. Whats the point in watch, this is not racing but some kind of man hunt against anything Maclarn. Hekki out broke himself in a corner and hit another car as one may do if you are racing as a few drivers did at the first corner of the first lap but none of them got a drive through penalty.
Whats the point F1 officials might as well just hand the title to ferrari and fine Maclarn another £50,000,000 again just for the fun of it.
September 8, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Its outrageous for Lewis to have the win taken away. Lewis was making an overtaking move on Kimi and Kimi pushed Lewis off line so he had choice but to go off the track to avoid a collision.
The advantage was given back to Kimi as they passed the start / finish line and Lewis made another move at the next corner. I watched the race and don’t see how the officials can say Lewis gained an advantage. It all look fair to me.
At the last Grand Prix Massa was released by his pit crew into the path of another car. This was considered to be a ‘dangerous move’ but no fine and penalty was passed to Massa. Perhaps Lewis should paint his car red as the officials turn a blind eye if your car is scarlet !
September 8, 2008 at 6:03 pm
totally ridiculous decision, he shouldnt have been penalised for this as he won the race fair and square. decisions like this damage the sport and spoil what was a superb race.
September 8, 2008 at 6:39 pm
If Hamilton didnt gain any advantage why was he penalised? As it was clearly the Ferrari driver that forced Hamilton off, shouldn’t he be punished?
Obvioulsy not as F1 is just one big F1X in Ferrari’s favour
September 8, 2008 at 7:01 pm
i think it,s apauling that hamilton got stripped of a win if they thought he had done wrong then why not a grid penalty at next race!!! any way he did nothing wrong and everyone on the day believed so. It was the best race in F1 for a long time, there’s too much politics in F1 now, no wonder the sport has lost so much support lots of suits with too much money think they can rule it. hamilton is the best thing in a long time to join F1 and the idiots at the top can’t stand it, they have something against him its not the first time this season they have tried to stop his championship battle. they wouldn’t know what real racing is if it bit them in the back side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 8, 2008 at 7:47 pm
of course lewis should be reinstated. this is yet another instance of the F1 rulers cow towing to a ferrari team who will win by fair means or foul. was hoping to see the end of their underhand ways when shumacher retired.
September 8, 2008 at 8:25 pm
that’s the key…. ‘Raikkonen forced Hamilton off the track’ What else needs to be said?
September 8, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Yes of course Hamilton’s penalty should be overturned, it is the mosr ridiculous thing I have ever seen in F1. We all know that Bernie wants Ferrari to win but this is the worst case of bias yet. Why doesn’t he go the whole way and use his money and clout to change the rules to give Ferrari and its drivers a 40-point headstart at the start of the season and see if everyone can catch up??
September 8, 2008 at 8:56 pm
When was life fair? Hamilton has proved that he does not need FIA assistance. Let them help Ferrari. It will make Hamilton’s eventual triumph that much more satisfying for him and his many fans.
September 8, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Absolutely - there is no way that it makes sense to penalise him 25 seconds. They should let the drivers race and as long as it is all within the spirit of the race, leave them to it. As it is, they are encouraging the drivers to parade around the circuit with no overtaking moves, which is what has made the sport a shadow of its former self already.
September 8, 2008 at 9:25 pm
no he shouldnt get his win back,lucky to get third
September 8, 2008 at 9:56 pm
It was obvious to everyone who watched the race that Lewis gave back the lead to Kimi after he was pushed off the track. How can the stewards give a verdict like this, when it shows up like a sore thumb on the video tape. Lewis has got to win the appeal. No question & no doubt from me.
September 8, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I think the race marshalls were wrong to retrospectively demote Lewis Hamilton to 3rd place after legitimately winning the Belgian Spa Grand Prix in a fair race with Kimi Raikonnen of Ferrari. Lewis missed out a hairpin, but he let Kimi back in front, so what advantage had Lewis gained from his actions on the race track. Lewis’ actions did not deny Felipe Massa a race win, as he finished 14 seconds down the race track. The decision hurts the moral integrity of motor racing as a sport, lets hope FIA’s governing body act quickly and reverse the judgement from the race marshalls.
September 8, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Hamilton should keep his win, he slowed down to let raikkonen past then re-took him again by slip streaming; if he is supposed to have gained a speed option, then how about the move raikkonen made when he overshot the bend a few corners later, and then had a slingshot out behind hamilton, and then using that momentum, overtook hamilton before he finally spun off; this is making the F1 racing a waste of time if ferrari are going to be given some sort of preferential treatment and McLaren keep getting penalised
September 8, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I think Lewis Hamilton won fair and square. To have the win taken away from him by the stewards is absolutely disgraceful. Obviously if he was in a Ferrari nothing would have been said. Why is it McLaren are stil being penalised for last year?
After attending F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2007 and 2008, it was clear Lewis Hamilton brought a record number of fans to the circuit. Lewis Hamilton has brought excitement back into F1. A few years back didn’t the FIA complain about the lack of fans.
What has Lewis Hamilton got to do or not do, to be fairly treated? Fans are not after favouritism, just fair play. The FIA need to get there act together as they seem to be backing one horse!
September 9, 2008 at 5:18 am
I think not. Having read exactly what the stewards have had to say i can see what they mean. People should look into things before jumping to LH’s defence just because he is British.
September 9, 2008 at 5:29 am
For Hamilton to receive a 25 second penalty is totally outrageous. Lewis drove, as he always drives, professionally and beyond reproach. What is the point of watching Formula 1 when judges can alter the outcome so easily. They made a decision on a move they deem to be an unfair advantage when the rest of us mortals deemed the move to be good racing. Will future formula 1 races see drivers too afraid to get within 2 feet of another car “just in case”. It appears that recent decisions made by judges are not fair and equal from one race to another. Why does it feel that Hamilton is being singled out!
September 9, 2008 at 5:59 am
The losers here are the fans Hamilton’s win was one of the most exciting I have seen in years and I walked away exhilarated, I am a not a Hamilton fan so was disappointed with the result but I do not want to see Ferrari win races in this manner, I like many other people I have spoken to will no longer follow the Grand Prix if this result stands, as I said the losers are the fans, interesting to see what Niki Lauder had to say on the matter!
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=43875
September 9, 2008 at 8:43 am
Yes.
September 9, 2008 at 8:54 am
Hamilton should get his win back because after cutting the corner he let the ferrari infront therefore not gaining a place in doing so. I think it was an unfair decision to take his win away.
September 9, 2008 at 10:08 am
Well we all know what FIA stands for dont we!!! Ferrari International Assistance.
September 9, 2008 at 11:21 am
Most of the changes made to the F1 rules by the FIA have been to make the sport more exciting due to critiscism of it being too boring. Here we have the most exciting finish to a race for many years, and to then disallow that just underlines all the work the FIA have put in to try and inject some genuine competition and drama into the sport. Why should anyone mentally engage with the F1 season or watch any future race if the result is subject to the whim of some faceless unaccountable executive. Not for the first time either has the judgement of the FIA been called into question, they have become a laughing stock! BAD for the FIA, BAD for F1…
September 9, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Absolutely bizzare! Hamilton is such a lamb much different from aggressive great champions such as Aryton Senna, Micheel Schumacher and even Alain Prost. He followed rules to the letter yet he is still punished, might I add that, after he was even pushed to the escape route by a Ferrari. Clearly he is driving for a wrong team. One wonders what might have become of his results had he not followed the rules. Besides, how have stewards come to the 25seconds punishment? Massa drove dangerously at Valencia and nothing happened.
September 9, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Sad to see the championship being settled in the courts again. If Massa wins the championship it will be a very hollow victory.
Will this lead to a breakaway for the drivers?
http://itiswhatever.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/fia-ruining-formula-1/
September 9, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Clearly Lewis did what has always been described as proper behaviour after possibly gaining a place after having to cut the corner at the chicane. But I agree with so many that the norm is not good enough where McLaren against Ferrari is concerned. Did the stewards not see Raikonnen hit the rear of Hamilton’s McLaren after the re-overtaking move at turn one? That alone has drawn a penalty in recent past for lesser teams. The last two years have been very frustrationg to watch and I honestly feel like this is the last straw for me too. I only have Direct TV for Speed and I only have Speed for F1 here in the USA.. looks like they’ll be losing a little income too.
September 9, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Totally unfair penalty, the FIA are a bunch of favouritisms as I said in my e-mail to ITV. The data CLEARLY shows Lewis was 6 kph slower than Kimi, Ferrari are favoured. I have evidence in a number of Gran Prix to support my theory-:
Monaco: Raikkonen wrecks Sutil’s perfect race and Force India’s first chance of points.
France: Raikkonen has his exhaust hanging off dangerously but isn’t forced into pits.
Belgium: Lewis Hamilton demoted to third for nothing, handing a FERRARI the win, and at:
Europe: Massa has dangerous pit release but is not punished. :-
:- On that note, I think Ferrari should be FORCED to have a lollipop man,
September 9, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I am begining to think colour is clouding the FIA’s judgement.
September 9, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Totally unjust as others have written once again the FIA seemed to have a back hunder from Ferrari!! If you are going to penalise Hamilton find a better excuse than this one!! If any thing Ferrari should be fined for pushing Hamilton off of the track!! Come on FIA study the blinking video footage…. Obviously dont wish to eat humble pie!
September 9, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Well, what an interesting read it was to read all of your comments. It is disappointing though to see two people who fail to see the damage that such decision do to a sport which relies heavily on its fan base. One writer has written that upon reading their report, he understands and that we should not jump to LH defence so quickly. I am guessing he is talking about the fact that he left the track so he should be diqualified. If this rule was consistently followed througout the race, no one would have finished! FIA, you need to stand up and accept that three blokes made a poor decision. You need to make the announcement now. In my mind this is as big a cock up as when Reubens had to let Michael pass him all those years ago.
Fix it!
September 10, 2008 at 6:52 am
Lewis Hamilton deserves this win. It was not Lewis’s fault that Kimi spun out and hit the wall, rather Lewis was striving to conduct himself honorably and in accordance with the rules and instructions of the FIA and race control. Felipe Massa ran a wonderful race but he was not battling in contention for the checkered flag. Lewis, on the other hand, ran an heroic and professional race, he never gave up, and he demonstrated his skill and prowess in a quintessential element of Formula 1: performance in inclement weather. You cannot just have a superior car and the ability to get it around the track quickly under pristine conditions; you must have superior judgment, skill under extreme duress, and the will to give everything you’ve got to win fairly within the rules. Lewis Hamilton made a magnificent demonstration of all these qualities to win the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix. To strip him of this clear victory is a travesty and does harm to the institution of sport (sic). If the race stewards have evidence to contradict McLaren’s claims, let them make it public. If not, let the FIA overturn their decision lest people come to the conclusion that, God forbid, there is some unfair bias toward Ferrari or against athletes of color.
September 10, 2008 at 6:36 pm
It,s obvious they don’t want Lewis Hamilton to win. He daren’n sneeze or He gets penalised for it. But ofcoarse it,s ok for Raikkonen to drive into the back of force india and put them out of the race. A blind eye turned. But if the shoe was on the other foot a penalty would have been given.
Everybody knows Lewis won the Belgian gran prix. I like Massa and wish him the best also, but even He knows it belongs to Hamilton.
I think Lewis really deserves to win the Gran Prix 2008 as He was cheated out of it last year.
September 14, 2008 at 3:54 pm
This was so obviously a conspiracy against Mclaren racing. Having seen how Ferrari where treated in the past for similar offences this manoeuvre was a legal one. I wondered if the stewards would have taken this decision if Lewis Hamilton had not been in the hunt for the world championship. Ferrari are the richest team in motor sport so I wonder how much money played a part. It seems such a shame that a sport like formula 1 can reduce itself to a farce. I think that it’s time for the old guard, Berni if you read this, it,s time to pass the helm to some new faces and re-write the rules that apply to the sport to make the sport more competitive and truly find the most talented driver in the world and not repeat the years of Ferrari and Schumacher dominance that made the sport so predictable a few years ago. I wonder how many people agree with me. to illustrate my point today a young driver won his first grand prix in a Torro Rosso in trying conditions where was the current world champion Kimmi Raikonen? Nowhere, out of the points, he is not world champion material. the only way for the Ferrari team to win is to compromise the opposition so that is what they do. let’s see a fair season and see the best driver win.
September 26, 2008 at 11:22 pm
does anyone remember LH crashing into the back of raiki in the pits?, is the mercedes mac car not a ferrari?? Just thought they may have cloned it given the info STOLEN last year - have any other teams cheated to this severity recently? Just a thought, as if i’m not mistaken, if a sportsperson cheats by taking illegal performance enhancers they tend to get banned for a period, given this, merc mac were let off lightly with just a fine - one might argue a season ban would have been more appropriate?
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