LEWIS Hamilton has taken a sideswipe at the stewards and judges he feels have forsaken the competitive spirit of Formula 1.
Unsurprisingly, McLaren's appeal over the retrospective 25-second drive-through penalty handed to Hamilton after the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this month was yesterday ruled inadmissible. The five who sat in judgment on McLaren and Hamilton at Mond
ay's five-and-half-hour hearing in Paris simply applied the letter of the FIA law in reaching their verdict.
Hamilton had originally taken the chequered flag at Spa in enthralling circumstances as he and reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen fought for the victory. The incident that culminated in yesterday's verdict, Hamilton cutting the Bus Stop chicane on lap 42 of the 44-lap race and gaining an advantage, has long been debated.
As Hamilton had previously stated, with the stewards penalising in such a way, it is likely to make any driver think twice before he embarks on an overtaking manoeuvre. Reflecting on the ruling, Hamilton said: "People will probably expect me to be depressed about the result, but that isn't me.
"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."
Hamilton maintains he was forced to cut the chicane otherwise he and Raikkonen would have collided. Although he immediately handed the advantage back to the Finn, he opted to pass again on the run down to the subsequent La Source hairpin.
Race director Charlie Whiting gave his blessing to the move later on lap 43, twice confirming it was 'okay' after being asked by a member of the McLaren pit wall.
Although Hamilton was in the dock for an hour, the argument that raged for three and a half in total ultimately proved academic. Instead, the judges sided with the regulations that a drive-through penalty is "not susceptible to an appeal".
Although Hamilton obviously did not pass down the pit lane to take his penalty, it was applied retrospectively.
FIA regulations make it clear if such a punishment is handed out in the final five laps, or after the end of a race, the 25 seconds will be added to a driver's race time. The rule was brought in a few years ago to prevent a repeat of what unfolded when Michael Schumacher won a race in the pit lane while serving a drive-through penalty.
McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "We are naturally disappointed with today's verdict, and to have received no ruling on the substance of our appeal."
Instead of a potential seven-point lead over Ferrari's Felipe Massa heading into the final four grands prix, starting in Singapore this weekend, Hamilton now has only a one-point cushion.
The full article contains 509 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
