Spa drama rumbles on

By James Disdale

09th September 2008

Last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix ended in high drama when Lewis Hamilton was stripped of victory, with the authorities handing the win to his championship rival, Felipe Massa.

The McLaren ace was demoted to third when stewards hit him with a 25-second penalty for cutting a chicane during a tussle with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

The action happened in the closing laps as rain made the track treacherous. Hamilton had taken full advantage of the conditions to reel in the Finn, before they went into the Bus Stop chicane side-by-side, forcing the Briton off the circuit.

He immediately pulled in behind the Ferrari, before finally overtaking it in the next corner. After that, both drivers were sent spinning off twice, before Raikkonen crashed into the barriers with one lap to go.

This left Hamilton and Massa to take the flag on their slick tyres. Nick Heidfeld, who had made a last-minute change to wet-weather rubber, passed four cars in two laps to leap from eighth to third place – although he was later promoted to second.

McLaren will appeal the result, which sees Lewis’s championship lead over Massa reduced to only two points. Yet afterwards, Hamilton remained upbeat: “That was a great fight, and I don’t think there was anything wrong. The rules say you should let him back past, which I did.”

For the next round, the teams move to Monza in Italy, where Ferrari is hoping for a home victory in less controversial circumstances.

Results
1.    F. Massa     Ferrari
2.    N. Heidfeld     BMW Sauber
3.    L. Hamilton     McLaren Merc
4.    F. Alonso    Renault
5.    S. Vettel     Toro Rosso
6.    R. Kubica     BMW Sauber
7.    S. Bourdais    Toro Rosso
8.    M. Webber    Red Bull

Drivers
1.    L. Hamilton    76
2.    F. Massa    74
3.    R. Kubica    58
4.    K. Raikkonen     57
5.    N. Heidfeld    49
6.    H. Kovalainen    43
7.    J. Trulli    26
8.    F. Alonso    23

Constructors
1.    Ferrari    131
2.    McLaren Mercedes    119
3.    BMW Sauber     107
4.    Toyota     41
5.    Renault     36
6.    Red Bull     25
7.    Williams    17
8.    Toro Rosso    17