Did you catch the F1 race this morning? What a finish! Lewis Hamilton and Kimmi Raikkonen duelled it out in the last three laps as rain started falling. Hamilton tried to make a pass on the outside, but Raikkonen closed the door and Hamilton had to run wide which ultimately gave him the lead. According to the rules, because he didn't make the pass "on track", Hamilton had to give the place right back to Raikkonen. Which he did, but then he went on to make the pass again, and this time it worked. Hamilton went on to win the race and Raikkonen crashed out in the rain. A few hours after the race the FIA posted this:Felipe Massa has been declared the official winner of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, after stewards penalized Lewis Hamilton.
25 seconds were retrospectively added to the British championship leader's finishing time, meaning his victory at the checkered flag now becomes third place, behind Massa's Ferrari and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld. The amended result also means 23-year-old Hamilton's lead in the drivers' standings is reduced from a potential 8 to just 2 points with five races to go in 2008.
Stewards deemed Hamilton did not properly allow Kimi Raikkonen to re-pass after overtaking the Ferrari driver by cutting the Bus Stop chicane with three laps to go.
Hamilton did let the Finn pass him after the chicane, but he then used the slipstream of the Ferrari to immediately launch a successful overtaking move at the next corner.
Stewards also gave Toyota's Timo Glock a 25-second time penalty for overtaking the Red Bull of Mark Webber under yellow flags, which were waving in the wake of Raikkonen's race-ending crash.
The penalty promoted Webber back into to eighth place.
All I have to say is bullshit! It was a great finish to a not so bad race. The FIA should let the results stand as it ended. And why does Ferrari always come out smelling like roses whenever there is a decision by the FIA and Mclaren gets the shaft. McLaren should tell the FIA to get stuffed. What a bullshit call!
info and picture courtesy of http://formula-one.speedtv.com
3 comments:
Just found your blog and I agree 100%! I was so angry after I heard the news. What a great race and a great battle and then the stewards just ruined it. I am so sick of Max and the FIA and how they are ruining the sport.
BTW, I am just south of you - just across the lake.
Best,
Mike
What a crock of shit.
Hamilton should have won.
Dude, dude, DUDE - could not disagree more....
Had the burning itch to respond all week.
Hamilton straightened out the corner barely giving up his advantage & left the corner with far more speed, while Raikkonen who drove correctly, didn't have near the speed coming out of it. Lewis then drafts him while Kimi is still trying to get up to speed after the corner. no way - complete farce!!
Good call by the FIA! Note all the FIA did was follow the rules in place which is what people have bitched about in the past because of their lack of consistency so good on the FIA. Check out the rules:
http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.nsf/475632E46002BEDAC125744F004312F4/$FILE/F1.SPORTING.REGULATIONS.19-05-2008.pdf
See Page 7 Section 16 & read the last sentence
“…However, should either of the penalties under a) and b) above be imposed during the last five laps, or after the end of the race, Article 16.4b below will not apply and 25 seconds will be added to the elapsed race time of the driver concerned,”
Lewis is the one who always smells like roses... doesn't matter what error he makes, the British commentators talk about him like he is the driver of the century who can do no wrong.
I say Kimi(note only on M) gets the shaft again!!
TS
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