Felipe Massa is only 1 point behind Lewis Hamilton

As expected , the appeal by McLaren formula one team was summarily rejected. Earlier i had asked whether drive through penalties can even be appealed, turns out they cant be appealed. As this was a drive through penalty , the appeal was rejected. The FIA rules clearly state that drivethrough penalties in the last 5 laps would result in a 25 second penalty instead of the drive in the pits. The appeal was declared inadmissible. The penalty had been given to Lewis Hamilton for cutting a chicane while fighting with Kimi Raikkonen for a position. Lewis Hamilton was disappointed by the decision , Lewis Hamilton still leads the championship but by only 1 point.

“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 lot of hullahoo was created around the appeal and the penalty itself. Many Ferrari phobic people questioned the integrity of the FIA and its stewards. A lot was suggested with the usual badmouthing of Max Mosely and Bernie. Already i think conspiracy theorists will start saying that the appeal was rejected as Ferrari stands to gain, anyway for the benefit of the sane, here is the exact paragraph from the rulebook :

Paragraph 5 of Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states: “Penalties of driving through or stopping in pit lanes together with certain penalties specified in FIA Championship regulations where this is expressly stated, are not susceptible to appeal.”

The decision in full

At the Grand Prix of Belgium, run on 7 September 2008, and counting towards the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Stewards of the meeting imposed a drive-through penalty upon the driver of car No. 22, Lewis Hamilton, for a breach of Article 30.3 (a.) of the 2008 FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and Appendix L, Chapter 4, Article 2 (g.) of the International Sporting Code.

As the drive-through penalty was imposed at the end of the race, 25 seconds were added to the driver’s elapsed race time in accordance with Article 16.3 of the FIA 2008 Formula One Sporting Regulations.

Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states that drive-through penalties are “not susceptible to appeal”.
The competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes appealed the Steward’s decision before the International Court of Appeal in a hearing in Paris on September 22nd.
Having heard the explanations of the parties the Court has concluded that the appeal is inadmissible.
The International Court of Appeal was presided over by Mr Philippe NARMINO (Monaco), elected President, and composed of Mr Xavier CONESA (Spain), Mr Harry DUIJM (Netherlands), Mr Thierry JULLIARD (Switzerland) and Mr Erich SEDELMAYER (Austria).

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