Lewis Hamilton wins but stewards investigate him and Raikkonen (Video)
Lewis Hamilton snatched victory in the Belgian Grand Prix from Kimi Raikkonen in the dying stages of the race.
But their thrilling duel as rain fell in the final laps of the race is being investigated by the stewards who feel Hamilton and Raikkonen may have broken the rules. Here’s a video of what happened:
The duel began when Hamilton caught Raikkonen on lap 42. He drew alongside the Ferrari on the outside of the chicane, but Raikkonen pushed him off the track
Is this what Raikkonen is being investigated for? Should he be penalised for it?
That meant Hamilton arrived on the start/finish straight ahead of Raikkonen. Having gained an unfair advantage he let Raikkonen past (which is what he should have done with Vettel at Magny-Cours) but then re-passed Raikkonen at the next corner (La Source).
Is this what Hamilton is being investigated for? Should he be penalised for it?
Later on lap 43 Raikkonen ran wide at Pouhon but regained the circuit without seeming to gain much of an advantage.
Then Hamilton came across a spinning Williams and had to drive off the circuit in avoidance. Raikkonen also took evasive action and seemed to hit Hamilton in doing so. But surely for both drivers this was an unavoidable consequence of Raikkonen trying to avoid the Williams?
I don’t think anything that happened on the last few laps deserves a penalty from the stewards. If anyone was at fault, it was Raikkonen for pushing Hamilton off the track at the chicane. But the stewards have already shown they don’t punish drivers for pushing each other off the track – as with Fernando Alonso and Hamilton at this track last year.
Do you think either driver deserves a penalty? What sort of penalty should they have?
Here’s what Ron Dennis had to say about the investigation on ITV:
First of all we don’t know what the investigation is about. One assumes it was the incident between Kimi and Lewis at the chicane. First of all, Lewis was ahead at the chicane and he got pushed wide. He definitely was in the lead coming out of the chicane, we immediately radioed him to let Kimi past. We let Kimi past and then overtook him again before the line.
Inevitably, we wanted to know whether we had actually, that was deemed to be a correction of that, and we checked with Charlie [Whiting], of course Charlie can only give an opinion, he’s not the stewards, but he gave an opinion that we had complied properly to the regulations. I would even dispute that there was any fault because we had the corner in the chicane, but even if we didn’t have the corner we let Kimi back in the lead.
Update: the stewards have passed their decision and stripped Hamilton of his win. More here.
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NDINYO said on 7th September 2008, 21:42
These are the race facts from FIA’s own website http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressinformation/f1pressinfo/belgium/Pages/race_facts.aspx:
Lap 42: Hamilton gets a run on Räikkönen and draws alongside at the chicane. The Finn defends. Heidfeld, Coulthard, Rosberg and Nakajima are in for wets.
Lap 43: It’s raining quite heavily. Hamilton takes the lead from Räikkönen at La Source. Both are on tiptoes and run wide later in the lap which allows Räikkönen back ahead. The Finn then spins and rejoins before crashing at Turn 13. Alonso pits for wets.
Lap 44: Hamilton wins by 14.4s from Massa, Heidfeld, Alonso, Vettel, Kubica, Bourdais and Glock. Kovalainen stops on the last lap.
The key as noted above is that they were side by side before the chicane on lap 42 – any position less than side by side when Lewis ceded cannot be considered an advantage.
Reg said on 7th September 2008, 21:51
Amazing race, predictable investigation anti McLaren as always. Did everybody who straight lined the chicane during the race get a penalty?
No longer an F1 Fan! said on 7th September 2008, 22:20
What a joke!
Neither driver should have been penalised for this. To see Hamilton given a penalty for this is unforgivable.
I have no faith in the FIA. Their judgment is highly questionable.
This issue is so serious, it completely undermines any faith I previously had in the sport.
This clearly demonstrates that F1 rules are being manipulated by the FIA, to influence the final result of the F1 championship.
I certainly won’t be taking F1 seriously after this.
If the final result of the F1 championship is influenced by this points change, it will be as invalid as a Saturday afternoon wrestling match result – (They were always fixed).
O'Toole said on 7th September 2008, 22:36
To Jimbo – what aerodynamic effect is lost at 40mph? In that corner, at that speed on that part of wet track it is all mechanical grip – Hamilton would have been that close following Kimi through. I suppose Kimi lost all his grip a few seconds later following Hamilton through La Source?
To those saying that Hamilton had more “momentum”, go buy a physics book. Momentum is directly proportional to velocity, to get past Hamilton Kimi was moving at a higher speed, so he had more momentum. There was clear air between the cars after Hamilton lifted so the letter of the rules were followed, if not the spirit.
In a race the rules will always end up being pushed to the limit. If the FIA is going to punish someone who obeyed the rule but not in the way they expected it to be obeyed, then they should have written a better rule. It wouldn’t be hard to mandate a minimum distance to follow the first car after letting it pass (no closer than 3 car lengths perhaps) or specifying a certain number of corners in which to let the first car lead, rather than using its slipstream to overtake straight away.
I hope the appeal is heard, because the inconsistencies in punishments take away from the credibility of the FIA to organise the sport.
john said on 7th September 2008, 23:16
how can Lewis have caused raikonens crash Lewis was about 2 or 3 seconds further ahead
the limit said on 8th September 2008, 0:29
New aerodynamic gysmo free 2009 spec Formula One cars, a complete engine development freeze, the return of slick tyres and a ban on tyre warmers, the introduction of KERS, will all make Formula One far more entertaining and enjoyable for all the fans!!!!
What crap! As if any of that matters, when the sports governing body are pretty much compromised to such an extent that they have lost all their relevance. As if a set of slick tyres are going to help you, when you a racing a team that ‘dictates’ the rule book to suit themselves.
I would love it, if all the other teams apart from Ferrari, got together and boycotted the next race. Do another Indianapolis 2005 by doing the formation lap before returning to the pits. Or for Hamilton to turn around and say, I don’t want to do it no more, by boys, and leave. Fernando Alonso was right, after he got the short end of the stick two years ago, by saying that F1 is ‘no longer a sport’.
With Monza coming up, qualifying will be mightily interesting. Ofcourse, a typically classic F1 race will commence.
The leader will be ten seconds clear of P2, P2 will be ten seconds clear of P3, P3 will be ten seconds clear of P4, and so on and so on. With a racing series like that, it is not the drivers who should be paid $50 million a year, its the mechanics.
And when we are blessed with a truly great driver, we penalise him and banish him at everyturn. We screw him at every opportunity.
Its only after he is killed or retires that we truly admire his works, really crave for his talents. Remember so and so, he could drive!!!
Remember the man in the yellow helmet, remember how he railed against everybody to achieve success, even the very people who run the sport, the people whose very series profits off of him to the tune of millions each year.
Remember the man in the yellow helmet, and remember him well, as this sport died with him a long time ago.
the limit said on 8th September 2008, 0:50
@ Jimbo.
The beauty of motorsports is watching drivers deal with pressure, and difficult situations. Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari not on the racing line, but on the huge run off area around Blanchimont. This I can only attribute to Raikkonen making an earlier mistake in the corner before entering the run off area, which then as we know, caused him to spin.
As for Massa being more liked, you forget my friend that Massa helped Raikkonen win the championship last year in Brazil. Massa’s performance at Interlagos proved crucial in Ferrari’s efforts in keeping Alonso and Hamilton behind. He owes Raikkonen nothing, absolutely nothing, and has this year taken the bull by the horns and has outraced his team mate.
As for the Bus Stop incident, I have scene plenty of occasions like this in which a driver has lifted, let a rival by, only to repass him straight away.
The same can be said of lapped traffic. If a car has been lapped by a leader, doesn’t that lapped car have the right to try and unlap himself if the opportunity should arise?
That is exactly what Eddie Irvive did for Jordan back in 1993, by repassing Senna and Hill whilst being lapped. He was not punished, he followed the rules, albeit he recieved a left hook to the jaw for his efforts.
As for short cutting a chicane, Hamilton allowed Raikkonen back past almost immediately. Raikkonen was clearly in the lead down the pit straight, and was clearly surprised by the move that would see Hamilton pass him.
The truth of the matter is is that Raikkonen was used by Ferrari as a pawn today. The big winner, was Massa, and to Ferrari that is all that matters. Felipe has gained enough points to be just two shy of Hamilton entering Monza next Sunday.
Massa is Ferrari’s best chance for the championship, and Hamilton’s biggest threat. On some days, it pays to remain in third, as much as a spectator to todays race as we all were, and bag the points, than to charge all day only to end up eating concrete and white paint.
Galava said on 8th September 2008, 1:40
The stewards decision is a disgrace to F1, a total travesty. How long are we going to stand by and watch the racism against Lewis and the favouritism towards Ferrari continue within this sport? It’s time F1 stopped mollycoddling Ferrari. Those last few laps were the only proper racing element in this race, in conditions which prove the true skill of the drivers. Lewis won fair and square. He proved he has the ability to handle adverse conditions in a car on the wrong tyres – Kimi can’t. ‘Nuff said!
the limit said on 8th September 2008, 2:18
@ Martin.
This debate is not about ‘smug little Lewis’, it is about the integrity of the sport, which has yet again been compromised in favour of Ferrari. May I remind those of you out there that had that been Alonso out there today, or Kubica, contesting the championship, they would almost certainly have met the same fate as ‘smug little Lewis’.
Everytime Ferrari are challenged by a team with the means and talent to beat them they pull a ‘flanker’ like this, every single time. It happened to Montoya, to Alonso, to Hakkinen, to almost any non Ferrari driver you can think of over the years.
This is what this debate is about, not Lewis Hamilton.
For God’s sake open your eyes to the real problem this sport has, which is not easy circuits and aero obsessed technicians, but a governing body that is rotten to the very core, and corrupt.
If the English Football Association behaved in such a manner, heads would roll, and roll fast! The baby has been thrown out with the bath water, and all you can do is bemoan one particular driver.
Martin said on 8th September 2008, 2:32
@ the limit:
point well taken. It was merely my ham-fisted way of making the point that I’m a Ferrari fan, that I have a lot of negative things to say about Hamilton’s driving in these two seasons (not about his talent, that’s for sure), but that even with all my prejudices he appears to have been very close to if not entirely within the letter of the rule.
Sorry.
george said on 8th September 2008, 5:18
hello i thing puss all the time the ferrari its time to said to these guys to go home in greece said eleossss
Yazeed said on 8th September 2008, 6:15
Should not Panalty Lewis.
But As we can see through he race this year, even a tiny mistake by McLaren team will be taken action by FIA.
Lewis should given 10 points through his fight until finish line.
Sorry to say that I think FIA is trying to make Lewis & McLaren not the champion.
Charles said on 8th September 2008, 7:08
Purely and simply this is a case of the fia doing anything they can to ensure that ferrari win the drivers championship. after all we can’t have ferrari sulking and taking the ball away can we.
CD said on 8th September 2008, 8:51
I’d say Lewis gain a little advantage on the final chicane. If kimi say for example got 0.8 of a second margin on lewis, then lewis pass him and give kimi again the lead with only 0.3 of a second, clearly lewis gained a bit. So i guess lewis deserves penalty. If lewis did not pass kimi ilegaly on that final chicane. none of these things happend. Kimi should have been celebrating with his 4th trophy at Spa yesterday.
Richard said on 9th September 2008, 5:23
Well analysed. Hamilton was pushed off the track at 1st overtake.
Raikkonen then drove over aggressively – verging on the berserk.
Hamilton won this race with verve & style not seen for many years.
Penalties are not the way to run F1.