Belgian Grand Prix

Started 6522 days, 21 hours, 59 minutes ago

Date & Time
Sun 7th September 2008 12:00am Local
Sun 7th September 2008 12:00am UTC

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League
Formula 1

Season
2008

Round
Round 13

Status

Location

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

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Event Statistics

Description

Felipe Massa was declared the official winner of the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix following one of the most controversial post-race steward decisions in Formula 1 history. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton had crossed the finish line first after a chaotic, rain-slicked final duel with Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen, but a retroactive 25-second time penalty demoted him to third place.
The Incident: Hamilton attacked race leader Kimi Räikkönen at the Bus Stop chicane. Forced wide, Hamilton cut across the asphalt runoff area and emerged ahead. Aware of the regulations, Hamilton lifted off on the start-finish straight to let Räikkönen retake the lead.
The Retaliation: Having technically surrendered the place, Hamilton used the slipstream to immediately dive down the inside of Räikkönen at Turn 1 (La Source) to secure the lead.
The Crash: Trying desperately to fight back in the treacherous, pouring rain, Räikkönen spun out completely and slammed into the wall at Blanchimont, registering a DNF. Hamilton coasted across the finish line to celebrate what he believed was a historic victory.
Hours after the podium celebrations, the FIA race stewards handed Hamilton a 25-second penalty (the post-race equivalent of a drive-through penalty). They argued that by cutting the chicane, Hamilton had gained an unfair advantage by carrying excessive speed and positioning himself closer to Räikkönen than he would have otherwise been able to.
The decision caused massive uproar throughout the paddock, former World Champion Niki Lauda famously branded it the "worst judgment in the history of F1"

Reports

Result List

01	Felipe Massa	Scuderia Ferrari HP	1:22:59.394
02	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+0:09.383
03	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren Formula 1 Team	+0:10.539
04	Fernando Alonso	Renault F1 Team	+0:14.478
05	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0:14.576
06	Robert Kubica	Sauber	+0:15.037
07	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0:16.735
08	Mark Webber	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+0:42.776
09	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1:07.045
10	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren Formula 1 Team	DNF
11	David Coulthard	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+1 Lap
12	Nico Rosberg	Williams Racing	+1 Lap
13	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1 Lap
14	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams Racing	+1 Lap
15	Jenson Button	Honda F1	+1 Lap
16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1 Lap
17	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1 Lap
18	Kimi Raikkonen	Scuderia Ferrari HP	DNF
19	Rubens Barrichello	Honda F1	DNF
20	Nelson Piquet Jr.	Renault F1 Team	DNF