The Hindu : Sport : Massa declared winner of Belgian GP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 08, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

Massa declared winner of Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton, who finished first, penalised and pushed to the third spot

— PHOTO: AP

HIGH DRAMA: Ferrari’s Felipe Massa (left) was declared the winner of the Belgian GP after the stewards decided that McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had gained an advantage by cutting a chicane towards the closing stages of the race.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (Belgium): McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was stripped of victory in a thrilling Belgian Grand Prix after stewards decided he had gained an advantage by cutting a chicane during a last-gasp duel with Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton was given a 25-second time penalty by race officials which saw him demoted to third and victory handed to second-placed Felipe Massa, allowing the Ferrari driver to cut the Briton’s lead in the championship to just two points.

Brazilian Massa crossed the line second, but won the maximum 10 points ahead of Germany’s Nick Heidfeld, the BMW-Sauber driver promoted to second. Hamilton won six points to move to 76 in the championship to Massa’s 74.

World champion Raikkonen had led until rain began to fall and Hamilton, the 23-year-old championship leader who had started on pole position, reeled in the Ferrari and powered past on the penultimate lap.

The action did not stop there, with the desperate Raikkonen fighting back to retake the lead before losing control on the slippery surface and smashing into a wall while Hamilton went wide over the grass.

The two rivals had already banged bodywork, skidded and narrowly avoided other cars before stewards decided that Hamilton’s late manoeuvre had broken the rulebook.

Stunning turnaround

It was a stunning turnaround to an afternoon that, until two laps from the end, looked sure to revive Raikkonen’s championship hopes with a fourth Belgian GP win in succession.

Starting in fourth place, the Finn made a determined move on Massa after running wide at the tight first corner. The two Ferraris ran side by side up the hill through Eau Rouge before Raikkonen, whose engine had blown in the previous race in Valencia, scythed past and took the chase to Hamilton.

Hamilton then locked his right front tyre and spun at La Source at the start of the second lap, with Raikkonen seizing the advantage.

Renault’s double World champion Fernando Alonso was fourth with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel fifth for Toro Rosso. Poland’s Robert Kubica was sixth, a result that elevated him to third in the championship with 58 points, with France’s Sebastien Bourdais was seventh. Mark Webber of Australia took the final point for Red Bull after Germany’s Timo Glock also picked up a 25-second penalty.

McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen missed out on the 10th place after capping a string of errors with a drive-through penalty.

McLaren to appeal

Meanwhile, McLaren could not immediately appeal on the final results because it was officially a drive-through penalty which should have been applied during the race itself.

However, McLaren decided to launch an official complaint with FIA’s International Court of Appeal. It is unclear when it would be heard.

The results:

1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1 hour, 22 minutes, 59.394 seconds; 2. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 9.383 seconds behind; 3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 10.539; 4. Fernando Alonso (Renault) 14.478; 5. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 14.576; 6. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 15.037; 7. Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 16.735; 8. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 42.776; 9. Timo Glock (Toyota) 67.045; 10. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) 1 lap; 11. David Coulthard (Red Bull) 1 lap; 12. Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1 lap; 13. Adrian Sutil (Force India) 1 lap; 14. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 1 lap; 15. Jenson Button (Honda) 1 lap; 16. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1 lap; 17. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) 1 lap; 18. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) DNF/ Not Classified; Rubens Barrichello (Honda) DNF; Nelson Piquet Jr. (Renault) DNF.

Constructors’ standings: 1. Ferrari 131 points; 2. McLaren 119; 3. BMW Sauber 107; 4. Toyota 41; 5. Renault 36; 6. Red Bull 25; 7. Toro Rosso 17; 8. Williams 17; 9. Honda 14. — Agencies

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport