McLaren’s Belgian GP penalty appeal rejected

The FIA International Court of Appeal has rejected McLaren s appeal against the 25 second penalty which was given to Lewis Hamilton after the race after stewards deemed he had cut a chicane during the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix and gained an advantage over Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

McLaren had been hoping to overturn the penalty, allowing Hamilton to head to Singapore with a seven point lead over Felipe Massa. However today’s result means the drivers championship standings remain the same and although Hamilton still leads, he is just one point clear of his Ferrari rival.

A statement from the FIA reads, “Having heard the explanations of the parties the Court has concluded that the appeal is inadmissible.”

The appeal by McLaren has been deemed inadmissible because Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states that drive-through penalties cannot be appealed.

Read the full judgement from the International Court of Appeal here.