It is seeming likely that the FIA will turn down Mclaren’s appeal towards the drive through penalty awarded to Lewis Hamilton for controversially overtaking Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen by cutting the bus stop chicane in the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix. The decision is being anxiously awaited as any ruling given by the FIA will have a pronounced effect on the Drivers Championship.
Even though retroactive time penalties can be appealed, Hamilton’s actual penalty applied by the stewards was a drive-through, which could not be served in the normal way because it occurred so late in the race.
According to regulations a drive-through penalty cannot be appealed and experts say that a penalty replacing a drive-through penalty cannot be appealed either. FIA will announce its decision today.
