Controversial Decision by the FIA?

    

     FURIOUS Lewis Hamilton was robbed of victory in the Belgian Grand Prix and blasted: I did nothing wrong.

The British ace was demoted from first to third after being hit by a 25-second penalty when stewards ruled he had gained an advantage by cutting a chicane two laps from home.

His McLaren team have vowed to contest it but the International Court of Appeal could rule they have no right to do so under regulations.

Hamilton, 23, fumed: “I did not break the rules, absolutely not.

“This is motor racing and if there’s a penalty then there’s something wrong because I was ahead going into that corner so I didn’t gain an advantage from it.”

Hamilton insisted he had to cut the chicane after being forced wide by Kimi Raikkonen.

He slowed to let his Ferrari rival through but regained the lead almost immediately leaving the stewards to rule he had still gained an advantage from running off the track.

Hamilton added: “I think it was fair and square so it would be absolutely wrong if I got a penalty. But you know what they’re like, so we will see.

“Kimi pushed me so wide I had no road left. I had to ask: If I stay where I am, I’m going to go over the kerb and hit him or I go left. So I went left.

“I understood I had to let him past so I did. The team came on the radio to also tell me to let him pass. I don’t know what more I could have done. I was accelerating so that I didn’t lose too much ground because I thought that would be unfair.

“Fortunately I got back in his slipstream. I dodged him and went up the inside and he hit me at the back.”

Hamilton and Raikkonen were called to see the three stewards who took two hours before ruling he had breached article 30.3.

He should have been given a drive-through penalty but as the race had finished they imposed a time penalty.

That dropped Hamilton behind Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who he had beaten by over 14 seconds, and BMW’s Nick Heidfeld.

Massa now trails Hamilton by just two points with five races left going into Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.

It is the FIFTH time in 13 races Hamilton has been penalised for an offence.

A stunned McLaren, who were fined a record £50million last year after being found guilty of spying on Ferrari, have eight days to confirm in writing their appeal.

The FIA will then call a hearing in Paris in the next few weeks. But under regulations there is no right of appeal for a drive-through penalty.