Lewis Hamilton stripped of Belgian GP victory after massive penalty for illegal overtake

It remains one of the most contentious decisions in Formula 1 history.

On 7 September 2008, Lewis Hamilton crossed the line first at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, only to have his Belgian Grand Prix victory ripped away hours later by a 25-second post-race penalty.

The infringement? Cutting the Bus Stop chicane while battling Kimi Räikkönen for the lead and, in the stewards' eyes, gaining a lasting advantage despite handing the position back.

Hamilton had started from pole alongside title rival Felipe Massa, with the two McLarens and Ferraris locking out the front two rows.

A spin on lap two dropped Hamilton down the order, but he fought back as Räikkönen controlled proceedings at the front. Then, on lap 42 of 44, the rain arrived, and with it, drama.

How it all unfolded

Closing rapidly on Räikkönen, Hamilton attacked at the Bus Stop chicane. He got alongside under braking, but as they reached the second apex, Räikkönen shut the door.

Hamilton had nowhere to go and cut across the inside of the chicane to avoid contact, emerging ahead. Aware of the rules, he lifted on the start-finish straight and allowed Räikkönen to re-pass. Then, crucially, he dived back down the inside at La Source and reclaimed the lead.

Räikkönen crashed on the following lap as the rain intensified. Hamilton took the chequered flag, but the stewards ruled that his brief hand-back had not fully neutralised the advantage gained from cutting the chicane.

A drive-through penalty, converted into 25 seconds added to his race time, dropped him to third behind Massa and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

"I was ahead entering that corner, so I wasn't gaining an advantage," Hamilton protested. "The rules state you should let him back past, and I did."

McLaren were equally baffled, with Martin Whitmarsh revealing that Race Control had twice confirmed Hamilton's hand-back was acceptable during the race.

"If Race Control had expressed any concern, we would have instructed Lewis to allow Kimi to repass for a second time," he said.

McLaren's appeal was declared inadmissible by the FIA International Court of Appeal, which ruled that drive-through penalties cannot be challenged.

The damage to Hamilton's title bid was significant, with Massa's retroactive victory slashing the championship gap from six points to just two, with five races remaining.

Hamilton, of course, would go on to clinch his first world title by a single point in the final corner of the season in Brazil.