Ferrari boost for Lewis as he fights penalty

Stefano Domenicali, team chief of McLaren's main rivals Ferrari, described the British driver's controversial overtaking pass on world champion Kimi Raikkonen at the climax to yesterday's dramatic race as just a "racing" incident.

Domenicali's qualified support for Hamilton will be seen as significant.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa stands to gain most if McLaren fail to win an appeal against the decision to give Hamilton a 25-second penalty, robbing him of victory, for allegedly gaining an unfair advantage at Spa by cutting a chicane.

If Hamilton and McLaren fail to overturn the penalty imposed by the Grand Prix stewards, Massa will be confirmed as winner in Belgium and Hamilton, demoted to third, will see his lead in the F1 title chase slashed from eight points to two.

Domenicali stressed that Ferrari had not protested against the manoeuvre that saw Hamilton take the lead from 2007 champion Raikkonen after being forced wide at a chicane when his initial bid to overtake failed to come off.

And Ferrari's team principal indicated that his first impression of Hamilton's subsequent successful charge at Raikkonen at the next corner was fair.

"This is racing," he said. Asked if Ferrari had instigated the investigation into the incident which has plunged Formula One into chaos ahead of this coming weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Domenicali replied: "Absolutely not. We were summoned by the steward at the end of the race."

Domenicali refused to condemn Hamilton's driving at Spa's Bus Stop chicane where he dived down the outside of Raikkonen's Ferrari, briefly got ahead on a track being made increasingly treacherous by rain, but was then forced to cut across the chicane to avoid a collision as Raikkonen held the racing line.

"It was a little bit extreme," he said.

"It's normal that when you are racing you attack. But the advantage you might gain from doing the manoeuvre is the key point of it.

"That will be what has to be considered: what was the advantage you take from such conditions that can be used in the second situation at the first corner?"

It may be a month before McLaren's appeal is heard by the FIA, motor sport's governing body, meaning that two of the final five rounds of the title chase in Italy and Singapore could take place before Hamilton and Massa know the real state of their battle.

It is even possible that the FIA will refuse to consider an appeal at all. The 25 seconds added to Hamilton's final race time was a 'drive through penalty' against which there is no appeal.

However, since Hamilton's charge at Raikkonen came on the 42nd lap of the 44-lap race, there was no time left for Hamilton to be ordered to make a slow parade through the pit lane.

If Hamilton does get his day in court, McLaren will say their man obeyed the F1 rule book by allowing Raikkonen to retake the lead on the pit straight immediately after the chicane, and that Hamilton lost momentum by being 6kmph slower as he followed the Ferrari over the start line.

Team spokesman Matt Bishop said: "Having passed the lead back to Kimi, Lewis repositioned his car, moving across and behind Kimi to the righthand line, and then out-braked him into the hairpin."

Over the closing eight miles Raikkonen crashed when he lost control, leaving Hamilton to demonstrate his mastery in the wet by taking the chequered flag ahead of Massa and BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.