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Chicanegate[1][2] was an incident which occurred at and following the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix. The incident involved McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen, and occurred at the Bus Stop chicane on lap 42 and at La Source hairpin on lap 43. The incident and subsequent controversy occurred when Hamilton cut the chicane after being forced wide by Räikkönen. Hamilton subsequently gave up the position to Räikkönen, but managed to outbrake and overtake him into the next corner.
The controversy erupted as a result of the decision by the race stewards two hours after the race to penalize Hamilton for having "cut the chicane and gained an advantage," adding 25 seconds onto his time in lieu of a drive-through penalty.[3] McLaren lodged an appeal against the decision, alleging that the FIA race director Charlie Whiting had twice advised them that Hamilton's actions in giving up the position were sufficient.[4] On September 23, a day after the appeal was heard in Paris; the case was rejected by the Court, stating that since drive-through penalties are "not susceptible to appeal", the case was inadmissible.[5]
Opinions on the incident were mixed. The decision was described by former world champion Niki Lauda as "the worst judgement in the history of F1", adding "It's absolutely unacceptable when three [stewards] influence the championship like this."[6] However, current F1 driver Jarno Trulli sided with the stewards, stating that "In my opinion Hamilton got an advantage by cutting the chicane", and going on to add "Had he stayed on the road, he wouldn't have had the speed to overtake the Ferrari. In the same way at Monza someone could cut the first chicane, catch a rival's draft, and overtake him under braking at Roggia."[7]
The main consequences of the incident were the clarification by the FIA of the appropriate action to be undertaken after cutting a chicane[8] as well as a deepening feeling among many F1 fans of a perceived bias by the FIA toward Ferrari and against McLaren[citation needed], a claim rejected by the FIA.[9] The penalty imposed on Hamilton narrowed of Hamilton's lead in the championship from a previous eight points to two over rival Felipe Massa.