Felipe Massa secured a dramatic victory at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after initial race winner Lewis Hamilton was penalized following a chaotic, rain-soaked finish at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Hamilton had crossed the finish line first after a thrilling late-race duel in torrential rain, but stewards later slapped the McLaren driver with a 25-second penalty for cutting a chicane and gaining an unfair advantage over Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.
Related Stories
Get the Latest Sports News from Seymour's Bird
Receive the latest updates on football, basketball,and technology news directly in your inbox. It's free!
Subscribe"[Räikkönen] pushed me to the point where I would either have been on the kerb and crashed into him or have to go on the escape route, so I went on the escape route," defended Hamilton during the post-race press conference regarding the controversial incident.
The penalty demoted Hamilton to third place, promoting Massa to the winner's step of the podium and Nick Heidfeld to second, dramatically tightening the Formula One World Championship battle as the season entered its final stretch.
Late Rain Chaos Alters Spa Podium
The race hung in the balance during the closing laps when heavy rain began to fall on lap 41, transforming the circuit into a skating rink and triggering a frantic scramble for wet-weather strategy.
Räikkönen, who had led for much of the afternoon after overtaking Hamilton early on, crashed out of the race in the final moments after losing control of his Ferrari through the Blanchimont corner.
Meanwhile, drivers who gambled early on intermediate tyres reaped massive rewards in the treacherous conditions, allowing Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso to charge through the field into the points.
The post-race penalty sparked intense global debate across the motorsport community regarding race regulations, narrowing Hamilton's championship lead over Massa to just two points.