Briton could have unlikely saviour in Vitantonio Liuzzi

Lewis Hamilton´s appeal against the 25-second time penalty he was handed after the Belgian Grand Prix has begun in Paris. Although the McLaren man was in attendance he was not required on the first day of the hearing. Instead it was left to McLaren´s barrister Mark Philips QC to prove that the appeal was admissable.

Philips argued that the appeal should be heard because an appeal about whether or not Vitantonio Liuzzi should have been handed a 25-second time penalty for passing Adrian Sutil under yellow caution flags at last season´s Japanese Grand Prix was heard. Appeals against time penalties are not normally heard.

“The evidence will show Lewis Hamilton gave the advantage back to Kimi Raikkonen,” said Philips. “When they crossed the line, Hamilton was 6.7 kilometres per hour slower, and at one stage seven metres behind. If he had stayed behind Raikkonen through the corner and down the straight, he would have passed him anyway into turn one.

“But Lewis Hamilton had no other choice but to take an escape route, a decision he made at the last second through that chicane. The suggestion he could have braked and slowed down is simply wrong. If Kimi Raikkonen had not forced him off the track he would have passed him down the straight.”

The court also heard a radio clip of a discussion between McLaren sporting director Dave Ryan and race director Charlie Whiting at the time of the incident.The radio transcript read:

Ryan: ‘Do you believe that was okay? He gave the position back.’

Whiting: ‘I believe it was. Yes.’

Ryan: ‘You believe it was okay.’

Whiting: ‘I believe it was okay.’

A verdict is due tomorrow.