Winning Belgium is dangerous for Championship contenders

Lewis Hamilton’s cruelly-revoked victory in Belgium may represent the demise of Formula 1 as we know and love it, but it’s quite possible decision has worked in the young Swiss driver’s favour. In fact,  the handsome devils over at chickendinner suggests that the next time Hamilton sees the three stewards who felt the need to reward Ferrari’s misfortune, he should give them all a hug.

Here’s why:

1. Only four of the last 14 Belgian Grand Prix winners have gone on to win the Drivers Championship.

2. The last two British winners there - Damon Hill in 1998 and David Coulthard in 1999 - have failed to finish on the podium in the remaining races that season.

3. Felipe Massa has never won three consecutive races, which

Felipe Massa thinks so. What say you?

Felipe Massa, who inherited victory in Sunday’s Belgian GP, believes Lewis Hamilton was “maybe a bit too optimistic in thinking he could just hand back the position, albeit only partially to Kimi [Raikkonen], and then immediately try to pass him again.”

“If Lewis had taken the chicane correctly, he would never have been able to pass Kimi on the very short straight that follows it,” Massa added.

We maintain that Lewis did nothing wrong - he followed the rules to the letter - but the three wise stewards thought otherwise, and that’s what counts.

McLaren will decide today if they are to appeal against Hamilton’s 25-second penalty. It seems Ron Dennis, Martin Whitmarsh and co. are tempted to forget about Spa and look to Monza, which is a very good idea for two reasons:

a) It makes McLaren look like good sports, rather than whingers.

b) Why waste time and energy trying to overturn a decision that almost certainly won’t be overturned?