Zoom Hamilton to plead his case in person at the FIA

Despite affecting his preparation for the next race, championship leader Lewis Hamilton will attend the appeal against his Belgian GP penalty later this month.

The McLaren boss delivered the news at Monza, where the British driver's title lead to Felipe Massa on Sunday was cut to just a single point with four races to run.

The appeal, to be held at the FIA International Court of Appeal in Paris on September 22, is a battle over six points after Spa-Francorchamps stewards stripped Hamilton of his victory for cutting a chicane and passing Kimi Raikkonen shortly afterwards.

The stewards decided that Hamilton did not properly resume his position behind Raikkonen before attempting another overtaking maneuver. A 25-second penalty was added to his total running time after the Belgian race, dropping him to third place.

The 23-year-old will appear as a primary witness, Dennis is quoted as confirming to the German news agency SID.

The hearing is scheduled for the Monday before the Singapore Grand Prix, meaning that Hamilton's attendance could interfere with his preparation for the race in a different time zone.

"Of course it is not ideal so soon before a race, but we think it is important," said Dennis, when asked why Hamilton has been asked by the team to attend.

D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM