Lewis Hamilton was in grave danger of being excluded from the F1 world championship before an impassioned plea from his counsel.
Lewis Hamilton was in grave danger of being excluded from the Formula One world championship before an impassioned plea from his counsel.
FIS president Max Mosley and his officials had made it clear that Hamilton and team-mate Fernando Alonso could well be thrown out of the drivers' world championship at last week's spy scandal hearing.
After hours of submissions, new evidence including an email conversation between Alonso and test driver Pedro de la Rosa was thought to have spoilt the drivers' title race.
Mosley and the World Motor Sport Council heard an impassioned plea by Mark Phillips QC to allow Hamilton to remain in the title race, which spared the rookie the devastating blow of being excluded.
The conclusion was that Hamilton and Alonso were free to continue to race, while McLaren were hammered with a £50million fine and stripped of all their constructors' points.
Defence plea
In his defence submission, with a transcript of the hearing released by the FIA, Phillips remarked: "Lewis Hamilton has done nothing wrong.
"He has driven brilliantly and is leading the drivers' championship by three points (as was the case at the time).
"If McLaren were banned from competing in the remaining races, Lewis Hamilton would not be able to compete in the final four races.
"He would lose the points that he has so brilliantly won over the last few months, to the sheer delight and excitement of millions of ordinary motor-racing fans.
"The same would be true in 2008. If McLaren were excluded, Lewis Hamilton would not be able to compete in 2008, and McLaren would lose him as a driver.
"Perhaps he would drive elsewhere, assuming first that he could find a seat and assuming that that was a competitive seat.
"But I ask you to remember what he said in his statement: he has wanted to drive for McLaren for all of his racing life; he has been there since he was a young boy; he has been supported throughout his career by McLaren, and wants to continue racing for McLaren."
Disaster
Phillips argued that "it would be an absolute disaster for Formula One" if McLaren were thrown out of the championship.
In summation with regard to Hamilton, Phillips added: "...it would be a travesty to penalise him.
"We do not ask that any different treatment be given team-mate and chief competitor in this year's Formula One championship, Fernando Alonso.
"When you come to consider what is fair, proportionate and just, we invite you to have in mind that the world wants to see the world's top drivers competing on-track for the world championship.
"They do not want to see it decided by lawyers. We respectfully invite you to leave the world championship alone.
"Where Lewis Hamilton is concerned, let him get back to the track, to become the first rookie world champion in Formula One history."
With three races remaining in Japan, China and Brazil, Hamilton still has the opportunity to do just that.
