Lewis Hamilton's appeal to be reinstated as the winner of the Belgian Grand Prix has been rejected. The governing body of Formula 1 racing (the FIA) has explained that Hamilton’s appeal attempt is inadmissible and would not be entertained under ordinary circumstances.

The young Englishman was demoted to third place after cutting a chicane in the final laps of the race earlier this month and now stands only a point ahead of rival Felipe Massa going into the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.

McLaren Mercedes, Hamilton’s team, fears that the hour that Lewis spent at the International Court of Appeal in Paris did absolutely nothing for his case. Hamilton explained that he cut across the Bus Stop chicane to avoid a crash with leader, Kimi Räikkönen, rather than to gain an advantage over the Finn.

The McLaren Mercedes defence team endeavoured to convince the judges that the infraction in question was a matter of time rather than a “drive-through” offence. If the team had been successful, the charges would have elicited a greater response from the panel and his seven point lead over Massa may have been re-established.

Hamilton told reporters that he was disappointed with the FIA’s decision but not depressed: “All I want to do is put this matter behind me and get on with what we drivers do best – racing each other.” He is said to be excited about racing in the first flood-lit Grand Prix at the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore and determined to make up for the points he lost at this week’s hearing in Paris.

Written by Chris Illingworth

Formula One’s first ever night race is to be held this weekend in Singapore. Lewis Hamilton and his rivals will compete on a brand new circuit that passes through the streets of this fascinating Asian city. The circuit, which is 3.15 miles long, will take the drivers past landmarks such as the Raffles hotel in an anti-clockwise direction. There will be a total of 23 turns and the maximum speed will be around 300 km per hour along Raffles Boulevard. This speed may also be reached by drivers travelling along Pit Straight, St. Andrew’s Road, and Esplanade Drive.

The circuit will be illuminated by floodlights approximately four times brighter than the ones we are accustomed to at Premiership football matches and for this reason, the drivers will not need to use headlights on their cars. Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his excitement at the prospect of a night race in this vibrant city: “It is going to be an exciting weekend...It sounds like it will be pretty spectacular”.

Furthermore, the predicted weather conditions have added an extra layer of excitement to an already intriguing prospect. There is around a 60% chance of rain forecasted for Sunday and this has raised concerns that glare could be caused by the lights bouncing off the wet track. To prepare for this eventuality, the teams have introduced high-contrast helmet visors that are able to increase depth perception. The race starts at 8pm local time on Sunday and you can follow Hamilton’s progress live on ITV. Coverage starts at 12pm.

Written by Charlotte Cook

So Lewis Hamilton crossed the line first in Spa and picked up the trophy only for it to be snatched away a couple of hours later in the stewards office.

The stewards never stated that they were investigating the incident between Hamilton and Raikkonen but they still gave Hamilton a 25 second penalty. With three laps to go Hamilton attempted to overtake the Finn around the outside of the Bus Stop chicane only to see the Ferrari driver squeeze him out and push him off the track. Lewis subsequently took the lead but eased off to let Kimi through and gave him a full car length lead before nailing him up the inside of the La Source hairpin.

It was a fair move and I'm not saying that as a blinkered Brit – I am saying that as a Ferrari fan and Lewis detractor. The move was fair and he let the guy back through again, what else is he meant to do?

I don't believe in the FIA/McLaren conspiracy theories that are very prominent in the press and amongst the paddock and fans. However events like these certainly make you query what exactly is going on at the top level of the governing body of the sport.

The team are appealing the decision and I hope for the integrity of the sport that the decision is overturned. Even the most fervent of Ferrari fans would admit that the penalty was harsh but I suppose most of them deep down don't care.

Yesterday was a bleak day for the sport of Formula 1 in what was a sensational race.