McLaren to appeal Brazilian result

F1:  McLaren have notified world governing body, the FIA, of their intention to appeal Sunday's stewards' verdict following …

F1: McLaren have notified world governing body, the FIA, of their intention to appeal Sunday's stewards' verdict following the Brazilian Grand Prix.

If McLaren choose to pursue their appeal, it would temper new world champion Kimi Raikkonen's title celebrations following his remarkable triumph at Interlagos.

McLaren believe the stewards missed vital evidence, and that could cast fresh doubt on an already controversial and dramatic championship.

The stewards launched an investigation as BMW Sauber and Williams were found to be in breach of technical regulations regarding fuel temperatures.

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But after a three-hour hearing, the stewards chose to impose no penalty on either team.

If they had done so then Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, could easily have been stripped of their points.

That would have promoted Lewis Hamilton up to fourth, and given the 22-year-old the crown in his rookie year.

Hamilton could only finish seventh as he suffered a gearbox issue on lap eight which relegated him from sixth to 18th at that time.

It resulted in the young British star finishing agonisingly just a point shy of Raikkonen, who at one stage trailed Hamilton by 26 points after the United States Grand Prix in June.

However, McLaren feel there are Sporting Working Group minutes that negate the two points made by the stewards as to why they did not impose a penalty.

Should they appeal, and they can prove their argument, there may yet be one final twist in an extraordinary season.

McLaren insist their argument is nothing to do with Ferrari as many critics might perhaps believe given the enmity that exists between the two teams.

Rather it is a case of seeing the regulations upheld, just as they have been done on occasions against them this season.