McLaren to fight Lewis Hamilton penalty - Belgian Grand Prix

McLaren have said they intend to fight the punishment that stripped Lewis Hamilton of his Belgian Grand Prix win.

Stewards hit the Englishman with a 25-second penalty, demoting him to third, for cutting a chicane as he battled with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

But a McLaren spokesman said: "Having passed the lead back to Kimi, Lewis repositioned, moving his car across and behind Kimi to the right-hand line.

"He then outbraked him into the hairpin. We intend to appeal."

McLaren have seven days to decide whether to go ahead with the appeal.

If they do, it would be formally lodged by the UK's national sporting authority, the Motor Sports Association, with Formula One's governing body the FIA.

There is also some debate about whether the rules allow for teams to appeal against a time penalty - but that would be decided by the FIA court of appeal if the case comes before it.

The incident that led to the penalty arrived at the end of lap 42 as the rain Hamilton had been praying for duly arrived.

It allowed F1's wet-weather king to reel in leader Raikkonen and on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane, he had the Finn in his sights.