Lewis Hamilton and McLaren have been excluded from the Australian GP classification in the wake of Thursday's hearing with the FIA.
Hamilton was involved in an incident with Jarno Trulli whereby the Brit passed Trulli under yellows when the Toyota driver went off the track. Trulli, however, came back and retook third place, claiming that a slowing Hamilton had led him to believe that he had an ailing McLaren thereby making it legal for Trulli to pass him.
The stewards, though, sided with Hamilton and McLaren in the incident, and handed Trulli a 25s penalty, which dropped him out of the points and promoted Hamilton to third.
But in light of new evidence, radio transmision, the FIA called the Aussie race stewards, Hamilton and Trulli to appear before motorsport's governing body in Malaysia on Thursday where it was deemed that the evidence contradicted Hamilton's statement to the race stewards.
As a result the Brit and his McLaren team have been disqualified from the Australian GP results.
A statement issued by the stewards said: "The Stewards having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 Australian Formula One Grand Prix, consider that driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the Stewards at the hearing on Sunday 29th March 2009, a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.
"Under Article 158 of the International Sporting Code the driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes are excluded from the race classification for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix and the classification is amended accordingly."
The outcome of Thursday's hearing also sees Trulli's penalty being overturned and the Toyota driver returned to third place in the classification.
planet-f1
another season of f1 .... /rules /regulations /appeals etc feckin crazy this sport
