Lewis Hamilton took a sideswipe at the stewards and judges he feels have forsaken the competitive spirit of Formula One on Tuesday.
Unsurprisingly, McLaren's appeal into the retrospective 25-second drive-through penalty handed to Hamilton after the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this month was ruled inadmissible.
The five who sat in judgment on McLaren and Hamilton at yesterday's five-and-half-hour hearing in Paris simply applied the letter of the FIA law in reaching their verdict.
There is no doubt, though, a finger of blame should be pointed at the trio of stewards who handed out the punishment two hours after a thrilling conclusion to the race at Spa 16 days ago.
The world at large had witnessed Hamilton take the chequered flag in enthralling circumstances as he and reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen fought for the victory.
The incident that culminated in today's verdict, Hamilton cutting the Bus Stop chicane on lap 42 of the 44-lap race and gaining an advantage, has long been debated.
The stewards could have served up a degree of common sense with their penalty by appreciating Hamilton comfortably won the race after Raikkonen had crashed out on the penultimate lap.
Instead, they sparked the controversy, and now with the judges' ruling that is likely to enamour further those who already feel there is an anti-McLaren bias within the FIA.
As Hamilton had previously stated, with the stewards penalising in such a way, it is likely to make any driver think twice before he embarks on an overtaking manoeuvre.
Reflecting on today's ruling, Hamilton said: "People will probably expect me to be depressed about the result, but that isn't me.
"All I want to do now is put this matter behind me and get on with what we drivers do best - racing each other.
"We're racers, we're naturally competitive and we love to overtake.
"Overtaking is difficult, and it feels great when you manage to pull off a great passing manoeuvre.
"If it pleases the spectators and TV viewers, it's better still. So I'm disappointed, yes, but not depressed."
Hamilton maintains he was forced to cut the chicane otherwise he and Raikkonen would have collided.
Although he immediately handed the advantage back to the Finn, he opted to pass again on the run down to the subsequent La Source hairpin.
Race director Charlie Whiting gave his blessing to the move later on lap 43, twice confirming it was 'okay' after being asked by a member of the McLaren pit wall.
Although Hamilton was in the dock for an hour, the argument that raged for three and a half in total ultimately proved academic.
Instead, the judges sided with the regulations that a drive-through penalty is "not susceptible to an appeal".
Although Hamilton obviously did not pass down the pit lane to take his penalty, it was applied retrospectively.
FIA regulations make it clear if such a punishment is handed out in the final five laps, or after the end of a race, the 25 seconds will be added to a driver's race time.
The rule was brought in a few years ago to prevent a repeat of what unfolded when Michael Schumacher won a race in the pit lane while serving a drive-through penalty.
Although McLaren lawyer Mark Phillips QC argued the penalty in this instance was one of time - which can be appealed against - rather than a drive-through - it fell on deaf ears.
McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "We are naturally disappointed with today's verdict, and to have received no ruling on the substance of our appeal.
"No-one wants to win grands prix in court, but we felt Lewis won the Belgian Grand Prix on track, and in an exciting and impressive manner.
"Our legal team and witnesses calmly explained this, as well as our belief the appeal should be admissible, to the FIA International Court of Appeal.
"It nonetheless decided our appeal was inadmissible, so we will now concentrate on the remaining four races of the 2008 Formula One season."
Instead of a potential seven-point lead over Ferrari's Felipe Massa heading into the final four grands prix, starting in Singapore this weekend, Hamilton now has only a one-point cushion.
This latest decision is likely to fuel Hamilton's determination to be crowned champion come the end of another rollercoaster season.
Lewis Hamilton Factfile:
1985: Born Tewin, Hertfordshire, January 7.
1995: British cadet class and STP karting champion.
1996: Wins the Champions of the Future, Sky TV KartMasters and Five Nations karting series.
1997: Moves up to junior Yamaha and wins Champions of the Future series and Super One series.
1998: Competing in junior Intercontinental A, is second in McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future and fourth at the Italian Open. Confirmed he will be supported by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz.
2006: Wins the GP2 Series. On September 13 is given first test in a McLaren Formula One car.
November 24 - Confirmed as race driver for 2007 season for McLaren.
2007: March 18 - Finishes third on Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
April 15 - After finishing second in Malaysia, Hamilton follows up with second in Bahrain to become the first driver in Formula One world championship history to finish on the podium in his first three races.
May 13 - Another second in Spain gives Hamilton the outright lead in the drivers' standings, becoming the youngest ever man to hold such a position.
May 27 - Finishes second in Monaco Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso takes lead in championship, though Hamilton is level on points.
June 9 - Claims maiden pole position in Formula One at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
June 10 - Wins first Grand Prix, in Montreal.
July 8 - Third at Silverstone behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who claims his second successive victory as the gap is closed on Hamilton's lead at the top of the drivers' championship.
July 21 - Taken to hospital after being involved in a 175mph smash in qualifying for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. A faulty airgun led to his front-right wheel working loose.
July 22 - Cleared to race in Germany but starts in 10th - his lowest qualifying position of the season. Finishes ninth behind winning team-mate Alonso, who cuts Hamilton's championship lead to just two points.
September 13: McLaren are fined Ј49.2million and docked their points in the constructors' championship as a result of the Formula One spy scandal. But the World Motor Sport Council announce they will not dock the points from their drivers, Hamilton and Alonso.
September 16: Finishes a disappointing fourth in Belgium, one place behind Alonso. Hamilton narrowly avoids a collision with Alonso as both drivers push for the advantage in the opening corners.
September 30: Wins the Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway to open a 12-point gap between himself and Alonso, who fails to finish the race, with two grands prix remaining.
October 5: F1 officials decide not to punish Hamilton for allegedly driving erratically at the Japanese Grand Prix. They had investigated a YouTube video that showed Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel crashing into each other while the Briton was following the safety car.
October 7: Retires from Chinese Grand Prix, allowing Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen to close the gap enough to keep the title race open until the final race of the season.
October 21: Finishes seventh to surrender the lead in the drivers' championship to Kimi Raikkonen in the last race.
2008: January 18 - McLaren announce Hamilton has signed a new five-year contract through to 2012.
March 16 - Gets the season off to a perfect start, winning the Australian Grand Prix.
May 25 - Hamilton keeps picking up the points - fifth in Malaysia, third in Spain and second in Turkey - before winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
June 8 - Is given a 10-place penalty after crashing into the back of Kimi Raikonnen while the Finn was waiting for a red light at the end of the pit lane at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both drivers have to retire from the race.
June 22 - Due to the penalty, is unable to claw himself through the field at the French Grand Prix and ends up finishing in 10th place .
July 6 - Wins the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
July 20 - Seals back-to-back victories for the first time in 13 months, winning the German Grand Prix to take a four-point lead in the drivers' title race.
September 7: Hamilton takes chequered flag in Belgian Grand Prix at Spa but race stewards hand him a 25-second drive-through penalty after claiming he cut a chicane to gain an unfair advantage over Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen. McLaren subsequently appeal against the stewards' decision.
September 23: Appeal is ruled inadmissible meaning Hamilton heads into final four races of the season with only a one-point lead.
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