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Hamilton started from pole position alongside title rival Massa. Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen started from third next to the 2007 winner Kimi Räikkönen. Following a spin by Hamilton on the second lap, Räikkönen led the race, until rain fell on lap 41 and Hamilton performed the penalised pass. Räikkönen crashed in the following lap as rain started raining heavily. Massa finished second on the road after Hamilton, followed by Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber.
Hamilton received a drive-through penalty, which demoted him to third place and advanced Massa and Heidfeld to first and second positions. McLaren appealed the decision at the FIA International Court of Appeal. Their case, however, was judged inadmissible, with the Court ruling that drive-through penalties cannot be challenged. The penalty created a large amount of criticism from the global press, mainly from the United Kingdom and Italy, with several former drivers questioning the decision. Massa's retrospective win, with Hamilton demoted to third, narrowed the gap in the Championship from six points to just two.
Final standings. See 2008 Formula One season for further season summary and formula1.com or ITV-F1.com (and there is more there for the championship) for complete standings and statistics.
<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^Note 1 : Super Aguri withdrew from the championship on the Wednesday before the Turkish Grand Prix.
