Hamilton relieved of Australian GP results, Trulli given back third place

F1 Grand Prix, GP Australia, Albert Park

Another late steward action has been announced today. After much deliberation and investigation from the FIA stewards, Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Australian GP results. This due to Hamilton and the McLaren F1 team giving out misleading information about the incident involving the current World Champion and Toyota's Jarno Trulli under a safety car period.

An official statement from the FIA reads:

"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."

Half an hour later, the McLaren team issues a statement in reply to the stewards' decision: "We understand that the Stewards made their decision on the basis of reviewing radio transmissions between the driver and the Team.

The Team mistakenly believed that the radio transmissions had been reviewed by the FIA on Sunday 29th March 2009, and consequently did not believe it was necessary to discuss them with the Stewards on that date.

Nonetheless, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team now regrets that it did not do so, accepts the Stewards' decision and will not appeal."

The new results are as follows:

* L. Hamilton finished at in fourth place, 2.914s behind the winner but was disqualified.