Ralf also denounces Hamilton penalty

(GMM) Ralf Schumacher, a winner of six grands prix who left formula one at the end of last year, has sided with those who believe FIA officials were wrong to strip Lewis Hamilton of his Belgian grand prix victory.

The German, whose elder brother Michael won five world championships with Ferrari, believes the Spa-Francorchamps episode is yet another piece of evidence that the Italian team is favored by formula one's ruling body.

"Lewis deserved to win but it was taken away," Schumacher, who now races in the German touring car series DTM, wrote in the German newspaper Bild. "To me, it was fair overtaking," he added.

Ralf, 33, said the 2008 championship fight has entered a "crucial phase".

"In my experience, Ferrari has always had priority in formula one, which we have seen in many situations," he insisted.

In the German-speaking world, Schumacher is certainly not a lone voice, with the former triple world champion Niki Lauda on Monday dramatically denouncing the stewards' decision as the worst "in the history of F1".

Ferrari's team boss Stefano Domenicali commented only reluctantly, telling reporters that he thought Hamilton's tactics in passing Kimi Raikkonen were "a little bit extreme".

The notorious Italian press was more forthright.

Summarizing the race, the sports daily Corriere dello Sport said: "Hamilton wins but then loses, because he cannot resist the temptation to try to be smarter than the others."