Not as much of an advantage as Hamilton would have had had not Raikkonen closed the door on him at the exit to Bus Stop.

Would Kimi have shut the door if Hamilton had no where to go? (i.e. id there was a wall there).

McLaren have revealed that they were assured by FIA race officials during the Belgian Grand Prix that Lewis Hamilton had done enough, by allowing Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to repass him, to prevent the British driver from being penalised for cutting a chicane earlier in the duo’s epic battle.

“From the pit wall, we asked race control to confirm that they were comfortable that Lewis had allowed Kimi to repass, and they confirmed twice that they believed that the position had been given back in a manner that was 'okay',” explained McLaren’s F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh in a statement released on Tuesday.

Following the race, however, Hamilton was handed a 25-second time penalty by the Belgian Grand Prix stewards, after it was ruled he had gained an unfair advantage over Raikkonen. As a result, Hamilton was demoted from first place to third and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was declared the winner of the Spa event.

“If race control had instead expressed any concern regarding Lewis’s actions at that time, we would have instructed Lewis to allow Kimi to repass for a second time,” added Whitmarsh.

McLaren have now lodged an appeal against the stewards’ decision.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/9/8348.html

McLaren confirmed on Tuesday that they have lodged an appeal against the penalty handed to driver Lewis Hamilton following Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton was given a 25-second time penalty by race stewards at Spa-Francorchamps, after they decided he had gained an advantage by cutting a chicane during his late battle with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

"Following our decision to register our intention to appeal the penalty handed out to Lewis Hamilton by the FIA Stewards at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix, we hereby confirm that we have now lodged notice of appeal,” explained McLaren’s Formula One CEO Martin Whitmarsh in a statement released by the British squad.

As a result of the time penalty, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was declared the winner of the Belgian race, while Hamilton was dropped to third place.

McLaren’s statement in full:
Martin Whitmarsh said: "Following our decision to register our intention to appeal the penalty handed out to Lewis Hamilton by the FIA Stewards at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix, we hereby confirm that we have now lodged notice of appeal. Lewis describes the incident as follows."

Lewis Hamilton said: "In the closing stages of the race I was catching Kimi (Raikkonen) consistently, lap by lap, and with three laps remaining I got close enough to attempt to overtake him on the entry to the last chicane. I managed to get slightly ahead of him in the braking area for the first apex of the chicane. He fought back approaching the second apex - but, in doing so, he left no room for me on the inside line. The only way for me to avoid a collision was therefore to cut inside the second apex.

"I came out of the second apex in front of Kimi and so I momentarily lifted-off on the straight, to ensure that Kimi got back in front. The team also came on the radio and instructed me to allow Kimi to repass, which I had already done. As a result, Kimi crossed the start/finish line ahead of me and 6.7km/h quicker than me.

"After allowing Kimi to completely repass, I crossed from the left side of the track to the right side of the track, passing behind Kimi in the process. I then attacked Kimi on the inside of the first corner, and successfully outbraked him."

Martin Whitmarsh added: "From the pit wall, we then asked Race Control to confirm that they were comfortable that Lewis had allowed Kimi to repass, and they confirmed twice that they believed that the position had been given back in a manner that was 'okay'.

"If Race Control had instead expressed any concern regarding Lewis’s actions at that time, we would have instructed Lewis to allow Kimi to repass for a second time."

If I was McLaren I would Hammer the Trophy flat so it would fit nicely in a padded envelope and post the Constructors cup over to Ferrari if the result stays the same. OR get engraved on it, "Won by McLaren and Donated to Ferrari as they seemed to need it more than us" before sending it on.