Newly crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton took Pussycat Doll girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger on a romantic tour of his home town, Stevenage, on Wednesday, after returning to the UK with the 2008 F1 World Title in his grasp.

British racing legend welcomes ‘exciting’ Hamilton as youngest World Champion but says he should never have won the title;

McLaren defend ‘disciplined’ Brazil tactics

Lewis Hamilton may have secured the 2008 F1 Drivers’ Title on Sunday, but he narrowly missed out on winning his dream car, the McLaren F1 LM.

In March, The Sun newspaper reported that Ron Dennis had promised Lewis the factories own car, on the basis he won both World Championships.

Eddie Jordan, former F1 team owner, has said there is no conspiracy against Lewis Hamilton despite the British driver having five penalties to his name this season. Jordan did admit that the Belgian penalty was harsh, however he believes that the previous four penalties before were clear and fair.

Formula One drivers are making slightly unusual preparations ahead of F1’s first ever night race this weekend in Singapore.

Qualifying for the race takes places at 10pm Sunday, whilst the race on Sunday will start at 8pm, much later than the afternoon starts the drivers are accustomed to. This means that drivers will basically remain on European time rather than getting used to Singapore’s local time.

The FIA International Court of Appeal has announced today that it has found Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ appeal in respect of the penalty awarded to Lewis Hamilton after the Belgian Grand Prix on September 7th to be inadmissible.

Statements from McLaren Mercedes

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE L’AUTOMOBILE CASE:

Appeal lodged by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) on behalf of its licence-holder Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, against Decision N° 49 taken by the Panel of Stewards on 7 September 2008 at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix, an event run on 7 September 2008 and counting towards the 2008 Formula One World Championship

The FIA International Court of Appeal has rejected McLaren’s appeal against the 25 second penalty which was given to Lewis Hamilton after the race after stewards deemed he had cut a chicane during the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix and gained an advantage over Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Lewis Hamilton will find out on Tuesday morning whether the FIA will overturn his 25-second penalty for cutting a chicane during his duel with Kimi Raikkonen in the Belgian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s appeal against the ruling, on the grounds that Hamilton yielded to Raikkonen and did not gain an advantage, was heard before the FIA’s Court of Appeal in Paris on Monday.

Lewis ready for Singapore fight – whatever Paris throws up.

Lewis Hamilton arrives in Singapore on the back of a turbulent few races, and if his appeal hearing in Paris on Monday is unsuccessful – as is befitting the general paddock consensus – his championship advantage over Felipe Massa will remain at a mere single point.