The Belgian Grand Prix is, without doubt, one of the best races on the Formula One calendar. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is brilliant; it has everything from long, very high-speed straights to tight, low-gear corners – and you can overtake. It is loved by drivers and fans alike.

There aren’t too many boring races at Spa. Apart from allowing passing and great racing, the circuit is so large that it’s not uncommon for the weather to be completely different from one end of the circuit to the other.

It was the weather, in fact, that brought about one of the most amazing incidents of the last decade at Spa. The incredibly wet 1998 Belgian Grand Prix saw Michael Schumacher slam into the back of David Coulthard, ending the race for both drivers after Coulthard had lifted off to allow Schumacher to pass.

Unfortunately Coulthard had stayed on the racing line and, in the near zero-visibility conditions, Schumacher had nowhere to go. Although Schumy was not averse to punting the odd opponent off the road from time to time, the incident shattered the normally ice-cool demeanour of the F1 savant.

Both drivers managed to make it back to the pits, whereupon an enraged Schumacher stormed down pit lane and into the McLaren garage, determined to tear Coulthard a brand new vent-hole. Coulthard eventually admitted that it was his error.

Fast-forward ten years to the 2008 Belgian GP and we had another remarkable race, with a twist in the tail as the weather got involved as the race drew to a close. It was a race that Lewis Hamilton should have run away with but, thanks to yet another error by the baby-faced Brit, it turned out to be a cracking finish.

After out-muscling his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen put himself into the perfect position to capitalise on Hamilton’s half-spin and led the race until the closing laps. After their final pit-stop, both Raikkonen and Hamilton were on hard compound tyres and Hamilton’s McLaren seemed to be performing better and the gap between the two was coming down rapidly.

Then came the rain. The track became a skating rink and the battle between the two became a battle of skill and luck with Hamilton surviving and going on to secure the win after Raikkonen had an unscheduled meeting with a wall. Or so we thought.

Hamilton had passed Kimi with two laps to go, ducking under him at La Source hairpin. Although that pass was clean, it was the lead-up that has led to Hamilton being penalised 25 seconds and being demoted to third place.

Hamilton and Raikkonen arrived at the Bus Stop chicane together and Raikkonen squeezed the McLaren driver off the road, forcing him to cut the chicane but also losing the place. To his credit, Lewis realised that he couldn’t get away with gaining the place after cutting the chicane and allowed his rival to regain the lead, only to immediately pass him at the next corner.

This was Hamilton’s mistake. If he had waited until the following corner no one would have batted an eyelid but, to an untrained observer, it did seem that Hamilton had used the cutting of the chicane to set up the pass at the hairpin. It’s not what he would have planned, but F1 drivers are able to think pretty quickly.

Hamilton has appealed against the penalty and it will ultimately be settled in the courts but, no matter what, it was a hell of a race. What is certain is that Kimi has blown his chance of defending his title and now Ferrari must get behind Massa to carry their hopes for the 2008 title.

The big question is, will it be the race we discuss next year when asking how did Lewis manage to lose the Championship? Only time will tell. For now, however, we have a title that is very much alive.