Hamilton suffered his first retirement of an incredible debut season on lap 31 of the Chinese Grand Prix when his McLaren slid off the track at the entrance to the pits before becoming stranded in a gravel trap.
Despite severely degraded intermediate tyres playing a major role in the premature end to his afternoon, the 22-year-old still took full responsibility for the incident.
Alonso eventually finished second to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, setting up a final race showdown between the trio in Interlagos in two weeks’ time. Nick Briggs, SportingLife
Bridgestone tyre technicians last night revealed that McLaren ignored their advice to bring Lewis Hamilton into the pits two laps before his race ended when he skidded off the Shanghai track into a gravel trap. The championship leader had been struggling to keep his car on the track for some time, his tyres clearly shredding and worn flat. Now he must go to the season’s last race in Brazil in a fortnight to try to claim his first title. It will be a three-way fight, with his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, four points behind him and yesterday’s race winner, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, seven points behind. Alan Henry, The Guardian
From the weather forecast for the Chinese Grand Prix yesterday, with the fringes of the approaching Typhoon Krosa influencing Shanghai, it was obvious that Lewis Hamilton’s chances of clinching the Formula One drivers’ title could be affected by the conditions.
After his masterful performance in appalling conditions to win the Japanese Grand Prix the week before and set up his title shot in China, however, expectations were high and even Hamilton was openly talking about finishing the championship off before the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks.
But although the weather was hardly dramatic in Shanghai during the race, its changeability and the ragged edge between the wet and dry phases early in the contest presented the teams and drivers with a tricky challenge, and both Hamilton and McLaren were caught out. Edward Gorman, TimesOnline
Formula One great Sir Stirling Moss believes Lewis Hamilton will have put his Shanghai disappointment firmly behind him when he lines up for the Brazilian Grand Prix in just under two weeks’ time.
“The most important race as a driver is the one you race today. Last week you weren’t killed, next week you could be. The only thing that matters is today’s race.
“Lewis gets in that car and he races, there are no two ways about it. His preparation will not be any different for the next race, he will do exactly the same as he did in the first race - he is that brilliant. ” SportingLife
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