Distraught Lewis Hamilton admitted his Monza gaffe yesterday could cost him the world title.
The 25-year-old crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix and off the top of the championship table on the first lap as he tried to overtake Felipe Massa on a day that Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso roared to victory.
And afterwards Hamilton insisted even he did not understand his own actions.
To say that his dive down the outside at Della Roggia chicane was optimistic would be generous.
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Formula 1: Pole Sitter Fernando Alonso Wins Italian Grand Prix
Formula 1: Italian Grand Prix - Race Results
Mystifying, definitely, with so much at stake. So often Hamilton has made them stick but yesterday the outcome was a l l too predictable.
The slightest of taps from a red sidepod at 160mph snapped his right trackrod like a twig and left his wheel flapping.
Instantly he was out of the season’s fastest race and so angry with himself that he hid from the media for half an hour to recover his composure. Mirror.co.uk
‘It’s mistakes like the one I made today that lose you world championships,’ said Hamilton, after surrendering his spot in the drivers’ standings to Red Bull’s Mark Webber. ‘I only have myself to blame.
‘I made a good start, gained a position, got up to fourth, and at that moment perhaps I should have just stayed there for a while.
‘But I put my car up the inside of Felipe trying to get third, and that was probably a little bit too much.
‘I was trying to position the car in a certain way, but I was too close to Felipe and his left rear clipped my right front.
‘The car was damaged after that, and there was nothing I could do. You try your best, but some things just don’t go your way. It’s a shame, and I want to say sorry to the team. Daily Mail
Where Mark Webber leads on 187 points to Hamilton’s 182 in the championship title race, Vettel is back in play with 163, behind Alonso on 166 and Button on 165.
Despite regaining his lead Webber did not draw much satisfaction from a race that started badly when his Red Bull bogged down again, and ended with sixth place.
“We underperformed as a team today,” he said. “We could have capitalised and got more points, but we sniffed around just getting a few. It’s a bit disappointing, but at least we got some. You’ve still got to make the most of opportunities, so it wasn’t the best day.”
He was also unimpressed with the tactics of rookie Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg, who missed chicanes and eventually went off the track on the 49th lap before immediately blocking him sharply. Webber squeezed ahead of him next time around.
“Obviously I lost a lot of time behind Hulkenberg,” he said. “He spent every second lap going through the chicanes. The stewards did a hard job on him… they left him alone, so that was interesting.” Independent
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