Hamilton: Webber was in my blind-spot

Lewis Hamilton: I thought I'd got sufficiently past him [Webber]. I braked, turned in, and tried to leave enough room for him on the inside - and the next thing I knew I'd got clipped, my tyre was blown, and that was it. But, as the saying goes, I guess that's motor racing.

Robert Wilkins_1

26 Sep 2010

Friday Practice 2, Lewis Hamilton (GBR), McLaren Mercedes, MP4-25
© PHOTO 4

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton failed to finish the F1 2010 Singapore Grand Prix today, his second DNF in as many races.

Hamilton went out on lap 36 when he tried, but failed, to successfully pass Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber. The moment occurred on the re-start after the second safety car period and while it was investigated by the race stewards, they didn't take any action, deeming it to be a 'racing incident'.

Hamilton now drops to third in the championship standings, 20 points behind Webber, who remains top.

"I'm still not exactly sure what happened with Mark and me," Hamilton said. "But, telling it from my point of view, I saw that he'd made a mistake, and had got caught up with the backmarkers, so I was in position to slipstream him. I was on the outside going into Turn Seven, and he was in my blind-spot, just behind me.

"I thought I'd got sufficiently past him, though. I braked, turned in, and tried to leave enough room for him on the inside - and the next thing I knew I'd got clipped, my tyre was blown, and that was it. But, as the saying goes, I guess that's motor racing.

"There are still four races to go. I'm 20 points behind Mark, and that's a reasonable gap, but it's not an insurmountable one. I guess I'll just have to keep my head down and hope for the best.

"I'm not going to think specifically about the world championship right now, I'm just going to try to enjoy the rest of the season - and whatever happens, happens. But I'll keep fighting to the end, because it's the only way I know."

McLaren boss, Martin Whitmarsh meanwhile was disappointed to see his man retire: "Lewis drove a great race. We reckon he has good reason to consider himself rather unlucky, since he appeared to have pulled off a sound overtaking manoeuvre only to be bumped out of the race by the car he'd passed. But I guess that's motor racing," Whitmarsh added.

"He's disappointed - we're all disappointed - but we'll re-group and continue to fight for both the drivers' world championship and the constructors' world championship.

"There are four grands prix left to run - four grands prix left to win in fact - and both our drivers are within a win of the drivers' world championship lead. So, yes, we're still within striking distance of taking both the drivers' world championship and the constructors' world championship, and that's what we're still intending to do our utmost to achieve. That's what Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is all about, in fact," he summed-up.