QUOTE
Hamilton spins out of contention
From correspondents in Shanghai
October 07, 2007
BRITISH driver Lewis Hamilton spun into the gravel at the start of pit lane with 25 laps remaining to crash out of the Chinese Grand Prix today.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won in a Ferrari, while Hamilton's McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso was second and Brazil's Felipe Massa came third (Ferrari).
The incident denied Hamilton the chance to win the world championship, which now goes down to the final race of the season in Brazil.
Hamilton said he was gutted by the manner of his exit from the Chinese Grand Prix today, but was confident he would still be world champion at the end of the season.
"Obviously I was gutted when I got out of the car as I hadn't made a mistake all year and to do it on the way into the pits is not something I usually do,'' Hamilton told reporters.
"But you can't go through life without making mistakes, I'm over it. I know the team is working very hard to make sure we can bounce back in Brazil.
"I'm really sorry for the team, they did a fantastic job as always. But don't worry there's still one race to go in Brazil, I can still do it."
The 22-year-old sensation, who was second at the time, needed to win the race or finish ahead of rivals Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen to claim the crown and become the youngest champion in history.
But in wet conditions and on a slippery track, he spun off on tyres that had lost their grip.
McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh admitted the rear tyres on Hamilton's car had passed their "useable life" by the time the rookie driver headed for the pit lane on a greasy track.
"With hindsight we should have brought him in one lap earlier and we would probably have got the job done," he said.
"But it was a long race and we made those calls, sometimes they're bang on, sometimes they're not quite right."
gunna be a close one next round 4 points splits 1st place Hamilton and his team mate Alonso.
From correspondents in Shanghai
October 07, 2007
BRITISH driver Lewis Hamilton spun into the gravel at the start of pit lane with 25 laps remaining to crash out of the Chinese Grand Prix today.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won in a Ferrari, while Hamilton's McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso was second and Brazil's Felipe Massa came third (Ferrari).
The incident denied Hamilton the chance to win the world championship, which now goes down to the final race of the season in Brazil.
Hamilton said he was gutted by the manner of his exit from the Chinese Grand Prix today, but was confident he would still be world champion at the end of the season.
"Obviously I was gutted when I got out of the car as I hadn't made a mistake all year and to do it on the way into the pits is not something I usually do,'' Hamilton told reporters.
"But you can't go through life without making mistakes, I'm over it. I know the team is working very hard to make sure we can bounce back in Brazil.
"I'm really sorry for the team, they did a fantastic job as always. But don't worry there's still one race to go in Brazil, I can still do it."
The 22-year-old sensation, who was second at the time, needed to win the race or finish ahead of rivals Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen to claim the crown and become the youngest champion in history.
But in wet conditions and on a slippery track, he spun off on tyres that had lost their grip.
McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh admitted the rear tyres on Hamilton's car had passed their "useable life" by the time the rookie driver headed for the pit lane on a greasy track.
"With hindsight we should have brought him in one lap earlier and we would probably have got the job done," he said.
"But it was a long race and we made those calls, sometimes they're bang on, sometimes they're not quite right."
