Sangaj, Kina

Hamilton je izletio sa staze! Kimi je u vodjstvu, Alonso je drugi.

Hamilton out!


Lewis Hamilton has suffered a crucial first failure to finish of the season in the Chinese Grand Prix after a tyre gamble resulted in him sliding off at the entry of the pit lane.

The Brit, who was well on the way to securing the Formula 1 world title, floundered when changeable weather conditions of the Shanghai circuit made tyre choice tricky.

Leading ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton was the first of the four drivers to pit in damp conditions and decided not to change his intermediate Bridgestone tyres. It was a decision he came to rue as they wore down significantly and when a shower made the circuit treacherous again for a few laps, Hamilton and his bald tyres was forced to succeed his lead to Raikkonen.

However, when he entered the pit lane, Hamilton failed to make the tight left-hand corner and slid into a small patch of gravel on the outside. Despite spinning his wheels frantically, Hamilton was forced to give up the fight.

Proving his first failure to finish of the season, Hamilton will still go to the final round of the season in the lead of the standings, but with Raikkonen leading and Fernando Alonso currently running second, his lead is down to just four points.

Stay tuned for the race result and report…

Hamilton told reporters after retiring that he had made a driving mistake, but McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh said it had been the team's decision not to change the tyres.

"We didn't want to come in and get on the wrong tyre," the Briton told ITV, referring to the changeable weather.