Tyre stop, collision relegate Hamilton to sixth
MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC) — A questionable second tyre stop cost Lewis Hamilton precious time, and he had to settle for sixth place in the Australian Grand Prix which was won by compatriot and McLaren-Mercedes teammate Jensen Button yesterday.
A McLaren 1-2 appeared to be in the making at Albert Park, as the British race-car driver, whose grandparents are from the Spice Isle of Grenada, mowed down his rivals, and was third with only Button and Poland’s Robert Kubica in the Renault ahead of him less than half of the 58 laps to drive.But Hamilton heeded a questionable call from his pit to change his tyres, and this dropped the 2008 World champion back, and obliged him to fight again to catch-up with the front-runners.
“Unfortunately due to the strategy I was put further back and then I got taken out by Mark Webber,” Hamilton told TV reporters, after earlier describing the pitstop as a “terrible idea” over the team radio.
“I am happy with the job that I did. I think I honestly drove my heart out, and I think I deserved better than what I ended up with. But I’ll keep fighting to the next race.”
Hamilton added: “All I know is that the guys always do a fantastic job, but the strategy was not right. Everyone else in front of me did one stop, for some reason I did two. I don’t know (who called me in, but we’ll find out.”
Brazilian Felipe Massa and Spain’s Fernando Alonso — both in Ferraris — benefitted from Hamilton’s unscheduled pitstop, and finished in third and fourth places.
But they and fifth-placed German Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes GP also have to thank hometown boy Mark Webber colliding with Hamilton.
Webber and Hamilton were closing on the two red cars, with Rosberg pulling up to join them, and make the fight for second a six-car affair in the closing stages.
On Lap 56, Hamilton got alongside and fractionally ahead of Alonso, but the Spaniard braked super late, locked up, and just maintained position, and as Hamilton was obliged to back off a fraction Webber charged into the back of him, spinning them both off.