Published>Mon, Sep 13 10 12:07 AM
Lewis Hamilton suffered another Monza nightmare on Sunday when he went out of the Italian Grand Prix without completing a lap and lost his championship lead.
The McLaren driver banged wheels with Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa at the Della Roggia chicane while challenging for third place, breaking the McLaren's front right suspension.
Massa's Ferrari was undamaged and he went on to finish third, with team mate Fernando Alonso winning and McLaren's Jenson Button runner-up after leading more than half the race.
Hamilton dropped to second overall, five points behind Australian Mark Webber who finished the race in sixth place.
The top five drivers are now separated by just 24 points -- less than the reward for a single win -- with five races remaining in what is shaping up to be the closest fought title battle in decades.
"The championship is not over, but it's days like this and mistakes like I made today that lose world championships," said Hamilton. "I only have myself to blame.
"It's one of those days, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's nothing else I could do about it really. I got a good start but don't know what I was thinking," he told reporters.
GOOD CHANCE
Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, started in fifth place and with a good chance of being able to stretch his three-point lead over Webber.
"I had a good start and gained a position, I was up to fourth. In a realistic world I should perhaps have stayed there for a while," said the 25-year-old Briton.
"I put my car up the inside and tried to get third at the second corner -- it was obviously a little bit too much.
"I'm very disappointed in myself and sorry for the team. I've really got to try to collect my thoughts and move on to the next race and try and help the team score as many points as I can."
Hamilton's retirement was his second in three races, although he won the previous race in Belgium, and second in succession in Italy.
The Briton qualified on pole at Monza last year but crashed out on the last lap while running in third place."
"To come away with no points when you are fighting for a championship is quite tough and quite disappointing," said team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
"He's looked at it, we've looked at it. Inevitably in the cool light of day... you wish you hadn't done some things.
"But that is what a great racing driver has to do. He has to take risks and go out there and push.
"On this occasion it didn't come off. A few centimetres to the left or right and it would have been okay."
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