NEXT RACE - 7th September

Hamilton: 'Massa didn't defend very well'

Monday 21st July 2008

Lewis Hamilton has congratulated himself on his "fantastic job" to win the German GP and admitted that he was surprised that Felipe Massa allowed him such a straightforward route through to second place.

Effectively required to win the race twice after the deployment of the Safety Car wiped out the ten-second lead he had constructed, Hamilton delivered a barnstorming final flurry to overtake Massa and then the Renault of Nelson Piquet junior to claim a deserved victory. While relatively subdued after the race, Hamilton was not shy of congratulating himself on his performance.

"I think I did a fantastic job," he declared. "The pace I had was incredible. It [the Safety Car] just made it more exciting and the win look even better."

But it is Hamilton's remarks on his overtaking move past Massa that is bound to draw the more interest. While the Ferrari driver was suffering from a clear speed disadvantage compared to Hamilton's McLaren, the Brazilian's feeble attempt to retain his second place has drawn strong criticism - and Hamilton himself has now echoed those sentiments.

"All I know is that if it was the other way around then he wouldn't have got past," the 23-year-old commented when invited to study a replay of his move. "He didn't defend very well."

Post to del.icio.us

E-mail Article Print-Friendly Version Subscribe to News RSS Feed