- Belgian GP - Race
Hamilton baffled by Rosberg's driving
Lewis Hamilton says he does not understand what Nico Rosberg was doing after the incident which left him with a puncture at the Belgium Grand Prix.
Hamilton got the jump on Rosberg off the line but his team-mate came back strongly on the second lap, and after getting alongside the Brit down the Kemmel Straight tried to go around the outside of Les Combes. Hamilton closed the door and took the racing line through the corner, but Rosberg clipped his left rear tyre.
That gave Hamilton a puncture and he limped back to the pits and was never able to get back into contention for points, and the driving of Rosberg - who now leads the championship by 29 points - was puzzling.
"I didn't really understand what happened," Hamilton said. "I felt a big thud at the rear. I gave the guy space, I don't really understand it. It's really gutting for the result and for all my team. I took the corner as I normally do, it was my line - I just don't know why he hit me. I'm sure he'll leave here happy.
"It's not good. It took me a long time to regain 30 points last time. You saw at Silverstone that it can change very quickly but if you notice his car very rarely stops, it's looking good for him for this season now. It's not good. We've had such a tough year, not just the guys on my side of the garage, but the whole team in general. This is not good for the team. We could've easily had a one-two."
In the latter stages of the race, with Hamilton as low as 16th with his car still feeling the effects of the earlier collision, the Brit was asking his team why they weren't retiring him to save his engine. Hamilton insists it was not a case of throwing in the towel but one of damage limitations given the fact he's had more reliability issues than title rival Rosberg this year.
"It's not a giving up thing. I lost at least 40-50 points of downforce, which is a lot. I couldn't even take Eau Rouge flat, for example. I could do nothing. I was driving the arse off the car and the thing was all over the place.
"I couldn't even catch Romain Grosjean. It didn't even matter if the safety car came out, I wouldn't have been able to pass. [Adrian] Sutil was pulling away from me. I burnt up an engine in the last race. I already have one less engine than Nico."
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