• Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying

Last corner cost me a shot at pole - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton storms away from his car after missing out on his shot at pole position © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton
• |
• Michael Schumacher
• |
• Mark Webber
• |
• Martin Whitmarsh

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton said he missed out on a shot at pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix because Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher overtook him into the final chicane on his outlap.

All three drivers left their final hot laps to the last minute, as they attempted to find enough space on track for a clean lap while also crossing the line before the cut off time. After taking provisional pole on his first run in Q3, Hamilton was in with a shot of the front row but failed to start his lap in time as he got mobbed by Webber and Schumacher into the final chicane. He will start Sunday's race from third.

"It is what it is," he said. "I would have to watch the replay, but Jenson was in front of me. He slowed down to get his gap and I was coming up to the last corner, trying to make sure that I had a gap between me and him. It wasn't that big and just as I was coming into the chicane I looked in my mirror and I saw Mark diving up the inside of me, and then I saw… I didn't even see Michael but as I gave Mark room, Michael nearly crashed me on the left, so it was… quite dangerous.

"I felt I was in a position to at least fight with these guys but it was a bit dangerous at the last corner where I had Mark (Webber) attacking me and I had Michael (Schumacher) down the outside. It was very, very strange and that's really where we lost the lap."

Hamilton was trying to leave enough space to Jenson Button in front of him in order to get a clean lap, but in doing so was backing up Webber and Schumacher as the clock counted down. The Red Bull snuck past on the inside while Schumacher had to take to the run-off area to get by and also missed out on a chance to set a time. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said he had warned his driver not to let any cars past.

"With Lewis it was tight," he told the BBC. "We told him not to back up and let any cars by and unfortunately he got hustled past at the last corner, and in so doing missed the opportunity of that second lap. Frustrating, of course, but the reality is that we've got a car that is quick here, we're second and third and it's a long race."

Whitmarsh added: "He'd been told not to back up. He'd been told to push, but he got overtaken by Mark in that last corner and that's not an accusation of Mark, he did a good job to get by. Obviously Michael missed it [the cut off time] as well, so it was tight for all of them and Lewis had been told not to let cars by and by letting cars by we missed that chance briefly."

But Hamilton and Whitmarsh both sounded confident about McLaren's chances in the race after one of its most competitive qualifying sessions of the year.

"The team has done a fantastic job to get us here, and to be able to compete with the Red Bulls on this kind of circuit is pretty impressive," Hamilton said. "The car was feeling great and I felt like I had a couple of tenths left at least - I had time to find in a couple of corners where I lost a bit of time on my first run. I felt like I was in a position to at least fight with these two guys [Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button]."

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