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Hamilton vows to rule out errors

ESPNF1 Staff
September 16, 2010 « Australian Grand Prix records big losses | »
Lewis Hamilton is determined to finish the final five races © Laurence Edmondson
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Lewis Hamilton has vowed to up his game after crashing out of the Italian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver made contact with Felipe Massa in the first lap and broke the steering on his car, causing him to run wide at the next corner and into retirement. It was Hamilton's second retirement in three races after a gearbox problem brought his charge in Hungary to an end. He is now five points behind Red Bull's Mark Webber in the standings.

"I've had two non-finishes and one win in the last three races - and, while that's not bad, it does mean that I lost points to some of the other drivers in the hunt for the title, and those results aren't enough to get me the title," he said. "l'll keep pushing. I'll take each race as it comes, but I'll also be making sure I get to the finish of the next five races - that's more important than anything. I go to Singapore to win."

After the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said he does not want his driver to change his approach to racing despite the error. Hamilton said that kind of support was reassuring.

"Of course, because it's nice to hear about the support you get," the 2008 champion said. "But, in other ways, it actually goes without saying as I couldn't really ask for more support from my team - I know they're always behind me. You feel like you've let the team down when you have a bad result, so I'll be fighting harder than ever for the rest of the season."

He added that he had already put Monza to back of his mind.

"I got up on Monday morning and I was already focused on the next race, improving the car, and closing in on the world championship. You can't dwell on the negatives - we are still in a good position, and we need to capitalise on that."

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