• Singapore Grand Prix

Hamilton says title still possible and reflects on accident

Lewis Hamilton left Singapore with no points © Sutton Images

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• Report:
• Alonso victory spices up title race
  

• Race:
• Singapore Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton
• |
• Martin Whitmarsh

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton is not writing off this year's championship despite notching up his second retirement in a row and dropping 20 points off Mark Webber at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamilton's race came to an end on lap 35 when he attempted to pass Webber but made contact as he came across to take the apex of turn seven. Hamilton did not apportion blame but said he felt as if he had left enough room.

"I'm still not exactly sure what happened with Mark and me," he said. "But, telling it from my point of view, I saw that he'd made a mistake and had got caught up with the backmarkers, so I was in position to slipstream him. I was on the outside going into turn seven, and he was in my blind-spot, just behind me.

"I thought I'd got sufficiently past him, though. I braked, turned in, and tried to leave enough room for him on the inside - and the next thing I knew I'd got clipped, my tyre was blown, and that was it. But, as the saying goes, I guess that's motor racing."

He added that he was now going to approach the championship race-by-race in the hope that he can close the gap to Webber.

"So, there are still four races to go," he said. "I'm 20 points behind Mark, and that's a reasonable gap, but it's not an insurmountable one. I guess I'll just have to keep my head down and hope for the best. I'm not going to think specifically about the world championship right now, I'm just going to try to enjoy the rest of the season - and whatever happens happens. But I'll keep fighting to the end, because it's the only way I know."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh defended Hamilton's move on Webber and even hinted that the Red Bull driver was to blame.

"Lewis drove a great race," he said. "We reckon he has good reason to consider himself rather unlucky, since he appeared to have pulled off a sound overtaking manoeuvre only to be bumped out of the race by the car he'd passed. But I guess that's motor racing.

"He's disappointed - we're all disappointed - but we'll regroup and continue to fight for both the drivers' world championship and the constructors' world championship.

"There are four grands prix left to run - four grands prix left to win in fact - and both our drivers are within a win of the drivers' world championship lead. So, yes, we're still within striking distance of taking both the drivers' world championship and the constructors' world championship, and that's what we're still intending to do our utmost to achieve."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.