Hamilton philosophical after race to forget

Hamilton described his grid penalty before a wheel had been turned as a kick in the goonies.

By the time he had left China, he must have felt like he had been repeatedly kicked there.

Mercedes announced that the three time Formula One World Champion would take a five-place grid penalty for a change of gearbox.

Then his Mercedes had mechanical issues preventing him from qualifying and he would eventually start the race from the back of the grid, opting to take his place on the grid instead of the pit-lane appeared the right decision initially as he raced clear of four cars before the first corner.

But then a Sauber side swiped him, damaging his car and breaking his front wing.

Hamilton continued to battle on to finish seventh, but his car had obviously lost some of its performance.

‘It was definitely a difficult one, I got a good start, which is always difficult starting from the back, getting caught up in things. I tried to avoid what was ahead of me, but got tangled in it.? Hamilton told formula1.com.

‘This track is quite good because you can overtake and get close, but the car was pretty damaged,? he added. ‘I’m sure some aerodynamic components were damaged, but I think the suspension was as well. The car was flexing like crazy, like a four-poster bed.

‘I just tried to battle through, but every time I stopped I had to come through again, I wasn’t gaining ground, and at the end there weren’t enough tyres. That’s racing, not a great finish, but hopefully onwards and upwards.’