F1: Hamilton Rues “Cruel Luck” Of Debris Puncture

Formula 1

F1: Hamilton Rues “Cruel Luck” Of Debris Puncture

McLaren driver drive through debris early in German GP...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted July 22, 2012 Hockenheim (DEU)

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren drives with a puncture during the German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring on July 22, 2012 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo: Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton says that the puncture that ruined his German GP was just “cruel luck” after he happened to be the driver to be caught out by debris left after the first lap accident.

Hamilton had to drive a full lap with a rear puncture, and dropped well down the order. The team eventually elected to retire his car.

“My second lap puncture was incredibly unfortunate,” said Hamilton. “There was debris scattered across the full width of the track, and I didn’t have any option other than to drive straight through it. What’s more frustrating is that, at the time, I was the eighth car through – so to be the one to get the puncture is just cruel luck.

“It was immediately clear that my car didn’t feel the same after the puncture. However, after a few laps, I was able to adapt my driving style, and the car had good pace during the middle stint. However, with the damage to the rear, I think we were lucky to get that far, to be honest.”

Hamilton said he enjoyed being able to mix it with the leaders when he was lapped.

“At least I was able to have some fun out on track – my pace was good enough to be able to match the leaders during the middle stint. And that’s encouraging for me, because we know our car’s been genuinely quick this weekend. A big thank-you to everyone back at the factory for all their efforts to get a lot of new parts onto the car this weekend – every little bit helps, and we know there’s even more in the pipeline.

“We’ll put that pace in our pockets and take it to Hungary next weekend. I’m back in the car in five days’ time – and that’s the best possible news for me after a day like today.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.