Formula One news

Hamilton admits mistake, vows to stay aggressive

Lewis Hamilton held his hand up to mistakes in his very aggressive start to the Japanese Grand Prix but insisted that he goes to China to fight for the race win, and not play a percentage game, despite a fragile six-point lead in the championship.

Hamilton locked up severely in the first corner as he refused to concede the lead to Kimi Raikkonen who had made a strong start from the front row. He was given a drive-through penalty for forcing the Ferrari off track.

"You can always look back and say you could have done it differently," a sheepish looking Hamilton said after the race. "I made a mistake and paid for it. You've just got to keep your head up."

Hamilton then tussled with Felipe Massa, muscling past the Ferrari only to be clipped in the rear and send into a spin. Massa too was given a drive-through penalty.

"We both got the same penalty but I didn't hit anyone, so I guess that's just the name of the game," Hamilton added.

Hamilton's lead in the drivers' championship falls to six points with two races remaining.

"I lost one point today which was damage limitation and we move onto next weekend and aim to win the last two races," Hamilton insisted. "We'll go out to win the race."

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