Raikkonen lambasts Hamilton over F1 crash

by - 6/10/2008 10:29:00 p.m.


LONDON, England (CNN) -- Kimi Raikkonen has lambasted McLaren's Lewis Hamilton for the pit-lane accident that ended both of their races at the Canadian Grand Prix.


Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is far from happy after Lewis Hamilton pushed him out of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton's McLaren rammed into the back of world champion Raikkonen's Ferrari as the Finn and Robert Kubica, the race's eventual winner, were waiting at a red light after the safety car was forced into action on lap 17.

Raikkonen, while claiming not to be angry, was clearly far from impressed.

"There's not much I can say. My race was ruined by Hamilton's mistake.

"Obviously, anyone can make mistakes, as I did two weeks ago in Monaco, but it's one thing to make a mistake at 200 hundred [miles] per hour but another to hit a car stopped at a red light.

"I'm not angry because that doesn't achieve anything and does not change my result. I am unhappy because I had a great chance of winning."

Raikkonen, who has failed to score points in the previous two races, said he had to start winning again.

"There is still a long way to go in the championship and it is still very close and we have everything we need to regain the ground we have lost."

Ferrari team sporting director Stefano Domenicali said Hamilton had made a "serious mistake."

"I think the penalty imposed by the FIA [Hamilton was given a 10-place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours] is in line with it, even if it does not restore what was a lost opportunity for us.

"Kimi was in an excellent position to fight for the win"

Hamilton, for his part, was apologetic.

"I don't know what happened to be honest," Hamilton said. "I was comfortably in the lead, it was looking like an easy win. Then I went in for the pit stop. It was not a good stop and I saw the two guys in front of me battling in the pit lane.

"I saw the red light but by that time it was a bit late. It was not exactly a racing incident as such, it was unfortunate. It was one of those things. It is different to if you crash into the wall and you are angry. It is not like that. I apologize to Kimi for ruining his race."

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