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COSTLY MISTAKE: Lewis Hamilton reflects on his decision not to go for an earlier pit stop, as it cost him the chance to seal the Formula One drivers' title at the Chinese Grand Prix. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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SHANGHAI - IT WAS his first retirement of the season, and it could ultimately prove decisive.
Lewis Hamilton's bid to become Formula One's first rookie champion was put on hold for another fortnight, after he retired midway through yesterday's Chinese Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver's car refused to restart after slipping into the gravel as he headed for a pit stop after 31 laps.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the chequered flag in 1hr 37min 58.395sec in a race marked by intermittent rain. It was the Italian team's 200th Grand Prix victory.
Hamilton's teammate and bitter rival, Fernando Alonso, grabbed second spot, a massive 9.806sec behind.
Raikkonen's teammate, Felipe Massa, was third, a further 3.085sec adrift.
Hamilton still leads the drivers' standings with 107 points, but Alonso (103) and Raikkonen (100) are breathing down his neck.
All three have a shot at the crown as the season heads for a thrilling climax in the final leg in Sao Paulo on Oct 21.
It is the first time since 1986 that three drivers are in contention after the penultimate race of the season.
There are a myriad of permutations as to who can take the drivers' crown at Interlagos.
For Hamilton, he is assured of the title as long as he finishes ahead of Raikkonen and Alonso.
If he emerges victorious, the Briton would then supplant Alonso as the youngest world champion at 22. The Spaniard was 24 when he won his first title with Renault in 2005.
Alonso, who has had a highly publicised feud with upstart Hamilton and the McLaren team for large parts of the 17-race season, played down his title chances.
The two-time defending champion said it would take another upset for him to clinch a third successive world title.
'It will be very, very difficult, the championship,' the Spaniard said at the post-race press conference.
'I know it will not be easy to take four points from Lewis. I need something dramatic to win. With a normal race, it will be impossible.'
With light rain starting to fall as yesterday's race began, Hamilton got away cleanly from pole position and set about building a solid advantage over the second-placed Raikkonen by recording a series of fastest laps.
By Lap 10, he had a handy six-second gap on the Finn.
But it all went terribly wrong from Lap 28.
The rain had stopped about 10 minutes earlier and, as the Shanghai International Circuit track started to dry, the Briton's wet-weather tyres, which had not been changed, began to wear heavily.
He had difficulty controlling his car, and this allowed Raikkonen to narrow the gap steadily.
As Hamilton ran wide at several corners on Lap 29, the Finn saw an overtaking opportunity.
The Briton, who had displayed a cool head in finishing first in a treacherously wet Japanese GP last week, managed to fend off two passing attempts.
But the Flying Finn managed to overtake on the next bend, after Hamilton went into the corner too quickly.
Worse was to come two laps later. As Hamilton was on his way to the pits for a tyre change, he could not keep his car on the track and slid into the gravel trap at the final turn towards the pit entry.
His car - and his chance to make history - were buried in the gravel.
McLaren team boss Ron Dennis banged his pit wall monitor in frustration, while Hamilton got out of his car and walked away, shoulders drooping.
There was a collective groan among supporters in the McLaren paddock club, as they realised that the rookie's title hopes had been jeopardised.
After about half an hour, Hamilton emerged from the McLaren motor home and told reporters: 'The tyres were finished. These sorts of things happen. I'm sorry for the team, but I can still do it.
'Obviously, I was gutted when I got out of the car as I hadn't made a mistake all year.
'But, don't worry, there's still one race to go in Brazil, I can still do it.'
Raikkonen, who took his career tally to 14 wins with his fifth of the season, said of his title chances: 'Anything can happen, we just have to try to win the last race and then see.'
limze@sph.com.sg
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