Back to drawing board for Hamilton's team after crash

McLAREN MERCEDES have begun planning for Lewis Hamilton's race strategy at the French Grand Prix later this month following his nightmare race in Canada.

Hamilton undid a scintillating qualifying drive for pole position in Montreal and was leading the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday when he ploughed into the back of Kimi Raikkonen after failing to see the pit-lane red light the Ferrari driver had been observing.

It knocked both drivers out of the race and cost Hamilton not just the lead in the world drivers' championship but a 10-place drop down the starting grid at Magny-Cours on June 22. "We're going into France with a ten-place penalty for Lewis so that will clearly affect our approach," McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said.

"Without giving too much away, I suspect he'll run a little bit longer in the first stint than would otherwise have been the case."

Whitmarsh said his team regretted ruining Raikkonen's race and had no problems with the punishment Hamilton received from FIA race stewards in Canada.

"You have to feel sorry for Kimi and Ferrari, who were the innocent victims on this occasion," Whitmarsh said. "We regard the stewards' decision as hard but fair."