LEWIS HAMILTON had no qualms about Ferrari's 'stunt' which set up a world-title showdown in Brazil for the second successive season.
Hamilton won yesterday's Chinese Grand Prix with a pole-to-flag victory that was described by McLaren boss Ron Dennis as "faultless".
The 23-year-old now heads to Felipe Massa's Sao Paulo backyard with a seven-point cushion over the Brazilian, an
d with one hand firmly on the championship trophy.
But that gap could have been considerably bigger if Kimi Raikkonen had not eased up on lap 49 of the 56-lap race to allow Massa by at the Shanghai International Circuit to take the runner-up spot.
It ensures the 27-year-old at least has a fighting chance, and who can forget Raikkonen trailed Hamilton by seven points last season before taking the title at Interlagos by a point.
Although Raikkonen's move was blatant, as he held a cushion of more than a second to Massa when he took his foot off the gas, it was always going to happen with the Finn out of the title picture.
"They're a team," assessed Hamilton when asked about the manoeuvre. "I know if we were in the same situation, with Heikki leading, we would probably do the same thing. It's playing together as a team, and they obviously did a great job."
Robert Kubica's faint title hopes ended with sixth place in his BMW Sauber, finishing behind fourth-placed Fernando Alonso for Renault and team-mate Nick Heidfeld. Toyota's Timo Glock and Renault's Nelson Piquet completed the top eight..
The full article contains 272 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
