Hamilton says title challenge over after Yeongam failure

YEONGAM, South Korea, CMC – Yet another mechanical failure got the better of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, forcing him to finish down the field in  yesterday’s Korean Grand Prix and all but ending his challenge for the drivers’ title.

Starting from second row on the grid, he suffered a rear suspension failure early in the contest which affected the car’s handling, causing him to slip out of contention.

He was then forced to make an extra pit stop because of tyre wear and the death knell was sounded when he ran off the track, rounding off a miserable outing at Yeongam.

The 27-year-old conceded afterward that the disappointing result was most likely the end of his World championship hopes.

“In terms of winning the world championship, logic suggests that that’s probably it for me,” said Hamilton, whose paternal grandparents hail from the Caribbean island of Grenada.

“Having said that, there are a lot of points still up for grabs, so I’ll keep pushing. Stranger things have happened, and I’ll never give up. It doesn’t feel great to experience days like these, but every cloud has a silver lining.”

For Hamilton, it was the third time in as many outings he had been undone by mechanical failure following similar challenges in Singapore and Japan.

Defending World champion Sebastien Vettel snatched victory, leading a Red Bull one-two podium finish as teammate Mark Webber followed him home.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third.

Hamilton lies fourth on 153 points, 62 adrift of Vettel with four races remaining on the Formula One calendar.