Webber absolves Hamilton of blame

Mark Webber feels Lewis Hamilton "had to have a go" in their Singapore Grand Prix shunt.

A fortnight ago Hamilton was undeniably at fault for running into Felipe Massa's Ferrari on the first lap at Monza, which cost him the lead of the world championship to Webber.

With four races to go Hamilton finds himself 20 points adrift of the Australian after retiring for a second successive race, this time just over midway through the night event at the Marina Bay street circuit.

Following a safety car period after Kamui Kobayashi's crash into Anderson Bridge, Hamilton managed to get a run on Webber who had found himself slowed by Virgin's Lucas di Grassi.

With the nose of his car in front of Webber who had the inside line as they cornered turn seven, the duo came together, with Hamilton the one to retire with a punctured left-rear tyre.

"It's very difficult to get away clean when you've the backmarkers involved," said Webber.

"I got up caught up behind one of the Virgins. I think he was doing his best, but Lewis just got a big run on me.

"Unfortunately we made contact, similar to what he had in Monza with Felipe, but it could easily have been my front-right tyre that went.

"This can happen sometimes in open-wheel racing because we brake completely on the limit, and for sure it was incredibly tight.

"We did not hit that hard, but it was enough to nearly put both of us out of the race. Fortunately I continued, and that was it.

"But he had to have a go. That's the only corner on the track where stuff can happen.

"Obviously neither of us wanted to give an inch and in this case it ended up in some contact."

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh stopped just short of making Webber the scapegoat, although felt the 34-year-old was fortunate to escape with nothing more than a vibration in the front of his car.

"People might say this is two races on the trot Lewis has had an incident, but today Lewis did not make a late lunge," said Whitmarsh.

"This was a reverse of what happened in Monza because Lewis had got past, was in the lead, went for the corner, left a bit of space but was hit, and Mark was lucky to get away with it.

"We could get heated about blame, but Mark has to race as well, and Lewis did not make a desperate move. It was a solid manoeuvre and he was very unlucky it did not come off."

Asked whether he was laying the blame at Webber's door, Whitmarsh added: "I'm not laying it firmly.

"I believe what Lewis did was right. I am not here to blame Webber, but he was very lucky to get away with it.

"You can almost reverse Lewis' position in Monza, and we all blamed Lewis then and we cannot this time.

"Blaming Mark is not useful, but did Lewis make a mistake? No, he didn't."