Hamilton only fifth as Massa takes Turkish GP

Hamilton was on course to open up an eight-point lead over McLaren rival Fernando Alonso by the close of the 58-lap race at the Istanbul Park.

But 15 laps from the end, a comfortable third place was snatched from Hamilton's grasp in dramatic fashion as his tyre blew.

The 22-year-old Briton concedes he had to fight for control of his car, and was fortunate to make it back to the pits for a fresh set of rubber, all while his championship rivals flashed past him.

Hamilton eventually managed to claim four points from finishing in fifth place, leaving Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Alonso to stand on the podium.

With five races remaining, Alonso is now five points adrift, while Massa has closed to within 15, with Raikkonen a further point behind.

"I've lost three points. It's a bit of a shame, but I'll figure a way to gain them back somewhere else," said Hamilton.

"This was one of those things and hopefully we won't have any more problems for the rest of the season.

"Fortunately, this is not a disaster. It's just a little bit of a problem.

"We won the last race, and with five to go I'm still leading by five points. It's not over. Don't worry."

For a split-second, though, Hamilton thought his chances were over for good in the race and that he would end up with no points.

It was not the kind of accident suffered by Nigel Mansell in the final race of 1986 in Australia when his tyre blew, an incident that cost the Briton the title and handed it to Alain Prost.

But nevertheless for Hamilton, it was equally as dramatic, adding: "I never had any warning.

"I exited the fast left-hander - turn eight - and I saw some bits fly off the tyre.

"All I knew, as soon as I hit the brakes into turn nine, the tyre exploded.

"The wheel locked up, the car was moving around, and I was very lucky to stop it and turn because it looked as if I was going to head into the wall.

"From then on I had to try and bring the car home, but the tyre was flapping around, I had damaged the front wing, and I was worried some other bits on the car were damaged as well.

"I just saw my competitors flying past and there was nothing I could do.

"When I got to turn 12 the car wouldn't turn; I got to the pit lane and then it went into the wall. It was a real fight.

"But I'm glad I got it back."

Hamilton's rivals, though, will all have gained fresh heart from the 22-year-old's misfortune.

For Massa, it was his third win this year, and fifth of his career as he repeated his performance of a year ago on this track when he clinched his first win from pole.

"To again win from pole here is amazing, fantastic - it's hard to find the right words," said Massa, who had to rip out the cooling unit from his helmet at one point as it had cracked.

"It was here last year my career turned when I started winning races and fighting with the frontrunners, so it's a very special place for me.

"This result is of great encouragement looking to the final part of the season, especially with the Italian Grand Prix coming up.

"We must continue to work in this same way and give it our best shot."

Raikkonen, who passed Hamilton off the grid on the run to the first corner, concedes he never had a chance of overtaking Massa after that.

In typical deadpan manner, Raikkonen said: "It's boring driving around behind other cars.

"But unfortunately in Formula One these days the race is pretty much decided after qualifying, which is a shame."

Ferrari's second one-two this year means they have now closed the gap on McLaren in the constructors' race to a mere 11 points.

Nick Heidfeld claimed fourth for BMW Sauber, and behind Hamilton came Heikki Kovalainen for Renault, Nico Rosberg in his Williams and Robert Kubica in the second BMW Sauber.

David Coulthard was 10th for Red Bull Racing, with Jenson Button a creditable 13th after starting 21st due to his Honda requiring an engine change following qualifying, while Anthony Davidson was 14th for Super Aguri.