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Hamilton: Race was a struggle

Image: Hamilton: Had to hold off Webber in the closing stages

Lewis Hamilton was at a loss to explain why he failed to match team-mate Jenson Button's pace in the Australian GP which saw him slip from pole to third.

Pole-sitter Lewis drifted to third place after "shocking" start

A disappointed Lewis Hamilton was at a loss to explain why he struggled to match team-mate Jenson Button's pace in the Australian Grand Prix after slipping from pole to finish third. The 27-year-old immediately lost the lead to the sister McLaren at the start when he became bogged down at the start and although he held second place through the first two stints he steadily lost touch with Button - his challenge not helped by several laps spent stuck behind Sergio Perez's Sauber immediately after his second stop. Hamilton then slipped behind Red Bull rival Sebastian Vettel, whose second pit-stop benefitted from the timing of the Safety Car, and in the end was forced to fend off a marauding Mark Webber, who got close enough to activate his DRS wing in the closing stages. Speaking to Sky Sports F1's Natalie Pinkham in the paddock after finishing third, Hamilton was downbeat about his performance. "It was obviously a tough race - but congratulations to Jenson, it was a great finish for him," he said. "It would have been great to have had a one-two, but it just wasn't a good day for me." Asked why he had struggled for pace, Hamilton replied: "I really don't know, I really don't know. Just struggled out there and really got a shocking start which was the beginning of it all." Hamilton will have a swift chance to make amends for his disappointing race next week in Malaysia and he says he will now just focus on achieving consistent results, something he failed to do last season. "Just refocus, get my head down, there's a lot of races ahead," he said when asked what he would do between now and Sepang. "These championships are all about consistency so that's what I'm going to focus on."

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