SINGAPORE -- Lewis Hamilton took the blame for his costly mistake at the Singapore Grand Prix but said he would not be too hard on himself.
Hamilton ran wide at Turn 7 on lap 33 of the race, going nose first into the barrier and damaging his front wing. The resulting pit stop for a new front wing dropped him from fourth place to ninth, where he ultimately finished.
Once he rejoined the race he radioed his team to say, "I'm so sorry about that guys, I f----- that up big time."
Speaking to media later that night, Hamilton added: "I knew it was all over from then. But these things happen. I am not going to punish myself for a mistake.
"It was very tricky conditions for everyone and the problems we have with this car are magnified in the wet. It is a very very hard car to drive in the rain."
Hamilton had been running behind Carlos Sainz for the majority of the race and appeared to have the pace to challenge the Ferrari in the latter stages. He said he took some positives from the car's performance.
"The car had its moments this weekend where it was not too bad. It is a bit hit and miss with this car and there were positives. It is just a shame we didn't get many points for the team."