Hamilton: My car was "like a four-poster bed today"
Lewis Hamilton was left to rue his opening lap clash with Sauber’s Felipe Nasr at the opening corner of the Chinese Grand Prix which damaged his car, and restricted him to a seventh-placed finish.
Hamilton, who started from the back after problems in qualifying, had made up places off the startline when the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen collided.
As Raikkonen rejoined, Sauber's Felipe Nasr took avoiding action and Hamilton collected him as he did so.
"It was definitely a difficult one," said Hamilton. "I got a good start, it's always difficult starting at the back and then getting caught up in things.
"I was trying to avoid whatever was happening ahead of me but I got tangled in it and after that was just trying to battle my way through.
"This track is quite good, you can overtake, but the car was pretty damaged – I don't know what, probably some aero components. I think the suspension was damaged as well because the car was flexing like crazy.
"It was like a four-poster bed today."
Rosberg takes big points lead
Mercedes changed Hamilton's front wing at the end of the first lap and, despite the help of a safety car, Hamilton had nowhere near the pace displayed by his race-winning teammate Nico Rosberg.
He now trails him by 36 points in the World Championship.
"Every time I did a stop, I was having to come back through again – so I wasn't really gaining a lot of ground," said Hamilton.
"At the end, there was nothing left in the tyres. Anyways, that's racing. Not a great finish for us this weekend, hopefully onwards and upwards."
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