Hamilton win ’lucky’ says Alonso

(GMM) Fernando Alonso in Canada insisted that a poor race result had not made him downbeat.

By finishing just seventh in Montreal, the Spaniard lost his championship lead to his rookie McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, who now tops the drivers' standings by eight points.

Alonso, however, pointed the finger at the safety car rules, 'bad luck' and badly graining Bridgestone tires, and contrasted his situation to that of the hospitalized Robert Kubica.

"I am fine," the 25-year-old reigning world champion, who set the fastest lap of the race, told the Spanish newspaper Diario As.

"What do you want me to say? It has been a difficult race but I prefer to be in my position that Kubica's.

"You don't even want to race at all when you see someone crash like that.

"I am second in the world championship and I have a car that can win races with eleven (races) to go. I still feel like I am the favorite for the title."

Alonso said he thought Hamilton had been "lucky" to not similarly fall foul of the safety car rules, which he said would have dropped the young Briton to eighth.

"He had the luck with the safety car and I did not, but this is normal — because of it the race was a lottery and the spectators got to see a Williams on the podium."

Asked if he had congratulated Hamilton for his maiden win, Fernando answered: "Not yet, I haven't even seen him, but I will (congratulate him).

"He is in the best position now and all the rest of us must recover, but I still see the title as being disputed by four drivers."