Lewis Hamilton believes he would have finished second to Fernando Alonso but for being 'squeezed' off the track by Ferrari's Felipe Massa on the opening lap of the Bahrain GP.
Reviewing dramatic in-car footage from his McLaren of the first few corners, Hamilton refused to condemn the driving of Massa but it was clear that he felt that the Brazilian had overstepped the line.
"I didn't even know who it was," he commentated as he watched a re-run on the BBC. "He was squeezing, He looked in the mirror... it was pretty aggressive. I didn't realise how far I was ahead."
Asked if he would have drove any differently had he been in Massa's position, he pointedly replied: "I probably wouldn't have risked banging wheels at that speed."
Forced offline, Hamilton then had to watch Nico Rosberg nip past, and he believes that the outcome of the race could have been dramatically had he overtaken Massa.
"If I had have pulled that move off on the outside I would have been able to keep up with Fernando. I honestly feel that I would have been able to keep up but it's all about if and when," he declared.
But, having said that, the Brit admits that at this point in time "Ferrari is definitely the car to beat" while his own MP4-25 needs to take steps forward.
"In clear air, on new tyres, the car felt great. We have to make a big step because in that middle sector (of the lap) we are really lacking," he said.
"Since I have been here at McLaren we have never really had an amazing rear end. The car is great in the high speed but not so good in the low- and medium-speed corners at the rear, so we really need to pick up some down force there."
