FURIOUS Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire after a final lap collision with Pastor Maldonado cost him valuable points in the European Grand Prix.

Hamilton was locked in a heated battle for third heading into turn 13 of the Valencia Street Circuit but was sent crashing out of the race when Maldonado ploughed into the side of his car.

Fernando Alonso took the chequered flag ahead of Kimi Raikkonen to become the first driver to win two races this season.

The result sends the Ferrari-man top of the standings as Hamilton slipped to third.

But rather than lament his misfortune, the McLaren ace instead turned his attention to Silverstone and the opportunity to get back to winning ways on home soil.

He said: “We lost some points today – fortunately, however, a couple of other drivers fighting at the front also missed out, so it’s not the end of the world. It just makes things a little bit tougher.

“Today was just a bad day in the office – but that’s motor racing, and I’m already looking forward to the next grand prix, my home race at Silverstone.”

Teammate Jenson Button, who gained a place after qualifying ninth, is also hoping lady luck smiles on the duo in the next race on July 8.

He said: “This was a really difficult race to read. I got a poor start, was boxed in at Turn One, and had to lift to prevent Fernando Alonso and myself hitting the wall at Turn Two.

“I don’t think we did a bad job in terms of strategy – the car felt good and kept improving during the race – but, when the Safety Car was deployed, I think a few others lucked in to a better strategy. And, today, also, we just didn’t get lucky.

“Finally, massive congratulations to Fernando – he did a great job. Hopefully we can do the same thing at our home grand prix in two weeks’ time.”