Hamilton calls Vettel-collision "massive turning point"

Lewis Hamilton had a collision with Sebastian Vettel in the very first lap which has split opinion whether to who is to blame, and the Brit conceded that it was definitely the turning point of the race.

Hamilton made a move on Vettel's outside headed into the second chicane on the first lap. Vettel, who claims he had nowhere to go, understeered and clipped the Mercedes of Hamilton, causing the German to spin out and do damage on his Ferrari. He had to pit, and was immediately out of contention for the rest of the race.

"That was definitely a key moment, getting past him was the immediate goal," Hamilton tells Sky Sports F1.

"It was a massive turning point. 

That definitely took a lot of pressure off and just meant I could focus on Kimi for the whole race.

"We had a couple of good battles." 

Hamilton eventually took Raikkonen for the win, with the Finn's tyres being way past their usual window. Nevertheless, a great win for Hamilton, whether the collision with Vettel was his fault or not. He has a commanding 30-point lead in the championship now.