Hamilton in 'disbelief' over Australian GP loss

Lewis Hamilton says he was in "disbelief" when he saw Ferrari Formula 1 rival emerge from the pit lane in the lead under the Virtual Safety Car in a move that ultimately decided Sunday's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Hamilton led the early part of the race from pole position before pitting on Lap 20 in a bid to cover second-placed Kimi Raikkonen, with Ferrari opting to keep Vettel out and extend his first stint.

Vettel struck lucky when a Virtual Safety Car was called on Lap 26 after Romain Grosjean stopped at Turn 2, allowing him to pit and emerge in the lead after an alleged software glitch caused Hamilton to slow down too much due to an incorrect time delta.

Despite putting pressure on Vettel through the second half of the race to try and recover the lead, Hamilton ultimately lost out to Vettel by five seconds at the chequered flag as his F1 title defence started in muted fashion.

"I really still don’t now understand what’s happened. I did everything I believe that I was supposed to do," Hamilton said after the race.

"The Safety Car came out and then I was coming down the straight and all of a sudden, really last minute I was told the Ferrari was coming out. I didn’t know the Ferrari was in.

"I think [I felt] just disbelief was really from that moment until the end, just disbelief. I was hungry to try and recover from whatever the scenario, whether it was a mistake or not. I was risking it, but I could have lost all the points.

"Eventually I think I made the sensible choice. It’s a long, long way in the championship and it’s not all won in one race. That’s what I’m trying to focus on."