Lewis Hamilton pays for team error

VENEZUELA'S Pastor Maldonado handed Williams a welcome Formula One victory by winning the Spanish Grand Prix last night.

VENEZUELA'S Pastor Maldonado handed Williams a welcome Formula One victory by winning the Spanish Grand Prix last night.

Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished second with Finn Kimi Raikkonen in third place as Maldonado made the most of inheriting pole position from Lewis Hamilton after the Briton was relegated to the back of the pack on Saturday.

McLaren team chief Martin Whitmarsh admitted the team error that resulted in Lewis Hamilton losing pole position for could also cost the Briton a second drivers' title.

Hamilton clocked the fastest time in qualifying on Saturday to claim pole position, only to be relegated to the back of the field because he did not return to the pits with his McLaren car after setting his fastest lap.

Instead, he followed urgent orders transmitted by the team and stopped out on the track.

He required assistance to return to the pits where a one litre fuel sample was to be taken.

Whitmarsh said the mistake, made in analysis of the fuel load needed by Hamilton for his final flying run in qualifying, had caused a lot of pain to the team and the team members responsible for the error.

"There was an error in the refuelling process and we know that by the analysis," Whitmarsh told the BBC.

"We know just one of those errors could cost us the title.

"There is lots of pain in people's hearts about this in the team, from me all the way down. I had lots of conversations with Lewis (Hamilton) last night and he was inevitably shocked by this.

"And he was disappointed as you would expect from as competitive a person as him."

Hamilton had a great drive and finished eighth.

It was Williams' first Formula One victory in eight years.

Mark Webber finished 11th for Red Bull, while fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished 13th.