Apr.11 (GMM) McLaren excused Lewis Hamilton after denouncing his "very poor" race strategy in Sunday's Malaysian grand prix.

The Briton started second but finished just seventh at Sepang, and was further demoted to eighth place following a penalty for weaving in front of Fernando Alonso.

"I tried my best," the visibly angry 2008 world champion said after stepping out of the MP4-26, while his teammate Jenson Button climbed the podium.

"I stopped before everyone else and then the wrong tyres were put on. It was very poor strategy but there's nothing I can do," added Hamilton.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh said he understood the 26-year-old's initial frustration.

"Lewis said a few things straight after the race which were from his view in the cockpit," he said. "He's already smiling and laughing and when he looks back and sees the full picture I think he'll have a different opinion."

Whitmarsh also said he thought Hamilton's post-race 20-second penalty for weaving was "harsh", but Ferrari driver Alonso said his former teammate had been "very aggressive".

"At 300kmh he did some very aggressive moves with the steering wheel," the Spaniard told AS newspaper, but he wasn't critical of the stewards for his own 20-second penalty.

"It was a normal racing incident," he explained, referring to when he clipped the rear of Hamilton's McLaren.

"We are racing drivers, I would do the same thing tomorrow, while others make the decisions," added Alonso.

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