Abu Dhabi GP: Hamilton believes McLaren had dominant car

Having taken pole at Yas Marina, Hamilton was pulling away at the front of the field when what he reported as a fuel pressure issue forced his retirement on lap 20.

His team-mate Jenson Button finished fourth.

"I think this weekend we had the pace to get a one-two," Hamilton said.

"I'm not really sure what Jenson was struggling with, but we had the strength in the car and the ability this weekend.

"I think in the last four or five races we've had something fail on the car even when we've finished the race. I hope luck will now swing our way."

Hamilton's retirement left the door open for Kimi Raikkonen to win the race for Lotus.

"I was in a really comfortable spot. It wasn't like I had [Sebastian] Vettel or a Red Bull behind me that was massively quick," said Hamilton.

"Kimi drove phenomenally and I'm very, very happy for him, but I was comfortably in the lead and the car was just beautiful to drive."

He added: "I was cruising and I was still pulling away."

Despite losing a likely victory, Hamilton said he would leave Abu Dhabi happy with his performance and the speed his car had displayed.

"It was still a good weekend for me. I really enjoyed it. At the time it felt fantastic in the car. We have a couple of other opportunities. Next time..." he said.

Hamilton stayed around to watch the end of the race, and was surprised to see Vettel get to the podium after starting last.

"Incredible how Sebastian came up from the pitlane," Hamilton said.

"He's got to be the luckiest person in Formula 1."