Hamilton vows to fight 'harder than ever'

The McLaren driver lost the lead of the championship after he retired from the Monza race on the opening lap, following contact with Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Hamilton is now in second place in the standings with five races to go, fives points behind Red Bull driver Mark Webber.

The Briton admitted he felt he had let his team down following his accident, but is determined to make up for it in the remaining races.

He also said he welcomed the support from team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

"Of course, because it's nice to hear about the support you get," said Hamilton on his website. "But, in other ways, it actually goes without saying as I couldn't really ask for more support from my team - I know they're always behind me.

"You feel like you've let the team down when you have a bad result, so I'll be fighting harder than ever for the rest of the season."

Hamilton, winner of three races this season, conceded he cannot afford to lose any more points if he is to win his second title this year.

"I've had two non-finishes and one win in the last three races - and, while that's not bad, it does mean that I lost points to some of the other drivers in the hunt for the title," he said. "And those results aren't enough to get me the title.

"I'll keep pushing. I'll take each race as it comes, but I'll also be making sure I get to the finish of the next five races - that's more important than anything. I go to Singapore to win."

And he says he is using the Monza experience to grow as a driver and be stronger in the remaining races.

"In bad situations - and they've happened to me before in my career - you need to soak up all the lessons that need learning. You absorb that information, put the bad experience to one side, use the benefits and just move on.

"I got up on Monday morning and I was already focused on the next race, improving the car, and closing in on the world championship. You can't dwell on the negatives - we are still in a good position, and we need to capitalise on that."