Massa holds nothing against Hamilton

Both drivers were fighting for second place at the Sepang race, with Massa trying to move ahead of Hamilton for several laps.

Massa eventually made a mistake and went off the track, with Hamilton saying after the race that he had been able to "trick him into outbraking himself".

Massa said ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix that there was nothing wrong with Hamilton's move.

"I would have done the same if I was in front," said Massa. "These days we prove that F1 is very difficult to pass, it depends also on the track. Malaysia is not an easy track to pass and he was fighting for his position and would not give it to me.

"It was a difficult corner, very dirty off line but it is the only way to try. For sure when Lewis is behind I will not give him an easy time either, but he did a very good job. This is not dirty driving, it is just normal."

Hamilton, interrupting Massa during today's press conference to clarify his comments, said he had used the wrong words to describe his actions.

"I didn't trick him. I think I said the wrong word," said Hamilton. "You cannot trick him. What you try to do when you are out there, you try and force them into an error.

"That is what I tried to do because that was the only way I could keep ahead of him, I pushed to stay ahead of him. I tried to force him into a mistake, not trick him."