Rankings: Massa clash costs Hamilton

On lap 24 Hamilton pulled alongside Massa heading into Turn 5, but the Brazilian was on the more grippy side of the track and refused to cede ground.

The result was the sixth instance of contact between the pair this season, although on this occasion both were able to continue. Hamilton would go on to finish seventh, while Massa's race would end with suspension failure when he hit an inside kerb.

While assigning blame may be debatable - Massa was handed a drive-through penalty but insisted he had the corner - the effect of the clash in the Rankings was entirely evident as both drivers suffered falls.

For Hamilton, the cost was assuaged by finishing seventh, but he nevertheless fell one spot to third overall -Red Bull's Mark Webber moving the other way and back into second.

As has been the case in the 2011 championship Hamilton also came under pressure from his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, who closed to within 600 points in the Rankings.

In addition Button's second-place finish helped him move ahead of Hamilton in the Castrol EDGE Race, which takes into account 2011 form only.

For Massa, the clash - coupled with his alter exit - caused a drop of two places to 17th in the Rankings.

The Brazilian's loss of points was exaggerated by having to drop his podium from Korea last year under the rollover system.

That also cost his Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso, who had to drop his victory from Korea and could not avoid slipping one place to fifth place behind Button as a consequence.

Michael Schumacher similarly paid the price for his strong performance in Korea last year, and for his relatively disappointing performance in qualifying at India.

The German went on to finish fifth in the race, but fell three spots to 34th in the Rankings.

On the opposite end of the scale Sergio Perez made double-figure gains as he finished tenth following an inventive strategy by Sauber.

The Mexican completed just one lap on prime rubber before pitting for options for the remainder of the race, in part in the hope of a safety car.

That didn't arrive, but he demonstrated great skill to make his tyres last without sacrificing performance and duly picked up the final point on offer from the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. He moved up 16 places as a result, breaking back into the top 100.

To see who beats Sebastian Vettel in top five greatest title campaigns in history, and to see the full Rankings, visit www.castroldriverrankings.com.