Hamilton keen to talk with Massa

Lewis Hamilton is hoping to have a private talk with Felipe Massa at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following their sixth collision of the season in India.

Both drivers claim not to have a specific problem with the other, but the sheer number of collisions has raised questions over why they keep coming together on the track.

Asked by the official Formula One website if he'd had the opportunity to speak to Massa, Hamilton said: "I don't think that the drivers' briefing is the right place to do this. I hope we get the chance to discuss this in a more private environment sometime soon. Felipe is a driver who is very hard to overtake, as he never leaves the door open or much space. So it is always the guy behind that needs to make any effort to overtake him. And we have been very unfortunate to come together so often."

He added: "I personally do not have a problem with him. If he does have any issue with me, that would be his problem."

Hamilton found himself out of position in India after a penalty for ignoring yellow flags during the first practice session dropped him three places on the grid. He said avoiding unnecessary penalties is one of his primary objectives this weekend.

"At the last race I qualified second, and that was quite good. It was only because of my penalty that I had to move back," Hamilton said. "And then I got jumped by a Ferrari, and we somehow always get jumped by Ferraris, as they are extremely quick at the start, which has been the case for many years. Then you get stuck behind them, as they have very fast cars and are also not willing to let anyone past them. So I have found myself in a few awkward situations. So the plan is pretty much not to get penalised for silly things, then I should be further in the front and the race weekend could go so much more smoothly."

ESPNF1