Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he was confused at the poor start which saw him ultimately slip from third to fourth in the Indian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and teammate Jenson Button did not have the speed to catch the two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

"I don't yet understand why I got such a poor start - it lost me ground and then I fell under attack from the guys behind," Sky Sports News quotes Hamilton as saying.

"During the first lap, I was primarily focusing on not colliding with Jenson, then I saw Fernando [Alonso] in my right mirror. He was towing me from very far back.

"Even if I'd had a better start than I did, the guys in front were still maybe a bit too fast, particularly in the first stint."

Hamilton is fifth in the drivers' championship.