LEWIS Hamilton needed to use all his driving skills in the opening seconds of today s Spanish Grand Prix. The 24-year-old Formula 1 world champion from Herts was delayed at the start as he attempted to pass Nelson Piquet. McLaren driver Hamilton had to r

LEWIS Hamilton needed to use all his driving skills in the opening seconds of today's Spanish Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Formula 1 world champion from Herts was delayed at the start as he attempted to pass Nelson Piquet.

McLaren driver Hamilton had to run off onto the grass at the Circuit de Catalunya as the Renault jinked right ahead of him.

That hampered his chances of storming through the Barcelona field using his KERS booster down the long first straight.

Perhaps fortuitously, it also dropped him behind the first-lap carnage following a collision involving Toyota's Jarno Trulli, the two Toro Rosso cars of Sebastien Buemi and Sebastien Bourdais and Force India driver Adrian Sutil.

Hamilton was able to steer around most of the debris though to emerge 15th.

"I was a bit worried about my tyres after driving over so much debris at the first corner but I came out of it OK," said Lewis afterwards.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "Lewis made a great start off the line but, after having been obstructed by another car, through no fault of his own he lost time avoiding an accident and ended up at the back of the field at the end of lap one.

"After that, his task was always going to be a tough one, because the Barcelona circuit is not an easy one on which to overtake."

Hamilton eventually finished ninth, just one place outside the points.

It is the Monaco Grand Prix next on May 24.