Hamilton was disappointed he was not able to give Massa more of a hard time before all hopes of a win -- ultimately claimed by his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen -- disappeared when his left-front tire gave out just after half distance.

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Fernando, with the front-left tire, if you lose balance around this place, the speed is very high in that second sector and it's very hard for the driver to do something.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Then, crossing over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey, he hit the mother of all potholes and blew out the front left run-flat tire.

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It happened with about 100 laps left, when the right-front tire on Patrick's No. 10 Chevrolet went down and slammed her into the wall.

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The agency also said that tire debris found on the runway appears to belong to only one tire -- the interior left front wheel.

CNN: graphic