The reigning Olympic champions were searching for a first world title in the three-man, three-lap event since 2005, but were not allowed to run off for the bronze medal after initially qualifying in fourth.

The takeover between 19-year-old specialist starter Hindes and second man Jason Kenny was deemed illegal and Britain were one of four of the 17 teams to be relegated.

Defending champions Germany also fell foul to the officials, paving the way for host nation Australia to face France in the final to claim their only gold of the opening day after edging out France by 0.001 seconds.

Despite the disappointment Hoy still believes Hindes could be a solution to the 'man one' position - a role that has proved hard to fill after the retirement of Olympic champion Jamie Staff.

Pleased

"Things happen and I want to give Phil a pat on the back, rather than make him the villain in this situation," Hoy said.

"It was a very easy mistake to make. I still think he did an amazing ride today and we should be pleased with his progression.

"His best was 17.9 (seconds) coming into the season. In the last few months he's already knocked four tenths of a second off that.

"He's only 19. You can make improvements week on week, almost - he has the potential to keep improving all the way up to London.

"It could be he is the star of the team sprint in a couple of months' time."

Hoy believes that Hindes, who forced the start of Britain's heat to be delayed after the gate failed to support his bike properly, will learn from the experience at the Hisense Arena.

Confidence

The four-time Olympic champion added: "We've all made mistakes - it's just a shame it's his first experience of the big occasion.

"He'll take a lot of confidence from his ride and as long as he learns from the little error.

"This is still a World Championships. We're still disappointed not to be world champions or to get a medal, but ultimately we'll happily sacrifice this for the Olympic Games.

"I think he is upset. He's all right, but we've already spoken to him and said, 'don't worry about it. You should be really proud of yourself'.

"Although he's still very inexperienced, he does handle big occasions well, so I'm sure he will learn from tonight."