Neal: Title is Plato's to lose

Honda driver Neal, who is one of four drivers still in with a chance of winning the title, believes that Plato is the man with everything to lose as the Chevrolet man currently has a 17-point championship lead.

"I think Jason will be as nervous as hell," the 2005 and '06 champion told AUTOSPORT. "He's lost this championship more times than he's won it and it's his to lose again. He'll be really desperate for that not to happen."

Neal, who has won five times this year for the Team Dynamics-run Honda outfit, and led the championship at the mid-season point, is taking a relaxed attitude into the Brand Hatch triple-header.

He and Gordon Shedden are the only team-mates both in with a shout of the title, but he does not believe that makes the situation any more difficult.

"I'm pretty relaxed," he added. "At 17 points, the gap means I've only got a slim chance of winning it anyway, so there's no pressure. If I don't win it, the gap was too big in the first place; if I do win it, I've done a good job. It's not a difficult situation.

"Obviously Flash [Shedden] and I can both win it and there are no team orders. Realistically if I retire from race one, that's me out of it, but then it's not like I can really help him from the back of the grid.

"The fact that both of us are up there though is good news for Honda though, because we could win the manufacturers'/constructors' title."

Honda Racing is the favourite to win the teams' championship at Brands Hatch while Honda/Dynamics leads the manufacturers'/constructors' race as well. The Arena Ford squad is its closest rival in each championship.