Hamilton remains upbeat on chances

The McLaren driver needs to finish in fifth place tomorrow to guarantee himself the crown but, with Felipe Massa taking a dominant pole position, now faces the prospect of being caught up in the middle of the pack for the run to the tricky first corner.

But despite the mounting pressure ahead of the title decider, Hamilton says he is as focused and calm as always.

"I haven't approached this weekend any different to how I have approached any other weekend," explained Hamilton. "We have come here to try and win.

"Obviously today we showed good pace and the strategy we chose was perhaps not the best for qualifying. But today is not where you get the points, tomorrow is where you get the points. So we are in a strong position for tomorrow.

"We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. The weather might be great like it was today, or it might rain. And if it rains we are in a very good position. And you don't know what Felipe is on - he might be on a three-stopper. Who knows? Or maybe he is just so quick! Good for him."

Hamilton says he has no worries about getting caught up in an incident with Fernando Alonso - his former teammate who starts right behind him on the grid and has openly said he would prefer Massa to win the crown.

"I don't think about it," said Hamilton about his feelings on Alonso's position on the grid. "It is going to be tough at the start, but I think all the drivers respect each other. So, if I get a bad start then I expect him to challenge me. Otherwise I will do the best job to stay ahead of him."

And Hamilton is far from concerned about the prospect of rain for tomorrow's race - with forecasts suggesting there is a high likelihood of a downpour.

"When it is wet, it is down to who keeps the car on the track," he explained. "I know here that in Brazil when it rains, it rains hard. So it will be tough for all of us.

"None of us have tested in the rain here this weekend, so it will be a new challenge and a new experience for us. Again we will just try and bring it home safely."