Hamilton 'relaxed and Confident' Ahead of Title Decider

Lewis Hamilton today revealed he will approach Sunday's decisive Brazilian grand prix in the same way as he done every other race as he seeks to become the first driver to win the formula one world title in his first season and become the youngest champion ever.

"I feel totally relaxed now and fully confident in the team and our ability to challenge for the title," said Hamilton, who could have secured the title in China two weeks ago, but slid off the track into a gravel trap at the top of pit lane. He said that mistake was not going to bother him in Brazil.

"I come here even stronger," he added. "I thought it would [hurt] my confidence, put me on my back foot. But I feel even stronger, for whatever reason."

Hamilton leads his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso by four points going into Sunday's race at Interlagos, and Alonso admitted he must throw caution out the window if he wants to make it three titles in a row. "I will risk for sure because I need to take places if I have an opportunity," he said. "Sometimes you need to be conservative ... finish in a certain place. This year you need much more than that. You need to win a race or be up front."

Alonso had a comfortable points lead when he clinched his world titles in 2005 and 2006, both in the Brazilian grand prix. This time he needs to win the race and hope Hamilton finishes third or worse - although the rookie has thus far collected 12 podium finishes in 16 races.

"The last two years I was in front, now I'm behind. That's the main difference and the main difficulty," he said. "Now it's more a championship thought. When you are in the car you don't care about the race result, you just concentrate about how many points you will get."

A further three points behind Alonso is Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the only other driver still alive in the title hunt. It is the first time in 21 years that three drivers reach the season-ending race in contention for the drivers' championship.

Raikkonen, who has won two of the last three races, has the tie-breaker advantage this year because he won five races, one more than both Alonso and Hamilton, but he said he would not take too many risks despite his disadvantage. "I have nothing to lose, but I will wait and observe what happens in the race," he said.

Drivers will get their first view of the track in Friday's practice sessions, and qualifying takes place on Saturday. This year, officials made a major change to the track, completely repaving the surface in hopes of eliminating bumps that prompted complaints from drivers every time formula one has visited Brazil. Another change was the creation of a new pit entrance, which was enlarged by six metres to increase the drivers' visibility on the main straightaway.