SHANGHAI, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - Sensational Formula One rookie Lewis Hamilton can become the youngest driver to clinch the world title with victory in the Chinese Grand Prix here on Sunday.

The Englishman, who would also become the first rookie to win the championship, is currently 12 points ahead of his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso and a further five ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

As long as he finishes in front of his two main rivals in Shanghai the crown is Hamilton's.

Even if Alonso or Raikkonen wins in China they will still almost certainly need a non-finish from Hamilton, either on Sunday or in Brazil later this month, if they are to haul in his dominant lead.

On the one hand the 22-year-old Brit has not retired from a race all season but on the other it is very rare for a whole campaign to pass without one serious technical fault.

One thing is for sure though, Hamilton will not be guilty of taking his eye off the ball for the remainder of the season. His win in Fuji last Sunday left him on the brink but complacency is not a word in the Hamilton vocabulary.

"We are going into these [last two] races with a really tight Drivers' battle with only 12 points between me and Fernando," Hamilton said in a team race preview.

"Anything is still possible but I am feeling confident and very determined and I hope we will have another couple of exciting races."

"There has been a lot of talk over the last couple of days about the Championship, but I just push that to the back of my mind.

"I am only focused on the next two races and doing the best I can in China and Brazil with the team."

The way he has quickly adapted to circuits he previously had no experience of has been a feature of Hamilton's stellar season and is something he will need to do once again to finish the job.

"The last two races of this season are at tracks that I have not ever been to before," he continued.

"I don't see that as a problem, as this has been the case on four occasions already this season, at Melbourne, Montreal, Indy and Fuji and I was on the podium at all these races."

"Everything is too tight for me to predict what will happen, but the races in China always seem to be exciting and I feel well prepared to take on the challenge."

Of course, Hamilton winning the title would not be universally welcomed.

Ferrari are still quietly fuming that the McLaren drivers were not punished as part of the team's sanctions for the spygate affair.

The Italian squad won the constructors' title after McLaren were thrown out of that championship, but, much to the annoyance of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, Hamilton and Alonso were effectively given an amnesty for cooperating with the investigation.

"I still think that in the spying affair it was a big mistake not to disqualify the McLaren drivers as well," di Montezemolo has told the Italian press.

"It means that if Hamilton wins the championship, he will also win it thanks to Ferrari because there is a lot of Ferrari in his car."