Lewis Hamilton flew from Tokyo to Shanghai yesterday more determined than ever to make motor-racing history and hailed by the man who knows him best as a driver with nerves of steel.

The young Briton is within touching distance of becoming the first rookie world champion in Formula One, and the youngest, after his stunning victory in desperate conditions at the Fuji Speedway on Sunday and is focused on completing the job at the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.

Before leaving with his son for China, Hamilton’s father, Anthony, said: “When he got up in the morning before the Japanese Grand Prix, there was me, nervous about the rain, and he was going, ‘This is great.’ That’s what he said and, of course, it was great. I don’t know what Lewis does, but whatever he does, he needs to keep doing it.”

The World Championship leader never doubted his strength of mind to see the race through, despite deteriorating conditions and a spin when he was barged off the track by Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber.

“I felt very, very comfortable right from when we arrived at Fuji,” Hamilton, 22, said. “I felt this was going to be a good weekend. In the race, there was water on the track, but I was just in the zone the whole time and it was easy to be in the zone; it was good.”

Hamilton Jr also confirmed what his father had said about how he had laid the foundations for victory when going back to the McLaren Mercedes headquarters in Woking, Surrey, the day after the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa Francorchamps last month, when Hamilton was fourth and beaten for the third time in a row by Fernando Alonso, his teammate and biggest rival.

“I went back to the factory so early because I wanted to figure out why this had happened. I just sorted it out,” he said. “Everyone had been saying that Fernando had this momentum all of a sudden and then, for me, people were saying, ‘Is this part of your inexperience?’ I said I didn’t think that was the case. I just needed to sit down and figure out what was going on and put the pieces of the puzzle back together - and I think I’ve done that.

“The win in Japan was just a massive blow; really what I wanted. Thank God Fernando is safe, but that is what I really needed.”

After his mature and extraordinarily focused display in winning a chaotic and dangerous Japanese Grand Prix in the rain on Sunday, Hamilton is one win away from fulfilling his dream. He may need the last two races to achieve it – in China next weekend and Brazil, where the Formula One season concludes two weeks later – but, with a 12-point advantage over Alonso, the title is Hamilton’s to lose.

In Japan, he again displayed his rare ability to shut out all the distractions – the noise, politics and hassle that are part of his daily life as the brightest star in the sport – and go into that “zone” and produce the drive of his life.

It is a testament to his poise under pressure that Hamilton’s McLaren looked as if it was being driven by the two-times world champion, while Alonso’s car, which crashed out midway through the race, could have been piloted by the inexperienced new boy.

Hamilton is now aiming to finish the job he started. “I will prepare exactly the same as I did in Japan,” he said. “I will probably do a little bit of sightseeing around Shanghai. I don’t think I have got any media appearances, so I can just really enjoy it.

“I’ll do a bit of training as well, but, otherwise, I will just relax and make sure I feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible for the next race.”

One step from glory

1 Lewis Hamilton (GB) 107pts

2 Fernando Alonso (Sp) 95

3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) 90

Next race Shanghai, China Sunday, ITV1, 7am