Lewis Hamilton insists he is looking no further than this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix despite standing on the brink of Formula One history.

The 22-year-old will become the first driver to win the world championship in his debut season if he drops no more than one point to McLaren team-mate and closest rival Fernando Alonso at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday.

Hamilton holds a 12-point lead over the defending world champion with two races to go after the Spaniard crashed out of last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix in dramatic fashion, while the rookie produced a stunning drive to take the chequered flag in appalling conditions at the Fuji Speedway and draw perhaps premature comparisons with legends such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

However, he will go someway to joining the pantheon of greats if he does indeed clinch the drivers' crown at the end of 56 laps around the 5.451km circuit this weekend.

An impressively unflappable demeanour has been the hallmark of Hamilton's first season in Formula One and, true to form, the man from Tewin underlined that he was not about to let thoughts of what he might achieve distract him from the task at hand.

"There's been a lot of talk over the last couple of days about the championship but I just push it to the back of my mind," Hamilton said. "I'm only focused on the next two races and doing the best I can in China and Brazil with the team.

"We're going into these races with a really tight battle and with only 12 points between me and Fernando. Anything is still possible but I'm feeling confident and very determined and I hope we will have another couple of exciting races."

The rivalry between Hamilton and Alonso has intensified in recent weeks due to a number of incidents both on and off the track with the youngster openly criticising his illustrious team-mate's recent behaviour.

As a result, the Spaniard has been the subject of much speculation as to where he might line-up next season with many feeling his position at McLaren is now untenable given his uneasy relationship with both his team-mate and his boss Ron Dennis, although the latter has since moved to play down talk of a rift.

And while recognising events in Japan will, in the end, probably represent a terminal setback to his championship ambitions, Alonso reiterated his only interest is in giving everything in pursuit of a third consecutive world title.

"My retirement in Japan has not made it easy for me but there are still 20 points to be won and I am going to fight hard for each one of them," Alonso said. "There is always a lot of talk of pressure and distractions at this time of the year but all I'm thinking about is racing and winning at Shanghai and Interlagos."

The climax of the season is another step into the unknown for Hamilton having not previously raced at either Shanghai or Interlagos, both tracks Alonso has performed well at in the past. But having already been in the same situation at four previous races, and won three of them, the Briton is not unduly worried.

"I don't see that as a problem," Hamilton said. "It's been the case on four occasions already this season, at Melbourne, Montreal, Indianapolis 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."