Hamilton still on course for title

Despite seeing his world championship lead slashed to just four points after a dramatic Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton is a best priced 4/11 to win the title. Hamilton had led from the start in Shanghai but came off the circuit heading into the pits to change his tyres during a tricky wet-dry race in a race where he had already seen his lead go to Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari and was being put under increasing pressure by team-mate Fernando Alonso. The Finn eventually saw off the double world champion and now the title will go down to the final race in Brazil with anyone of the three drivers in position to win it. Hamilton leads the championship with 107 points, ahead of Alonso on 103 and Raikkonen on 100. Yet the bookmakers still side with the Briton as Betfred and SportingBet go 4/11 that he will claim the prize in his opening Formula One season. Alonso, after a season of in-house bickering with his McLaren team, is 10/3 with Betfred to overturn the deficit while Raikkonen remains a general 12/1 shot to leapfrog both McLaren drivers. While the 22-year-old Briton is still in pole position, his team-mate knows that the next two weeks will be very nervous ones for Hamilton and Alonso will do all he can to retain his title: "Winning the title will still be very difficult because it will not be easy to take four points from Lewis," said Alonso. "I need something dramatic to win. With a normal race it will be impossible." Meanwhile Hamilton remains calmness personified as he enters the biggest race of his career: "I can still do it, don't worry," said Hamilton. "You cannot go through life without making mistakes. But I am over it and we look forward to Brazil. The team will be working hard to make sure the car is quick enough there, and we still have points in the bag." (Editor's Note: Lewis Hamilton faces the biggest drive of his career in Brazil. Has he got what it takes to be a world champion? Follow all the latest prices on Betfred!)