Briton on a tricky road

It was a fitting riposte. A flawless Lewis Hamilton having a faultless race - from pole to flag and in between recording the fastest lap as well. As the Briton himself admitted after the race, God was on their side all weekend.

In many ways it was a God-made victory for Hamilton and McLaren after a disastrous race in Japan. The 23-year-old dominated on all three days of the race weekend and except for a brief while on Saturday morning when BMW's Nick Heidfeld topped the time sheet in a car light on fuel, the Briton had the statistics to prove it.

To borrow a line from Maradona's famous sporting quote, God certainly had a hand in it. But, I suspect, Hamilton's heart and mind was not very far behind. The discipline he displayed right through the race was unbelievable for a driver who just a few days ago looked more dangerous than any weapon of mass destruction.

But it was all so very different in Shanghai on Sunday. A clean getaway from pole position followed by a series of fast and consistent laps coupled with conventional strategy culminated in a dominant victory.

Hamilton was like Michael Schumacher in disguise. The level of commitment, the strength of character and the ability to make it a one-car race were indicative of a bygone era. There was not a single mistake, any instance of misjudgment or even a slight lapse in concentration. It was pure business right from pole to flag.

Hamilton was so dominating that even the next most important part of the race went almost unnoticed - the battle for second place which was settled on lap 49 when Kimi Raikkonen took his foot off the pedal to allow his Ferrari teammate to overtake and finish second.

Yet it was not enough for Hamilton to secure his maiden world title and become the first black and the youngest Formula One champion. If he had managed it, that is if he had beaten Massa by a six-point margin, it would have been on his merit alone and on his terms.

Fittingly it would have been 50 years to the day since Britain had its first F1 champion in Mike Hawthorn who was gifted the second place by his Ferrari teammate Phil Hill at the Casablanca Grand Prix in 1958. It put him one point ahead of his nearest rival and compatriot Stirling Moss in the championship race.

Hamilton may still win the title without having to seek any favour in the final race in Brazil on November 2. The key to it will be discipline again as team boss Ron Dennis emphasised on the team radio soon after Hamilton had taken the chequered flag at Shanghai.

If you remember, the present scenario is strikingly similar to the one we saw last year. Hamilton had a seven-point lead over Raikkonen (105 to 97) and needed a fifth place finish in the final race to become the first rookie champion. He started the race from second on the grid but a series of mistakes, including jamming his transmission into neutral, led to his misfortune.

Hamilton eventually finished seventh and lost the title to Raikkonen, who was allowed to pass by Massa, by a solitary point. The plot and the protagonists are the same this year too with Renault's Fernando Alonso providing an extra dimension having vowed support to Massa.

So Hamilton has a tricky battle ahead of him. He will not only have to keep an eye on the Ferrari pair but also be wary of Alonso.

Statistically, Hamilton has the edge. He needs to finish fifth or higher to secure the title solely on merit. He can also win the title by finishing sixth or seventh. But that is if Massa fails to win the race.

If Hamilton comes eighth he will need Massa to finish not higher than third. Hamilton can also win without actually winning any points at Interlagos ... if Massa finishes third or below.

By contrast, Massa wins if Hamilton is sixth or lower. Sixth place for the Briton would bring them level on points, but Massa will claim the title by virtue of more victories.

The Brazilian can also win it if he finishes second and Hamilton is eighth or lower. In case they tie on 95 points, Massa's greater number of second places would count in his favour.

Quite heady stuff! Here's something to lighten the mood. The great Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio won the title for Ferrari in 1956 beating his great rival Moss of Maserati by three points, thanks to a 'gift' from his teammate Peter Collins.

No, Collins did not allow Fangio to pass, like Raikkonen allowed Massa to overtake on Sunday or Massa allowed Raikkonen to win in Brazil last year or Rubens Barrichello handed Michael Schumacher a win under orders in Austria six years ago.

It was far more simple - Collins handed over his car to Fangio during the race!