SAO PAULO, Brazil–Lewis Hamilton was satisfied with his fourth-place qualifying run, and acknowledged he'd be happy with the same finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix as it would guarantee his first Formula One title.
"We don't need to do anything spectacular," Hamilton said after qualifying yesterday. "Tomorrow, I will be focusing on my own race.
"We are in a good position to finish in the same place as we are today – that's got to be our aim."
The odds are in 23-year-old Hamilton's favour of becoming the youngest ever F1 champion, and the first from Briton since Damon Hill in 1996.
Also F1's first black driver, he doesn't even need to win today's race to clinch the title. If his only other rival for the title, Felipe Massa, fails to cross the line in first or second, Hamilton will automatically win the championship.
His satisfaction with a grid start from fourth underscores his attempt to take a more relaxed approach to the last race of the season compared to last year.
A year ago, in his spectacular rookie season, Hamilton also arrived at Interlagos with a seven-point lead over eventual champion Kimi Raikkonen.
But he admitted he buckled under the pressure, made a mistake on the first lap, and a subsequent gear shift problem dropped him to seventh place, conceding the title by one point to Raikkonen.
This time, McLaren team principal Ron Dennis wants Hamilton to be extra conservative.
"Our focus is to avoid any trouble at the start," Dennis said. ``(Then) our drivers should be in a position to put in strong, competitive performances."
Massa took the pole position for the season-ending race. Hamilton was nearly half a second slower than Massa, but hinted that his time was the consequence of a heavier fuel load.
"It will be a tough afternoon, but I'm comfortable with the fuel strategy we chose," Hamilton said. "The guys in front are probably on a different strategy."
No McLaren driver has won in Brazil since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2005. Ferrari has won the race for the last two years, with Massa in 2006 and Raikkonen in 2007.
In addition to the drivers' title, McLaren is also focused on the constructors' championship.
The British team trails Ferrari by 11 points.
