23-year-old Lewis Hamilton could become Formula One's youngest world champion in Brazil on Sunday at the same circuit where last year he buckled under pressure and blew his chance.

In last year's astonishing finale, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen clawed back a seven-point deficit to prevent Hamilton becoming the first rookie to take the title. This year, the McLaren driver has to finish fifth to become Britain's first champion since Damon Hill in 1996 and his team's first since Mika Hakkinen in 1999. But that proved beyond him at Interlagos last year, despite starting on the front row, when Hamilton finished seventh. The youngest world champion to date is Renault's Fernando Alonso from Spain, who won his first title in 2005 at 24 years.