Pressure mounts on Hamilton as he faces his title test

Hamilton was facing a 10-place demotion on the starting grid for Sunday's race as punishment for alleged erratic driving on his way to victory in Japan last weekend.

That makes it imperative for the Formula One rookie to finish as high up the timing chart as possible in tomorrow's vital qualifying session.

Unfortunately, the omen's did not look good after Hamilton was out-driven by Ferrari's Raikkonen and McLaren team-mate Alonso, who go into the penultimate round of the title chase still in with outside chances of pipping the British youngster to the championship.

Raikkonen was fastest round the 3.387-mile Shanghai circuit with a time of 1min 37.024sec. World champion Alonso was less than a tenth of a second slower, with Raikkonen's Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa surviving a spin to take third place in the listings.

Hamilton also went off the track during his final lap, so the 22-year-old had to settle for fourth place.

Ahead of a verdict on charges that erratic driving caused Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel to collide during a chaotic Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton is due to go into the penultimate round of the title chase with 107 points. That is 12 more than his bitter Spanish rival Alonso and 17 ahead of Finland's Raikkonen.

There are a maximum of 20 points to be won in China and the season's finale in Brazil on 21 October.

Hamilton holds a 12-point lead over McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso

Given that Vettel has already been handed a 10-place grid penalty for this weekend's race for his part in the incident, a similar punishment would seem more likely for Hamilton.

So, if Hamilton escapes today's crash inquiry with his points intact, he can become the first rookie to win the championship on Sunday if:

• he wins the Chinese Grand Prix

• outscores both Alonso and Raikkonen

• Alonso scores fewer than two points and Raikkonen finishes outside the top two

Damon Hill, who claimed Britain's last title triumph in 1996, urged Hamilton supporters to set their alarms for Sunday morning to watch on television.

"I suggest everybody gets up early," he said. "You can't help but get wrapped up in this.

"Motor sport fans across the world, not just in the UK, will want to see the end to this incredible story. Lewis is such an amazing example of a sportsman and a role model that everybody should be right behind him."