Hamilton not interested in rising to Alonso bait

The Spaniard, who last week announced he would be prepared to help Massa beat Hamilton, said: "If Felipe wins the race and I am second or third, I will be happy for him to take as many points as possible."

Asked for a reaction, a stone-faced Hamilton replied: "I don't particularly have an opinion on what others say. I'm focusing on my job.

"If we can be competitive this weekend we will try to get points and be up front. What the others do is up to them."

Significantly, Hamilton revealed he would not alter his aggressive driving style despite the criticism he took for running Kimi Raikkonen off the track in Japan while trying to make up for a botched start from pole position.

Hamilton, who finished out of the points in Fuji after incurring a drive-through penalty, insisted his approach would be "the same as always".

He went on: "The car is very competitive. We were very quick here last year and should, perhaps, be more competitive this year. It will be a very tough weekend, but we have to keep pushing away and do the best we can."

Hamilton claimed he is no longer haunted by his nightmare race in Shanghai 12 months ago when, in his rookie season, the championship began to slip from his grasp.

Back then he lined up on pole position heading Alonso by 12 points, with Raikkonen seemingly out of contention 17 points behind.

But during a dramatic Grand Prix in which Alonso crashed in pouring rain, McLaren made a monumental error in keeping Hamilton out on a drying track with rapidly deteriorating tyres.

When he was eventually called in, shortly after Raikkonen had taken the lead, Hamilton slid off the pit lane entry and into a gravel bed where he beached his car. It proved a critical moment in the championship as Raikkonen went on to win the race and the subsequent title-decider in Brazil to pip Hamilton to the title by a single point.

Hamilton admitted he has been reliving the moment when his car slipped off the tarmac. He said: "Sometimes I've been on YouTube and seen a video clip or a picture of me in the gravel last year and thought, Damn! That shouldn't have happened.' But it was a mistake which taught me a lot about my personality and my life, and I'm stronger for it."