LONDON, ENGLAND - Lewis Hamilton will win the Formula One world drivers' championship if the remaining four races are rain-affected, the Briton's McLaren boss said Wednesday.

Hamilton, 23, has just a one point lead over Ferrari's Felipe Massa ahead of the September 28 inaugural night race in Singapore.

Fuji in Japan, where the series continues, is known for being hit by torrential downpours while bad weather can be a factor at the subsequent Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

During the last year Hamilton, who nearly took the title in his rookie campaign, has won in the wet in Japan, Monaco and at Silverstone.

And he might have done so again at Monza last weekend, where he finished seventh, but for some tactical errors by the team .

"We've been very encouraged by the performance of the car in the wet this year," said Martin Whitmarsh, the chief executive of British-based McLaren.

"Last year we felt the performance differential to our chief rivals was decidedly more marked - there were some circuits where we were clearly ahead, and others where we lacked race-winning pace.

"Given this year has shown Ferrari and ourselves to be remarkably evenly matched, the car's performance in unusual weather conditions could prove decisive," he added.

"Looking ahead, while Singapore is something of an unknown quantity, I think we've all experienced wet races in Japan, China and Brazil, so we feel well prepared.

"And allied to Lewis' fearsome abilities in the rain, we have every reason to feel confident we'll be ready to capitalise on any untoward conditions."

Whitmarsh said a lack of errors, as much as driver brilliance or inspired pit-lane decisions, would decide whether McLaren or Italian rivals Ferrari were celebrating in Brazil.

"With the cars extremely closely-matched, I think it will be hard for either team to establish a decisive advantage in the four final races.

"More importantly, I think this world championship will boil down to whichever team and driver makes the fewest mistakes from now on.

"It's about preparing the cars with immaculate reliability, running them responsibly and not taking any unnecessary risks.

"It will be a tough battle, but we are gearing up for the fight."