Lewis Hamilton says his failure to win the Formula One championship in China this month has made him more relaxed and stronger ahead of Sunday's Brazilian title decider.

"It definitely didn't make me more nervous. If anything, it took pressure off my shoulders and I think I came out of it even stronger," McLaren's 22-year-old British rookie said on Thursday.

"I thought it would knock my confidence and put me on the back foot, but I went away and thought about the weekend and I think now I'm even stronger than I was, for whatever reason," he added.

"It was a good learning experience and coming here, I feel a lot different compared to the last race. In the last race, all the pressure was building up and everything was going on, on the Thursday and the Friday, and it wasn't a great weekend.

"But I feel totally relaxed now and fully confident in the team and our ability to challenge for the title," said Hamilton, who relaxed at his parents' home in England after returning from China. He leads team-mate Fernando Alonso by four points, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen another three behind.

The rookie had a 12-point advantage over Alonso before the race in Shanghai, but failed to score points after skidding out on worn tyres. Raikkonen won with Alonso second.