Hamilton has a slick win

OYAMA, Japan -- Lewis Hamilton won a wet-and-wild Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, giving him a 12-point lead in the drivers standings over McLaren teammate and defending champion Fernando Alonso, who crashed out of the race.

Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen was second and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was third in a rainy race that had spins, bumps and crashes throughout its 67 laps.

Hamilton could become the first rookie to win the world title if he finishes with at least an 11-point lead over Alonso next week in China.

Alonso still can win the title but will need a lot of luck in the final two races.

His luck deserted him at the Fuji Speedway when he spun and hit the wall hard on the 42nd lap. His car stopped in the middle of the track, surrounded by debris. Helped out of the car, the Spaniard stayed behind a fence for a few laps to contemplate what happened before leaving.

Alonso said there was too much water on the track to control his car.

“When I was braking for Turn 5, I just aquaplaned the car and spun,” he said. “Unfortunately, the walls at that corner are very close to the track, so I hit the barrier heavily, and that was it.”

That led the way to Hamilton’s fourth victory this season, tying him with Alonso and Raikkonen for the most.

“I think for me one of the most, if not the most, difficult races I had to do,” Hamilton said. “It is a big boost in terms of confidence and my drive to be world champion.”

Alonso hasn’t given up hopes of a third title in a row.

“I’m not throwing in the towel,” he said. “But unless there is a retirement from Hamilton, we have to be realistic and see that it’s very hard to recover six points per race.”