The McLaren driver was level-pegging on points with Felipe Massa as formula one headed to Singapore for the inaugural night race.
But the safety car appeared on track after Nelson Piquet’s crash on lap 14 of the race and a botched pit-stop from the Ferrari team, where Felipe Massa was released from his pit-stop before refueling was complete, allowed Hamilton to build a points advantage in the standings over the Brazilian.
It has been claimed that, if Renault had not cheated, Massa would have been crowned world champion at the final race of the season in Brazil but Hamilton insists he was not aiming for a win in Singapore.
'I am a worthy world champion. I have got the number one on my car and I deserved it,' Hamilton was quoted as saying by the News of the World.
'When you are leading the championship it is a different mind-set to when you are chasing.
'I was just thinking about the championship in the remaining races and getting the points I needed to win the title.
He continued: 'If I had needed wins I would have gone for them.
'I was driving with one eye on the world championship and wasn't going to take too many risks. I was happy to finish on the podium.'
Hamilton went on to say that, had he not been penalised at last year’s Belgian grand prix for gaining an advantage at the Bus Stop chicane while battling with Kimi Raikkonen, he would have been in a much stronger position going into the final race at Interlagos.
'There are things that happened last year with penalties that affected my points,' said Hamilton.
'And I still think I won in Belgium. I think that was my race.'
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