FUJI SPEEDWAY, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - Fernando Alonso has admitted his chances of winning a third world championship are hanging by a thread after his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton won a rain-struck Japanese Grand Prix Sunday.

Alonso, who now trails Hamilton by 12 points in the standings, did not finish the race in Fuji. He lost control of his car and with debris all over the track was forced to accept his first retirement of the season.

With only two races remaining, British rookie Hamilton has one hand on the championship crown. If he finishes ahead of his Spanish rival in Shanghai next weekend the title will be his.

A rueful Alonso said after the race: "I´m not throwing in the towel, 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.

"It means winning the two remaining races and expecting him to finish fifth or sixth, so realistically it´s very complicated and we´ll need a retirement from him and he hasn´t had any this year, but maybe it will come in the last two races.

"We have to try doing the maximum and try to win both races, now more than ever, and maybe even with less pressure because we only need to race and wait for a miracle, a retirement from our rival, so maybe I can race more relaxed now."