Hamilton has a strong track record in wet conditions

McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh says Lewis Hamilton's wet-weather skills may prove the difference in the race for the drivers' championship this season.

Hamilton's lead over Ferrari's Felipe Massa in the standings has been cut to a point following recent errors.

With four races left, Whitmarsh expects the weather to play a significant role.

"It will boil down to which team and driver make the fewest mistakes. Ally that to Lewis's fearsome abilities in the rain and we're confident," he said.

Formula One's first ever night race is up next in Singapore, followed by Grands Prix in Japan, China and Brazil - all of which have been hit by rain in recent years.

"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 we've been very encouraged by the performance of the car in the wet this year," added Whitmarsh.

Hamilton has proven himself a master in the wet over the past 12 months, winning in Japan, Monaco and Silverstone.

But the rain did not help Hamilton at last week's Italian Grand Prix, with some questionable decisions by his team seeing him qualify back in 15th place.

Having battled up into second place at one point during the race, Hamilton slipped back to seventh after being fitted with a second set of wet tyres when intermediates were required. Massa ended the race one place ahead of him.

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"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.

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