A laid-back Lewis Hamilton insisted he was "just chilling" as he delivered a wet-weather masterclass to triumph in a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix and take the championship battle to the deciding race of the season.

Hamilton will head to Abu Dhabi in a fortnight's time 12 points behind Nico Rosberg after he blew away his Mercedes team-mate and title rival for a third consecutive grand prix.

Rosberg would have been crowned champion had he won at a rain-soaked Interlagos on Sunday - but Hamilton kept his cool in a marathon race which was suspended on two occasions and took more than three hours to complete as persistent rain wreaked havoc in Sao Paulo.

As chaos erupted behind him - including one of the sport's finest performances in recent memory as Max Verstappen roared from 16th to third in the closing stages - Hamilton, who started from pole position, never looked under threat, as he ensured a second title shootout in three years in the desert later this month.

"I was generally just chilling out front," Hamilton said. "When it rains, it is usually a good day for me.

Hamilton celebrates with Rosberg on the podium (Getty)

"There were no mistakes, no issues, no spins. It was interesting to hear how many people were spinning behind me, but I didn't have that problem.

"Today was one of the most difficult, in terms of it being wet, but it was probably the most smooth-sailing race I have ever had in 10 years."

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Hamilton, who punched his fist in the air after winning in Brazil - the home of his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna - for a first time, has not given up hope of winning the title. For Rosberg, a top-three finish in Abu Dhabi however, will be enough.

"I am hunting," Hamilton added. "All I can do is what I am doing right now. The team have given me a great car and finally the reliability has been really good so the results have shown that.

"I am going to give it everything I have got in Abu Dhabi, but right now I am going to live in the moment."