SHANGHAI, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) - McLaren boss Ron Dennis on Sunday defended his team and Lewis Hamilton after the British rookie's dream of clinching the world championship at the Chinese Grand Prix ended with him out of the race.

Hamilton was running second - which would have been enough for him to become the first rookie and youngest driver to clinch the world title - when he slid into the gravel as he headed to the pits for a tyre change.

The 22-year-old sensation was understandably upset and made a hasty getaway from the circuit after watching his two nearest rivals, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, finish first and second on the wet speedway.

"It's too extreme to say anyone made a mistake in this. It has been a very competitive season between our drivers and it will go on for another Grand Prix," Dennis told reporters.

"I don't think we (the team) did anything dramatically wrong and neither did Lewis. But the circuit was considerably drier than the pit lane entrance. That's what made the difference."

The championship will now be decided later this month at the final race of the season in Brazil, with Hamilton leading teammate Alonso by four points and Ferrari's Raikkonen by seven.

With so much at stake in China, some observers expressed surprise that Hamilton was not called into the pits earlier when his tyres were clearly badly worn, but Dennis refused to engage in a game of 'what if'.

"It was easy to say, we could have stopped earlier, but would it have made a difference?" he said.

"All the top teams - Ferrari and ourselves - were trying to get through the rain and straight onto a dry tyre."

Dennis had nothing but praise for his British rookie sensation.

"He's been very controlled, and very disappointed," the McLaren boss said.

"He said he was very disappointed to the team - and he acknowledged his part in the whole thing.

"But he's part of the team, this isn't an individual sport and that's the most important thing to appreciate when you're part of a team - we take the pain together, we take the pleasure together."