(CNN) -- Sebastian Vettel insists the Interlagos circuit in Brazil that will host his Formula One title showdown with Fernando Alonso will suit Red Bull as he bids to secure a third successive world title.
The German is tantalizingly close to matching a feat accomplished only twice in the sport's history, by Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher ,but failed to lock down the championship in Austin.
The 25-year-old came second at the United States Grand Prix behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, Alonso finishing third to keep his hopes of a third career F1 crown alive.
Now the teams head to Sao Paulo for the final race of the season, with Vettel needing only to finish in the top four to take title.
And the double world champion has fired an ominous warning to his Spanish rival, claiming the Interlagos circuit is one that he likes, and one that suits his car.
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McLaren's Lewis Hamilton revels in winning the inaugural grand prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.
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"We know that the car works and that is a good basis to build on," he told a press conference after the first U.S. GP for five years.
"So I am looking forward to next weekend. I like that track and the track suits us and we have always done well there. I think anything can happen.
"We've been very quick in Brazil the last couple of years so plenty to look forward to. On top of that, we increased our lead in the championship so I think we are in the best possible position.
"We have been in the game long enough to know how quickly the winds can change -- not only for us -- but also for our competitors.
"What we have to do is go into the race as focused and as determined as we were this weekend. We have to squeeze everything possible out of the race!"
Alonso has a big fight on his hands to win his first world championship since 2006 and lost ground in Texas but he said Ferrari would be giving everything to spoil Vettel's history-making hat-trick.
"We will try to go to Brazil with the possibility to fight for the world championship which is something that we fight for all through the year and we arrived in that fantastic position," he said.
"Only Sebastian is in a better position than us but we should be proud of ourselves so try to enjoy the Brazil race and do our best, fight all the race and see what is the outcome at the end."
Alonso was given a helping hand at the Circuit of the Americas by his teammate Felipe Massa, after the gearbox on the Brazilian's car was deliberately broken, giving him a five-place grid penalty.
That meant Alonso jumped from eighth on the grid to seventh and got to start on the clean side of the track rather than the dusty side near to the pit lane.
Read: Who is Formula One's greatest driver?
It helped the Spaniard gain three places going into the first corner and though the move was seen as unsporting in some quarters, team boss Stefano Domenicali insisted it was made in the spirit of the rules.
"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have done it," he told reporters. "I prefer to be transparent. You can easily simulate something. I felt it was more correct to say the truth.
"When you work for the Ferrari team you know the team was the center of the decision. I have to thank Felipe for that. It is something that is within our possibility to do it.
"We knew before the race that the difference between the two sides of the grid was very high and we knew that if we were thinking of trying to achieve Brazil as the last race it would have been very important to be the front car for the first couple of laps otherwise the race would have been more difficult.
"I have to thank Felipe for that. He drove extremely well all weekend and this is something that is positive for Brazil because we need both our drivers doing a great race if we want to challenge Vettel to win the drivers' title."
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Hamilton's victory means Fernando Alonso (right) can still pip reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel (left) for the title in the final race in Brazil, with one of America's former F1 champs, Mario Andretti, also soaking up the adulation on Sunday.
At the end of 2011, the scant progress at the Austin circuit was further slowed when construction was temporarily shut down.
The prospect of F1 cars flying along at hundreds of miles an hour was hard to imagine during a troubled construction phase.
But after fittingly fast work, the Austin circuit was given its official seal of approval in September.
The world's top drivers go into the first turn of the Austin circuit, as a tortuous journey to get F1 back to the United States officially ends.
F1's hopes of winning over a horde of IndyCar and Nascar fans took a severe dent when just six cars lined up for the start of the 2005 Grand Prix after a row over tire safety.
Supporters were incensed as teams wearing Michelin tires, which had been deemed unsafe after an accident in practice, boycotted the race because of safety concerns.
Between 1976 and 1983, California staged the Long Beach Grand Prix - before the U.S. race lived something of a nomadic existence.
Despite the disappointment of the 2005 race, American F1 fans were out in force for Sunday's race -- with a near-capacity crowd of 117,429 in attendance.
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