Vettel victory
October 10, 2010
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel sped to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, beating out teammate Mark Webber.
The victory in Suzuka was Vettel's first top finish since he took the European Grand Prix in Valencia in June and puts him into third place overall in the drivers' championship ranking.
The German edged out his rivals for this year's title in a tight race, eclipsing Australian teammate Webber who crossed the line less than a second behind.
"It was an incredible day, obviously," Vettel said. "A good start was the key. Both of us were able to pull away from the field and then we controlled the race."
Alonso in third
Third place went to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who is now equal with Vettel on 206 points in the standings with the pair trailing Webber on 220. Webber managed to extend his lead in the world championship to 14 points with three races remaining.
McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth respectively.
German Nico Rosberg, who was in sixth place, crashed into a wall allowing his fellow German Mercedes teammate and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher to move into his spot.
Vettel's win was the eighth of his career. He joins the likes of Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to win consecutive races at Suzuka.
Author: Gregg Benzow (dpa/AFP/Reuters)
Editor: Martin Kuebler