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Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany tosses the trophy after winning the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit. Greg Baker/AP/Press Association Images
F1

Eastern promise: Vettel on the brink of Formula One crown after Japan win

The Red Bull star had to overcome team-mate Mark Webber in hard-fought race at Sazuka.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL IS is within 11 points of the Formula One drivers’ title after a hard-fought Japanese Grand Prix triumph on Sunday.

The Red Bull star had to overcome team-mate Mark Webber, who had qualified on pole, and Romain Grosjean, who jumped them both off the line, but superior strategy allowed him to get ahead of both in the closing stages of the race.

Lotus’ Grosjean ultimately came in third, unable to hold off a determined Webber in the last few laps.

A fourth consecutive drivers’ title was in sight for Vettel, but Fernando Alonso finished fourth, giving him no chance of sealing the championship at Suzuka, although the German now has a 90-point lead over the Spaniard, with 100 left to race for.

Mercedes suffered a horrible race day as Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire after just nine laps, while Nico Rosberg was unable to make an impression on the race.

With all the focus on Webber, Vettel and Hamilton, it was Grosjean who surprised everyone as he exploded off the line and past the stalling Red Bulls.

Hamilton also tried to take advantage as he moved up the inside of Vettel, but clipped the German’s front wing. While the damage to the Red Bull was minimal, the Brit’s rear-right tyre was punctured, and he was retired just eight laps later due to high brake temperatures.

Vettel and Webber were each instructed to save their tyres, allowing Grosjean to remain in front and set quick lap times.

As the first batch of pit-stops got under way, Rosberg’s race was compromised by his engineers releasing him right into the path of McLaren’s Sergio Perez and resulting in a drive-through penalty for the German, bumping him down the field.

It was the next set of stops that went a long way to deciding the race. Webber pitted early in an attempt to undercut Grosjean, but the Frenchman kept himself ahead, while Vettel began reeling the Frenchman in as he switched his focus away from his team-mate.

Webber’s early tyre change meant he would require another later in the race, while Vettel came out from his final stop behind Grosjean, but with 15 laps remaining to overhaul him.

However, he only needed three to make the move stick down the pit straight and he quickly went about pulling away from Grosjean, who was unable to hold off the challenge of Webber on much fresher tyres and had to settle for third after being passed with two laps to go.

Alonso had to fight for fourth place with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, who put in another fine weekend’s work as he looks for a top drive next season and finished sixth, just behind Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus.

Hulkenberg’s team-mate Esteban Gutierrez picked up his first F1 points in seventh, with Rosberg, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Felipe Massa rounding off the top 10.

But the focus will all be on Vettel after his fourth win in five years at Suzuka, and his fifth straight victory, with the German needing to only finish fourth in India next time out to confirm the crown.

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Looking good, Sean! It’s the sporting tweets of the week