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Vettel makes history with second title
Source: Agencies |
October 10, 2011, Monday
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RED Bull's Sebastian Vettel roared into the record books as Formula One's youngest double world champion yesterday after finishing third at the Japanese Grand Prix won by McLaren rival Jenson Button.
The boyish 24-year-old German, who had started from pole position for the 12th time this season, had needed only a point at Suzuka to clinch his second successive crown with four races to spare.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double world champion when he won for Renault aged 25 in 2006, was a close second to Button on a beautiful sunlit afternoon at the Honda-owned circuit.
"Thank you so much, every single one," Vettel said, his voice trembling with emotion, over the team radio after being told he was the 2011 world champion.
"We took nothing for granted and we did it."
There was to be no trademark raised digit as race winner but he was No. 1 again anyway, only the ninth driver, after Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jack Brabham, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Alonso, to take back-to-back championships and on the podium for the 14th time in 15 races this year.
Vettel, congratulated by both Button and Alonso, now has 324 points to Button's 210 and Alonso's 202.
He had vowed to retain the title in style and his aggression and determination was evident from the start as he cut across Button and forced the Briton onto the grass.
The German pulled away initially at a second a lap but 2009 champion Button reined him in and took the lead at his second pit-stop when he emerged just ahead of Vettel in a race dictated by tire wear.
A safety car incident triggered by another coming together between McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa, as well as a contact between Red Bull's Mark Webber and Mercedes' Schumacher, bunched up the field for three laps while marshals retrieved debris.
Button kept his lead and took the checkered flag, just 1.1 seconds over Alonso.
"It was a great race, the start was very good - maybe too good and I ended up on the grass," grinned Button, ecstatic at his third win of the season and 12th of his career.
Alonso had threatened to take the win but Button had just enough in his tires to keep him at bay. Vettel was only 0.8 seconds further back. The win cut Vettel's overall lead over the Briton to 114 points, an insurmountable advantage with a total of 100 left to be won.
Hamilton, who has had numerous calls to the authorities this season, finished fifth after stewards took no further action for the incident with Massa that ripped off the Ferrari's front wing endplate.
Australian Webber, still without a win this year, was fourth for Red Bull, which has 518 points to McLaren's 388 and could wrap up the constructors' championship in South Korea this weekend.
Schumacher was sixth and Massa seventh. In a race of only one retirement, Mexican Sergio Perez was seventh for Sauber ahead of Renault's Russian Vitaly Petrov.
Germany's Nico Rosberg, who started on the back row after failing to set a lap in qualifying, took the final point.
The boyish 24-year-old German, who had started from pole position for the 12th time this season, had needed only a point at Suzuka to clinch his second successive crown with four races to spare.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double world champion when he won for Renault aged 25 in 2006, was a close second to Button on a beautiful sunlit afternoon at the Honda-owned circuit.
"Thank you so much, every single one," Vettel said, his voice trembling with emotion, over the team radio after being told he was the 2011 world champion.
"We took nothing for granted and we did it."
There was to be no trademark raised digit as race winner but he was No. 1 again anyway, only the ninth driver, after Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jack Brabham, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Alonso, to take back-to-back championships and on the podium for the 14th time in 15 races this year.
Vettel, congratulated by both Button and Alonso, now has 324 points to Button's 210 and Alonso's 202.
He had vowed to retain the title in style and his aggression and determination was evident from the start as he cut across Button and forced the Briton onto the grass.
The German pulled away initially at a second a lap but 2009 champion Button reined him in and took the lead at his second pit-stop when he emerged just ahead of Vettel in a race dictated by tire wear.
A safety car incident triggered by another coming together between McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa, as well as a contact between Red Bull's Mark Webber and Mercedes' Schumacher, bunched up the field for three laps while marshals retrieved debris.
Button kept his lead and took the checkered flag, just 1.1 seconds over Alonso.
"It was a great race, the start was very good - maybe too good and I ended up on the grass," grinned Button, ecstatic at his third win of the season and 12th of his career.
Alonso had threatened to take the win but Button had just enough in his tires to keep him at bay. Vettel was only 0.8 seconds further back. The win cut Vettel's overall lead over the Briton to 114 points, an insurmountable advantage with a total of 100 left to be won.
Hamilton, who has had numerous calls to the authorities this season, finished fifth after stewards took no further action for the incident with Massa that ripped off the Ferrari's front wing endplate.
Australian Webber, still without a win this year, was fourth for Red Bull, which has 518 points to McLaren's 388 and could wrap up the constructors' championship in South Korea this weekend.
Schumacher was sixth and Massa seventh. In a race of only one retirement, Mexican Sergio Perez was seventh for Sauber ahead of Renault's Russian Vitaly Petrov.
Germany's Nico Rosberg, who started on the back row after failing to set a lap in qualifying, took the final point.
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