Vettel wins for Red Bull in Japan

Vettel wins for Red Bull in Suzuka (Image: Getty)

Sebastian Vettel has won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to keep his world championship hopes alive.

So much for the chance that Jenson Button could sew up the driver’s championship at Suzuka.

The start grid was not what we expected after Q3 on Saturday, after a raft of speeding under a yellow flag penalties were handed out to the drivers in Q3, resulting in Button starting 10th on the grid. And the race didn’t get a lot better for Button, ending up in eighth place with just one point, a place behind team mate Rubens Barrichello who finished in seventh.

But the day belonged to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel who was in control from start to finish, picking up ten points and keeping alive his championship hopes. Hamilton finished a strong third behind Jarno Trulli in the Toyota to maintain the strong end to the season for McLaren.

With just two races to go, Brawn are just 1/2 point off taking the constructors championship and, despite Vettel’s performance today, it still seems likely that Button will take the drivers’ championship. But there is still a possibility that could go to team mate Barrichello or even Vettel, who are 14 and 16 points adrift of Button respectively.

Sadly, despite Button’s barn-storming start to the season, his form of late will probably mean his ultimate world champion status will be diminished. If he does secure the world championship he will have seemed to have done so by stealth, limping home in the latter part of the season by picking up points instead of victories. Maybe history will be kinder, and see the championship as a result of his maturity in not going for a win at every outing. Or maybe it will judge him as a driver who can’t prosper under pressure.

However history judges Button, there is a good chance he will take the championship in the next race in Brazil. He needs only to finish fourth or better – even if Vettel or Barrichello win – to end the their chances and emulate Lewis Hamilton’s championship win at Brazil last year, becoming the 10th British F1 Champion.

But it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.