Not even Jenson Button’s victory at the Japanese Grand Prix kept the 24-year-old Spanish driver from winning his second title at the Japanese Grand Prix.
With the battle for No. two in the championship boiling hot between McLaren British drivers Jenson Button (185 points) & Lewis Hamilton (168 pts), Spaniard Fernando Alonso from Ferrari (184 pts) & Australian Mark Webber from Red Bull Racing (182 pts). The race at Suzuka Circuit wasn’t going to an simple ride through its 53 laps for Vettel, since as former World Champions these drivers were only used to giving all they got, despite no longer fighting for the title.
Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix all that separated defending champion Sebastian Vettel from renewing his title was point. The 24-year-old Spanish driver had not abandoned a single race in the 2011 Formula one season, where after 15 events his worst result had been a 4th place. At Suzuka Circuit they was going to start the race from the pole position, setting the ideal conditions to clinch that missing point & claim his second consecutive championship.
Vettel was going to fall down more position, since with ten laps to go they received orders not to risk the race when they was challenged by Alonso, who claimed No. two. The 24-year-old driver only needed more point to become the youngest two-time F1 World Champion, & with the third place they was securing 15 points.
In the first lap Button claimed through his radio a penalty on Vettel, who had evidently blocked his way, & if it wasn’t because the British driver used his breaks on time & put his wheels on the grass, both of them could have ended up abandoning the race. Button’s first try to pass through the Spanish had not been successful, & neither his complaint, but they was going to get his revenge after lap twenty, when Vettel’s second pit cease of the race allowed him to claim No. one.
On their way to the podium Button desired to know why Vettel had blocked his way on lap one, to which the Spanish replied that they “didn’t need to put him in danger”, but they thinks that thinking about the fact that they was ahead of Button, than besides him, they had the right to defend his position.
In the work of the celebrations, which were not extended for much time, since the energy drink squad had to pack everything & start preparing the upcoming Korean GP to be disputed this weekend at Yeongam, Vettel excused himself for not finding the right words to express his feelings, but highlighted that they “couldn’t have done this without all the support from the team.”
Despite having secured title with races still to go, Vettel has more reasons to keep him motivated, such as tying the pole position record hold by Nigel Mansell since 1992 with 14, over the 12 that the Spanish has won this season. Therefore you can expect more from the champion at Korea.