Sebastian Vettel wins to keep title race alive
Baku, November 7 (AZERTAC). Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber to a Red Bull one-two in the Brazilian Grand Prix to take the world title fight to the final race of the season.
Ferrari`s Fernando Alonso took third place to retain the championship lead from Webber and Vettel.
Red Bull`s formation finish ensured they clinched the constructors` championship for the first time.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth and retains a slim title chance while Jenson Button`s fifth means he cannot retain his crown.
Alonso can afford to finish second in Abu Dhabi and still take the title if Webber wins, or fourth if Vettel does.
Hamilton is 24 points adrift of Alonso and would need his rivals to all have disastrous final races to win a second drivers` crown. Alonso leads Webber by eight points and Vettel by 15.
Vettel, 23, dominated in Brazil after taking the lead from surprise pole position man Nico Hulkenberg of Williams at the start.
Webber followed Vettel past the Williams at Turn Four on the first lap, and the two Red Bulls romped away.
Webber, who was having to nurse an overheating engine from about mid-distance, was never more than three seconds behind but although he pushed his team-mate hard, Vettel was always in control. Webber said the engine was "right on the edge".
Button, starting in 11th place, made an early pit stop for tyres from 10th place on lap 11 to get out of a long line of traffic that was being held up by Hulkenberg.
That gave him some laps in clear air, and he made the most of them, so that by lap 20 he had made up so much ground that Hamilton would have lost fourth place if McLaren did not pit him for his own fresh set of tyres.
Hamilton duly pitted, and rejoined just in front of his team-mate.
Button`s pace on his new tyres triggered a strong of copycat stops from the midfield runners, from which Hulkenberg emerged as the big loser.
Pitting from fourth place on lap 13, with a chain of several cars behind him, by the time the pit stops were done, he was down in 10th, lacking the dry pace to stay ahead of his rivals.