SEBASTIAN VETTEL NOTCHED up his tenth win of the 2011 season in Korea on Sunday morning, wrapping up the constructors’ title for Red Bull in the process.
The German started second on the grid – beaten to pole by a superb lap from Lewis Hamilton 24 hours earlier – but nipped by the Briton into Turn 4 on the first lap to lead the event virtually from start to finish.
The German pulled away and even a Safety Car period – following a clash between Vitaly Petrov and Michael Schumacher on lap 17 – could not help Hamilton keep in touch. In fact, the former world champion had to battle hard to retain second in the face of a sustained challenge from Red Bull’s other racer, Mark Webber.
The Australian was never more than two seconds behind Hamilton. Good timing and work from McLaren’s pit crew allowed their man stay in front until the chequered flag, though Webber got ahead briefly with a couple of laps remaining – only for his rival to retake the position two corners later with the help of his KERS and DRS systems.
Jenson Button finished fourth, despite dropping back to sixth initially, with the Ferrari pair of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa fifth and sixth despite suffering with tyre problems. Jaime Alguersuari, Nico Rosberg, Sebastien Buemi and Paul Di Resta completed the top ten finishers.
Final race results from Korea GP >>>>
“I think it is good to see that the whole team keeps on pushing,” Vettel said in the post-race press conference. “In terms of preparation it wasn’t ideal, as I think most of us were a bit tipsy after the last race after the Sunday night but we clearly deserved that.
“Now to come here and after a tough Friday and tough Saturday morning to come back in qualifying and then in the race… the car was fantastic.”
Hamilton concluded: “It is a good weekend for me – compared to what I have had in the past – so I am happy.
“I would never question my belief in myself, so that’s not really something that needs doing.
“I have got the trust and the confidence from the team so it is really just about trying to stay out of trouble, stay out of the stewards’ office and just keep my head down and hope for better results.”