German Sebastian Vettel has claimed his second straight Formula One title, finishing third behind Jenson Button in the Japanese Grand Prix.
The young Red Bull star needed just one point to take the title if Button won the race, but outstripped that target, earning 15 points. The 24-year-old, the series’ youngest two-time champion, has won nine races this season for Red Bull.
“We’ve had a long year, a fantastic year,” Vettel said afterwards.“Today’s race was difficult. We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be on the soft tires, but it was a strong result to win the championships and I want to thank the team.”
Button raced to his third win of the season for McLaren, and gained more of a foothold on the second place in the overall standings.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was second, and remains third overall.
After a series of disappointment, Russia’s Lotus Renault driver Vitaly Petrov earned his first points in weeks by finishing ninth.