Vettel wins in Brazilposted in F107 | 11 | 2010
THE FIGHT for the Formula One World Championship will be decided at next weekend's grand prix in Abu Dhabi after Sebastian Vettel dominated the penultimate race in Brazil.
The German led a Red Bull 1-2 ahead of team-mate Mark Webber and in doing so clinched the Constructors' Championship for the team. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished third.
The result means the Spaniard heads to Abu Dhabi leading Webber by just eight points, with Vettel a further seven adrift. McLaren's Lewis hamilton, who finishe fourth, still has an outside chance of lifting the title. The 2008 world champ, whose team-mate Jenson Button was fifth, is 24 points behind Alonso with only 25 available.
Vettel led into the first corner of the race after powering past the Williams of polesitter Nico Hulkenberg and was never headed. In a display of awesome power and precision, Vettel controlled the race from start to finish and remains optimistic he can lift the championship next Sunday..
"I think so. If it was 26 it would be impossible, but 16 is possible," Vettel said. "I don't wish anything bad for Alonso, but I wouldn't be sad to see some Ferrari smoke. We are racing and pushing ourselves to the limit. I have to focus on myself, get the best out of the car, and try to repeat and try to win the race there and then we see where he is finishing ... or probably not. In a week's time, we will know."
World championship leader Alonso admitted he faces a stressful weekend at the Yas Marina as he bids to become the youngest driver ever to win three world championships.
"I need second place if Mark wins to be champion, a fifth if Seb wins so we see what happens," Alonso explained. "We saw today very easily how things can change, with safety cars, some things change and others not. If you make the wrong decision at the wrong moment you can be eighth or ninth and the title can be over.
"It is going to be a stressful weekend for all of us, but this is F1 and anything can happen next weekend. We all start from zero and we'll see who does a better job in seven days' time."
Hamilton meanwhile believes he needs a miracle to lift his second championship.
"We just weren't quick enough here and we won't be quick enough in Abu Dhabi," Hamilton said. "Realistically, we need a miracle. But I'll keep trying, we have nothing to lose now. It was a tough race, the car was nowhere, I had no grip. I feel quite lucky to have finished where I finished.
"The car didn't feel like it did in practice, down the straights particularly. I didn't think the F-duct was working because I was struggling to overtake backmarkers and Fernando shot by on the straight. But the team did a great job with the strategy, you just can't win with a car that's not quick enough."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, meanwhile, celebrated the Constructors' Championship.
"Inevitably for the team the constructors' is where they are measured against their peers in the pit lane," the Englishman said. "From the team point of view the constructors' is the one that is held most closely to people's hearts. To the public, the drivers' is what has the most prestige attached to it. In different ways within the team they have an equal value."
Brazilian GP Result: 1 Vettel; 2 Webber; 3 Alonso; 4 Hamilton; 5 Button; 6 Rosberg; 7 Schumacher; 8 Hulkenberg; 9 Kubica; 10 Kobayashi.
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Jim McGill
(Photo: Getty Images)