Button wins, Vettel is champ

Jenson Button won the Japanese Grand Prix as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel finally clinched the Formula One World Championship.

Vettel celebrated back-to-back titles with a podium finish while Button enjoyed winning at the famous Suzuka track.

The race started with Vettel and Button both enjoying good starts, with Vettel on pole drifting over to the right to block Button who was attempting to squeeze down the inside, with two wheels on the grass Button was forced to lift off to allow Vettel into the first corner in the lead, while McLaren's Lewis Hamilton took second place around the outside of Button.

The move from Vettel was investigated by the race stewards, but no action was taken.

After just eight laps Lewis Hamilton was beginning to lose grip and performance from his tyres and Button re-took second place before Hamilton headed for his first pit-stop of the race which started the ball rolling as all the leaders drifted into the pits over the next few laps for new boots.

It was a case of as you were for the next ten or so laps as Vettel was unable to pull away from the chasing pack of Button and Alonso, while rather predictably following all the talk during the week, Hamilton and Massa once again found themselves getting closer and closer on the race track.

On lap 20 the leaders began to filter in for the second round of pit-stops, Vettel was the first to blink which ultimately lost him the lead of the race to Button who pitted one lap later and came out in front of the Red Bull.



With Hamilton waiting for his turn to pit, the Brit began to struggle with his tyres and on the entrance to the chicane at the end of the lap Massa took the outside line, with Hamilton drifting over to the racing line to take the corner, the two cars touched, with Massa's car shedding parts as Hamilton headed immediately for the pit-lane.

Just like the incident between Vettel and Button at the start of the race, this incident was also investigated by the race stewards, with no action taken against either driver.

Hamilton and Massa were not the only drivers getting in a tangle as Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher also managed to collide and while all four drivers escaped with minimal damage, the safety car was brought out to clear up the debris from the various places on the track, some drivers in the midfield managed to take advantage and pit under the safety car, but at the front, Button just backed the pack up before racing away to re-start the race.

Within three laps the leaders were pitting once again and Hamilton managed to gain back the place that he lost from the previous round of pit stops with a nice and clean move on Massa.

All the leaders had swapped from the softer compound tyre to the harder rubber and this would be their last scheduled stop and while Vettel threatened Alonso for a couple of laps and then Alonso threatened Button as the Ferrari hunted down the McLaren, there would be no more action amongst the leaders and Button took the victory.

The race ended with Button celebrating the win and Vettel celebrating the championship.