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Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel edged out teammate Mark Webber on Sunday to win the Japanese Grand Prix and move closer to the Formula One championship lead, writes Jim Armstrong.
Vettel started from pole position at the Suzuka circuit and led for most of the race to defend his Japanese GP title and pressure driver's championship leader Webber.
"It was an incredible day with qualifying in the morning and the win in the afternoon," Vettel said. "It seems like this track was drawn for us. I had a good start which is obviously the key."
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished third to remain in contention for the driver's title.
With three races remaining, Webber leads the championship standings with 220 points, ahead of Vettel and Alonso with 206. Alonso is in second place because he has won more races this season.
McLaren's Jenson Button was fourth followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Vettel crossed the finish line 0.9 seconds ahead of Webber and 2.7 seconds ahead of Alonso. The win is Vettel's third of the season after Valencia and Malaysia.
The race got off to a chaotic start with four drivers - Vitaly Petrov, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Vitantonio Liuzzi - all going out before the first turn had been completed.
Petrov swerved across the track and smashed into the retaining wall before the pack even arrived at the first turn.
Massa tried to move up the inside of the pack and gain position at Turn 1, but he lost control on the grass and went out at the opening corner, taking Liuzzi with him.
Robert Kubica, who started from third on the grid, went out on the second lap when he lost a wheel while in second position. That put the Red Bulls back into first and second.
"It was a bit lucky for us when Robert had the wheel come off," Webber said. "It was virtually impossible for me to overtake Sebastian after that."
Virgin Racing driver Lucas Di Grassi lost control of his car during the installation lap. His car was severely damaged and he didn't start the race.
The next race is scheduled for October 24 in South Korea, but there are concerns the track may not be ready. A final decision on the Korean GP venue will be made at the start of next week when FIA race director Charlie Whiting is set to complete a pre-race safety inspection.
Team by team analysis (listed in championship order)
RED BULL (Sebastian Vettel 1, Mark Webber 2): Vettel won from pole position (his eighth of the year) to win in Japan for the second year in a row. It was his eighth career win. This was Red Bull's third one-two of the season.
Webber increased his lead to 14 points with three races remaining and also claimed the fastest lap.
MCLAREN (Jenson Button 4, Lewis Hamilton 5): Button took a gamble on starting with the harder tyres, a different strategy to his rivals, but it did not pay off. He remained fifth overall, even if he did close the gap to his team mate. Hamilton wrapped up a nightmare weekend with a finish at least but had to do so with a gearbox that only allowed him to select fourth to seventh.
FERRARI (Fernando Alonso 3, Felipe Massa retired): Alonso stayed in the hunt at what Ferrari had expected to be their worst circuit of those remaining. He stayed second overall on race wins (four), losing just three points to Webber. Massa retired on the opening lap after a collision. Both drivers wore black arm bands as a mark of mourning for four Italian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Saturday.
MERCEDES (Michael Schumacher 6, Nico Rosberg 17): After all the recent criticism, Schumacher had a very respectable race at a favourite circuit where he has won six times previously. He and Rosberg, who made a poor start due to a clutch problem, had a tough battle before the younger German crashed five laps from the end.
RENAULT (Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov retired): The team's race was over after three laps. Stewards handed Petrov a five place penalty for his next race in South Korea after ruling he had caused the first lap collision that pitched him into the wall at the start. Kubica retired with only three wheels on his car on lap three. The Pole had been in second place at the time.
FORCE INDIA (Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi retired): The team's first double retirement of the season. Liuzzi collided with Massa on lap one. Sutil was 10th and chasing Barrichello for ninth when his car sprang an oil leak.
WILLIAMS (Rubens Barrichello 9, Nico Hulkenberg retired): Hulkenberg was caught in the first lap mayhem triggered by Petrov hitting his front right wheel. Barrichello said his car had a lot of vibration.
SAUBER (Kamui Kobayashi 7, Nick Heidfeld 8): Kobayashi staged a late charge to go from 14th on the grid, overtaking and banging wheels on the way. Heidfeld's eighth place gave the team their best two car result of the year. The team split their strategy, with Kobayashi starting on the harder tyres and Heidfeld the softer option.
TORO ROSSO (Sebastien Buemi 10, Jaime Alguersuari 11): The team's first point since Valencia in June. Alguersuari had a coming together with Kobayashi in the closing stages and had to pit for a new front wing.
LOTUS RACING (Heikki Kovalainen 12, Jarno Trulli 13): The team's best race of the season so far and highest placing by any of the three new teams. Kovalainen was lapped just once, a big improvement for Lotus. Trulli had a minor hydraulics problem in the closing stages.
HRT (HISPANIA) (Bruno Senna 15, Sakon Yamamoto 16): The team's sixth double car finish of the year. Senna did a demonstration run in his late uncle Ayrton's old Lotus before the race.
VIRGIN RACING (Timo Glock 14, Lucas di Grassi did not start): Di Grassi crashed heavily into the barrier at the 130R corner on his way to the starting grid. The team said they found no evidence of a car failure. Glock pitted twice.
