However this time Vettel was almost let down by his normally flawless Red Bull crew, when he came in for his final stop as they appeared to be searching for his tyres, a delay which cost him about three seconds. When he entered the pits he had a dozen seconds in hand on teammate Mark Webber who had worked his way into second place.
When they emerged the gap was down to about six seconds. Setting fastest lap times Vettel build gap up, securing new win to level up Alberto Ascari`s record winning nine races in a row in first season of Formula 1 motospot in the 1950s, but this was across two seasons, also using Pirelli tyres. At the end, Mark Webber finished second on his final grand prix before moving to endurance racing. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third.
Sebastian Vettel: "I don’t want to compare the record what we have got today, it’s not fair as it was a different time when Ascari was driving. Cars broke down more often then and teams were less consistent, so therefore it’s a different type of record that we have got today. For all of us in the whole team we love coming to work and giving it all we have. There’s a great spirit and it’s sad in a way that the year comes to an end, but that’s how it is. I’m sure everyone’s looking forward to a break to get the batteries charged and to look forward to next year. My start wasn’t so good today, but I was able to get past Rosberg. It was hard to know what was going to happen in today’s race. When we came for the second pit stop, it was a late call and then we had to wait for the tyres. We managed to recover with some laps to go. Today was of course Mark’s last race. We didn’t have the best relationship, but nevertheless we always had respect for each other on a professional level and whatever was going on off-track, didn’t make a difference to us on track and we both pushed each other very hard. I certainly learned a lot from Mark. I learned to become a better driver, due to his impressive skills, that’s why I consider him one of the best drivers on the grid."
Mark Webber: "It was nice to take the helmet off for the final lap. In this sport it’s not always possible to give things a personal touch. We have the helmets on all the time, so they fans don’t always see a Formula One driver in a car without a helmet. It was nice to get it off and see the marshals and the fans. It was just a really nice thing to experience. I heard a lot of noises that I don’t normally hear. The difficult part for me today was actually getting in to the car for the final time. I was overcome with some emotion then to be honest. That moment of the helmet going on and stepping into the car was actually the strongest emotion I’ve had all day. Then crossing the line and seeing all the guys was great. Christian radioed me and said enjoy the last lap, which I did. I did it as slow as I could, it was a very special day. Seb and I have had our challenges over time and it’s easier to have a relationship with Fernando, as he’s in another team, but to finish on the podium with those two guys, well, they have been the best of this generation. I have raced them a lot and to finish with those guys was nice for me because it meant a lot, showing that I can drive well at the end of my career and that I got the timing right. Formula One is a sport which I’ve loved. I could never have dreamt of the career that I’ve had, the tremendous highs, the tough lows, you know they have to happen and you learn from adversity. The biggest and strongest memories you have are from when you are in the car, it’s what we were tuned and trained to do. Driving on the limit is what I was paid to do and what I enjoyed doing. They are the strongest memories you have as an individual at this level."
Fernando Alonso: "A podium is the best way to end this long season and finishing behind two Red Bulls almost tastes like a victory, as well as being the maximum we could have done today. It’s a real shame that the much awaited rain didn’t arrive in the end, because in the wet, we would definitely have been more competitive. I did not get away well at the start and I found myself blocked on the outside and then the inside. However, after catching Hamilton and Rosberg, I began to push and my race was all on the attack. Even if we cannot be fully satisfied with this result, because our aim is always to win, I would view the season in a positive light: we did win and get podiums, as well as finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship and these are figures we can be proud of, both myself and Felipe. He’s been a fantastic team-mate and even if we continue to see one another in the paddock, I will miss the relationship we have had. I wish him all the best for the future."
The final record of this season, the last of the V8 engine era, was set by Marussia’s Max Chilton, who became the first rookie to finish every race of his debut year. With the curtain now down on the normally-aspirated V8 engines, the scene is set for the downsized, turbocharged V6 Power Units equipped with potent electrical recovery systems in 2014.
BRAZIL GRAND PRIX, INTERLAGOS, CARLOS PACE;
71 laps, 305.909km., Weather: Dry.
CLASSIFIED:
P. DRIVER TEAM TIME
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bul 1h32:36.300
2. Mark Webber Red Bull + 10.452
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari + 18.913
4. Jenson Button McLaren + 37.360
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG + 39.048
6. Sergio Perez McLaren + 44.051
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari + 49.110
8. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber + 1:04.252
9. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG + 1:12.903
10. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso + 1 lap
11. Paul di Resta Force India + 1 lap
12. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber + 1 lap
13. Adrian Sutil Force India + 1 lap
14. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus + 1 lap
15. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso + 1 lap
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams + 1 lap
17. Jules Bianchi Marussia + 2 laps
18. Giedo van der Garde Caterham + 2 laps
19. Max Chilton Marussia + 2 laps
Fastest Lap: Mark Webber - 1:15.315
NOT CLASSIFIED:
DRIVER TEAM On Lap
Charles Pic Caterham 58
Valtteri Bottas Williams 45
Romain Grosjean Lotus 2
After 18 Races:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. S.Vettel 397 1. Red Bull 596
2. F.Alonso 242 2. Mercedes 360
3. M.Webber 199 3. Ferrari 354
4. L.Hamilton 189 4. Lotus 315
5. K.Raikkonen 183 5. McLaren 122
6. N.Rosberg 171 6. Force India 77
7. R.Grosjean 132 7. Sauber 57
8. F.Massa 112 8. Toro Rosso 33
9. J.Button 73 9. Williams 5
10. N.Hulkenberg 51 10. Marussia
11. S.Perez 49 11. Caterham
12. P.Di Resta 48
13. A.Sutil 29
14. D.Ricciardo 20
15. J.Vergne 13
16. E.Gutierrez 6
17. V.Bottas 4
18. P.Maldonado 1
19. J.Bianchi
20. C.Pic
21. H.Kovalainen
22. G.van der Garde
23. M.Chilton
