Japanese GP – Race: Victory for Button, the title for Vettel!

The sun and the crowd are present at the Suzuka circuit for this fifteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship, a Grand Prix that could crown Sebastian Vettel, provided he finishes in the top ten.

Initially, Button pulls alongside Vettel, but the German pushes him onto the grass and maintains the advantage as Hamilton passes his teammate. Jenson Button asks if Sebastian Vettel should receive a penalty for his maneuver. Behind them, Kobayashi loses five places after a poor start. Miraculously, there is no contact to report. Race control informs everyone that the incident between cars 1 and 4, namely Vettel and Button, will be investigated, but the inquiry will not result in a penalty. Button, in third position, loses ground to the two drivers ahead of him and is already more than 4 seconds behind the reigning world champion after 4 laps. At the back of the field, Rosberg is 19th behind Sergio Pérez, both battling with Jarno Trulli’s Team Lotus. Alonso passes Massa on the sixth lap to take fourth place. Hamilton, overtaken by Button in Spoon, and Sutil are the first to enter the pits. Vettel pits on the following lap, leaving Jenson Button in the lead.

After ten laps, Button leads Alonso, Massa, Webber, Di Resta, and Vettel, knowing that the drivers ahead of the reigning world champion have not stopped. Alonso catches up to Button, but both drivers, along with Webber, dive into the pits. They rejoin in 3rd and 4th, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton and right behind Sebastian Vettel. Massa leads on the 11th lap. In the twelfth lap, Sebastian Buemi stops in the S curves, apparently falling victim to a wheel nut problem following his pit stop. The top six, from Vettel to Webber, are within 9 seconds. Behind, Schumacher is ten seconds from Webber and leads Vitaly Petrov, who started on hard tires. As usual, Kobayashi livens up the race and overtakes Alguersuari for the fourteenth place at the exit of the hairpin in the 17th lap. Hamilton is under pressure from Massa while Button is closing in on Vettel in the lead.

After twenty laps, Vettel leads Button, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, and Webber. Vettel pits, visibly struggling with his tires, and he puts on soft tires again. Behind, Webber has also pitted. Vettel rejoins the track clear of traffic, so it’s a distance battle with Button who also pits and eventually comes out ahead of the Red Bull driver who made a mistake in the last sector! Behind, it’s a battle between Massa and Hamilton at the chicane; the two made contact: Hamilton pits to change tires, and Massa continues! Nothing serious in this contact, except that a piece of Ferrari is on the track just before the chicane. Up front, Vettel is less than seven-tenths of a second behind Button in the 23rd lap. But the safety car is deployed due to debris in turns 7 and 16, the latter resulting from the contact between Hamilton and Massa, which is under investigation, though no penalties are issued. Another chance for Bernd Maylander, driver of the safety car, to showcase his driving skills on a demanding track. The other debris in turn 7 is due to contact between Webber and Schumacher where the Australian lost a piece of his wing. The safety car exits and lets the pack resume their fight. Button slows the field considerably and isn’t caught off guard: he remains in the lead by a good margin. Behind, Hamilton and Massa are battling, but the Brazilian stays ahead.

After thirty laps, Button leads Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Massa, Hamilton, Schumacher, Pérez, Di Resta, and Petrov. Petrov is struggling and has to yield to Sutil; now it’s Rosberg who overtakes him at the hairpin. Hamilton seems to be catching up to Massa: another episode of this British-Brazilian rivalry? Vettel is once again the first to pit on the 34th lap, rejoining in 11th with hard tires, with Sutil and Rosberg ahead of him: he easily gets past the Mercedes driver. It’s Webber’s turn to pit and switch to hard tires. Vettel took longer to get rid of Sutil, a time loss that could cost him the second place against Alonso, who is stringing together good laps. Button pits, Alonso continues, making the Spaniard the leader. The McLaren driver returns on hard tires, in third position, ahead of Pérez and Vettel. Hamilton finally overtakes Massa on the pit straight. Schumacher has taken the lead ahead of Button, Alonso, and Vettel. The reigning world champion is putting pressure on Alonso!

After forty laps, Schumacher leads ahead of Button, Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Rosberg, Hamilton, Massa, Kobayashi, and Pérez. Hamilton overtakes Rosberg on the 41st lap. Schumacher has held off Button well but has to pit and relinquish the lead to the Brit: these were the first laps led by the German this season. Meanwhile, Alonso and Vettel engage in a fierce battle, with the Ferrari driver under pressure but holding his ground. This plays into Button’s hands. Schumacher returns in sixth position, just ahead of Felipe Massa. With ten laps to go, Button has a 5-second lead over the Alonso-Vettel duo. Greatly hindered by a Virgin just before the hairpin, Sebastian Vettel gestures towards Jérôme D’Ambrosio. Behind, Sutil overtakes Kobayashi for ninth position in the 130R, what a risk! Petrov then passes the Japanese driver, pushing him out of the top ten! Upfront, Alonso and Vettel are closing in on Button with five laps remaining, while Webber is expected to catch up with his teammate.

After fifty laps and three laps from the finish: Button has a 1.6 sec lead over Alonso and 3.2 sec over Vettel. Behind them, Webber, Hamilton, Schumacher, Massa, Pérez, Petrov, and Rosberg. Alonso is clearly closing in on Jenson Button, who must be struggling with his tires. Vettel, sensing the scent of victory, gets closer to the two men. He loses a bit of time again, and the three men are within 3.4 seconds of each other. Button, two laps from the end, gains 1.2 seconds on the Ferrari. At the start of the final lap, Button has secured himself against Alonso and Vettel. It is therefore the third victory for the Briton this season after Canada and Hungary, and the twelfth of his career! But above all, Sebastian Vettel wins his second world championship title, becoming the youngest double world champion, marking the crowning of an almost perfect season for the German and Red Bull!

Result of the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix: