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Sebastian Vettel described the Brazilian Grand Prix “as the toughest race I have ever had” following a wet and dramatic day that saw him become the youngest of the nine drivers to win three Formula One world titles.
In a race disrupted by rain, and featuring two safety cars, and which saw the leader Lewis Hamilton crash out on his last appearance for McLaren, Vettel – who also became the youngest of only three drivers to achieve a hat-trick of championships – could finish only sixth after damaging hisRed Bull in a collision with Bruno Senna on the opening lap. Jenson Button won the race.
Vettel also lost radio communication with his team and pitted four times but the eight points he won were enough to see off his championship rival Fernando Alonso, who finished second, by three points.
“It was an incredible race. They tried everything to make it difficult for us,” Vettel said. “When you get turned around on turn four, it’s not the most comfortable feeling. I was quite lucky that nobody hit me from that point onwards.”
Appearing to refer to last week’s race in Texas, when Ferrari tried to gain an advantage by breaking the gearbox seal on Felipe Massa’s car to give Alonso a better place on the grid, Vettel added: “A lot of people tried to use dirty tricks, certain things that from our point of view were beyond the limit [but] we never got irritated or distracted by that. We gave a big push to the end.”
Vettel, annoyed by suggestions that the wet weather would help Ferrari and not Red Bull, said: “This weekend, people tried to push us in a certain direction by saying when it rains it will be difficult for us. I think we have proven that we like wet conditions as much as dry conditions. It even helped us a little.”
The German started the race with a lead of 13 points, needing to finish fourth at best to be sure of the title. Alonso needed a podium place to have any chance of winning.
The Spaniard, who joined Ferrari in 2008 to win more championships, and who has now lost out on world titles on the last day of the season on three occasions (2007, 2010 and 2012), said: “The championship was not lost here. There’s been situations during the season that make you think of these three points but that’s the sport.”
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