Sebastian Vettel
At the same time, the win, plus his team-mate Mark Webber’s third place position meant that Red Bull Racing was awarded with the 2011 Constructors’ title.
The race, which took place once again at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, was a great spectacle.
Vettel started at second on the grid, behind pole sitter Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, but by the end of the first lap the World Champion had taken Hamilton's place at the top of the timing screens and--pretty much--that was his race done and dusted. In fact, Vettel crossed the finish line with exactly 12 seconds separating him and Hamilton.
Turns out the main battle ended up being between Hamilton and Webber. The Aussie, starting fourth, was able to re-overtake the initially impressive Ferraris, but much of his afternoon was spent staring very closely at the back of a McLaren rear wing. Despite his best efforts, it wasn't to be and Hamilton took second place.
The rest of the field weren't giving up either with the Ferraris racing each other as much as anyone else, and fellow McLaren driver Jenson Button chasing Webber's tail.
In the end, it was Vettel first, followed by Hamilton in second and Webber third, with Button and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso taking the fourth and fifth spots respectively.
In the Drivers' Championship Sebastian Vettel’s lead now extends to 349 points, followed by Jenson Button on 222 points and Fernando Alonso on 212 points.
In the Constructors’ Championship Red Bull Racing is the new title holder and sits on 558 points, followed by McLaren on 418 points and Ferrari on 310 points.
Teams now head to India for the 2011 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, which is taking place on the 30th of this month.
In related news, Infiniti has announced it will expand its partnership with Red Bull Racing for the 2012 season.
The two brands say they will increase the global and market leverage of their partnership through more marketing and media activities throughout the coming year, and yes, this will even include new performance themed vehicles from Infiniti.
The first should be a production version of the Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version, followed by more performance models falling under the IPL banner.
