GREATER NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh, India – Sebastian Vettel claimed his fourth consecutive World Drivers' Championship title with a comprehensive victory at the Indian Grand Prix, finishing almost half a minute ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Lotus' Romain Grosjean.
After crossing the line to become just the fourth driver in F1 history to win four titles, Vettel admitted he could not express what the feat meant.
"I crossed the line, I was empty. I took ages thinking about something today," he admitted. "It's one of these moments you wish to say so many things but you can't. The car was phenomenal today. It was phenomenal all season to be honest. I couldn't ask for more. I want to say a big thank you to the team. For sure it was not an easy season, even if people from the outside get that idea."
Vettel's race boiled down to a battle with teammate Mark Webber, with the Red Bull pair on different strategies. Starting from pole on soft tires, Vettel held his lead as the lights went out but pitted after just two laps for the more durable medium tires.
As the other soft-tire starters did the same, Webber, who started fourth on medium tires, took the lead. But Vettel had the edge, rejoining P17 and scything his way through the field to close the gap on Webber.
After their final pit stops, Webber was P4, 12.5 seconds adrift of the German on the same tires, and that was the victory decided. Webber was still looking set for second place, but an alternator problem ended his afternoon early.
Rosberg, who had started on the front row beside Vettel, put in a solid performance to claim second. "The team did a fantastic strategy and, yeah, second place, I'm pleased with that. Important for us to have a normal weekend, so a lot of points and giving Ferrari a run for their money in the Constructors' [Championship]."
Grosjean enjoyed a superb afternoon. Having started 17th after an error in qualifying, the Frenchman made a different one-stop strategy work beautifully to climb to third, passing teammate Kimi Raikkonen in the closing stages.
"I would not have bet a penny on me being on the podium today," said Grosjean afterwards. "But the race pace was really there. We did a very brave strategy, and it paid off. We're back on the podium and it's quite amazing from where we started."
Raikkonen was also passed by Ferrari's Felipe Massa and then Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez – the McLaren driver eventually taking a useful fifth place ahead of the second Mercedes.
Raikkonen settled for seventh place. Behind him, Paul Di Resta finished eighth, ahead of teammate Adrian Sutil. The final point on offer was claimed by Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo.
Vettel's victory also meant that Red Bull Racing clinched a fourth consecutive Formula One Constructors' Championship with three races in hand.
Sebastian Vettel's Vital Statistics:
Crunching the Numbers of Sebastian Vettel's Stellar Career so Far
Victory at the 2013 Indian Grand Prix saw Sebastian Vettel take his place among the legends of Formula One as he won the Drivers' Championship for the fourth year in a row. Buddh International Circuit was the scene of a double celebration for INFINITI Red Bull Racing as the team picked up a fourth consecutive Constructors' Championship.
Seb now stands alongside all-time greats Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. Meanwhile, INFINITI Red Bull Racing's achievements see the team build on a legacy that will be discussed by Motorsport fans for years to come.
The following stats tell the remarkable success story shared by Seb, the team and their legion of supporters around the globe.
Sebastian Vettel's Record Book
Sebastian set two new records on his debut as a test driver at the Turkish Grand Prix in 2006. He set the fastest lap of the day, becoming the youngest driver to do so, and he became the youngest driver to pick up a fine from the FIA after speeding in the pitlane.
Seb got his first Formula One outing at the 2007 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The first of his 117 Race Starts (26 before Red Bull Racing, 91 with) saw the 19-year-old become the youngest ever driver to score a championship point.
- 36 Wins (35 for Red Bull Racing, 1 for Toro Rosso)
- 59 Podiums (including wins)
Among Seb's collection of 43 Pole Positions is the 15 he achieved in the 2011 Formula One season. This still stands as a record for the most poles achieved by a driver in a single season. The 2011 season also saw Seb set another record with 739 – the most laps led by a driver in a season.
- 21 Fastest Laps
- 1379 Points
Seb's four Drivers' Championships (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) sees him join Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only men to have won four consecutive championships. The INFINITI Red Bull Racing driver is the youngest-ever quadruple Champion.
INFINITI Red Bull Racing's Record Book
The 2013 Formula One season marks INFINITI Red Bull Racing's ninth year in the sport. Red Bull Racing first won the Constructors' Championship in 2010 and has retained the title ever since, claiming it in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The team is the third to win four consecutive Constructors' Championships, joining McLaren ('88, '89, '90, '91) and Ferrari ('99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04).
On the road towards all this success, there have been 44 Race Wins for the team, from Seb's latest in India back to his first for the team at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix. There has been a total of 98 Podium Finishes achieved by the team's drivers.
- 54 Poles
- 2334.5 Points
Constructors' Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012 and now 2013 combined with Seb's four Drivers' Championships make it a total of eight World Championships won by the team.
Bonus Stat: Seb's win in India puts him on 322 points in the Drivers' Championships. Ferrari are INFINITI Red Bull Racing closest rival in the Constructors' Championships with a total of 313 points.
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