Button fastest at Suzuka, Vettel skids off

Suzuka: Sebastian Vettel hit the barriers while Jenson Button, the only man standing between the Red Bull driver and a second Formula One title, led a McLaren one-two in first practice for Sunday`s Japanese Grand Prix.

Vettel, who needs only a point to be the sport`s youngest double champion at the age of 24, made a rare error on the exit to the Degner 1 curve.

He skimmed across the gravel and ended the 90 minute session as a sweaty spectator, removing his helmet and joining marshals behind the crash barriers with his car`s nose in the tyre wall.

The German, who can retain his title with four races to spare, was still third fastest in a hot morning session dominated by Button.

The Briton, who must win on Sunday and hope Vettel fails to score for the first time in 17 races dating back to last October, lapped the Honda-owned track in one minute 33.634 seconds.

Team mate Lewis Hamilton was second on the timesheets, 0.091 slower than the 2009 champion who regards Japan as a second home race and has just signed a new multi-year contract with McLaren.

Vettel lapped 0.456 slower than Button.

Australian Mark Webber, Vettel`s team mate who has still to win a race this year, was fifth behind Ferrari`s Fernando Alonso.

Vettel`s incident provided a talking point from the session but his pride was more dented than the car, which no more than nudged the tyre barrier.

Winner from pole at Suzuka for the past two years, the German has a 124-point lead over Button with only 125 still to be won.

Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari was a strong sixth for Toro Rosso, with Japan`s sole driver Kamui Kobayashi in 13th place for Sauber.

Indians Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan each took part in practice for Team Lotus and HRT respectively, with both having an eye on returning to racing at their country`s inaugural grand prix later this month.

Bureau Report

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How Vettel can take the title in Singapore Grand Prix

Singapore: Sebastian Vettel will retain the Formula One drivers` world championship title this weekend if he finishes the Singapore Grand Prix with a lead of at least 125 points over the chasing pack.

To clinch his second title, Vettel must increase his lead over closest rival Fernando Alonso from 112 points to 125 and enlarge his 117-point lead over Jenson Button and Mark Webber to the same margin.

If Alonso finishes on the podium, in any position, or if Vettel is beaten by any of his rivals, the championship will not be won in Singapore.

He also has to keep his 126 points lead ahead of Lewis Hamilton, or at worst not let it slip by more than one point.

There are a number of scenarios in which the German driver can clinch his second title including if he wins and Alonso finishes outside the top three -- and both Button and Webber fail to grab second spot.

In the current standings, Vettel has 284 points (and has won eight races), Alonso has 172 (one win) while Button (two wins) and Webber (no wins) have 167. Hamilton (two wins) has 158 points.

The points system is: win - 25 points, second 18, third 15, fourth 12, fifth 10, sixth - eight, seventh - six, eighth - four, ninth - two and 10th one point.

After Singapore there are five races remaining.

Bureau Report

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Vettel on pole for Red Bull in Italy

Monza (Italy): Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel chalked up Red Bull's 13th pole position in 13 races this season with a blistering lap in Italian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, nearly half a second slower than the German in the final session, will line up alongside the championship leader on the front row, with team mate Jenson Button in third place.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, last year's winner from pole position at the fastest track on the calendar, qualified in fourth place in his team's home race.

It was Vettel's 10th pole of the season, four shy of Briton Nigel Mansell's 1992 record of 14, and the 25th of his 75-race career.

Red Bull have now been on pole for the past 14 races, with Vettel also quickest at last year's Abu Dhabi season-ender.

"We thought it would be much closer than that," said Vettel, who won from pole at Monza with Red Bull's Italian-based sister team Toro Rosso in 2008, after taking the top slot with a lap of one minute 22.275 seconds.

"This year I have to say the car is so good here. The balance is perfect."

Red Bull Racing have yet to get one of their drivers on the podium at Monza but Vettel, 92 points clear of Australian team mate Mark Webber with seven races remaining, should end that on Sunday.

"I remember the last time and hopefully I am back on the podium tomorrow," he said, smiling.

"I didn't have another half a second in the bag...Sebastian was mega-quick today," said Hamilton, who lapped in 1:22.725, of the demoralising gap between him and the 24-year-old Vettel.

"Clearly we are very competitive here so that's a great step," added the Briton, who will be hoping to get the jump on Vettel at the start. "But today in the last lap that (time) was untouchable for me."

Button, who has been runner-up at Monza for the past two seasons, could only agree.

"Even if we had got a little bit more out of the car, we were never going to challenge Seb," he said.

"The strange thing is that these guys don't look like they were carrying a lot of wing but they are half a second quicker than us in the last sector which is the high speed corner, so difficult to understand."

Webber, who has yet to win this season, lines up fifth after his mechanics worked late into the night on his car to fix a problem. He did only one run in the final session.

He will have Ferrari's Felipe Massa alongside and ahead of Renault's Vitaly Petrov and former Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher, now with Mercedes.

Brazilian Bruno Senna, in his second race with Renault, will again start in the top 10 and next to Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

Ferrari's performance will not have helped sell more seats in the grandstand on the main straight, with plenty of empty space throughout the session where once there would have been red-shirted hordes.

"Fighting for the win? I think it will be very difficult, even if this year's races have often thrown up surprises," said Alonso.

"I will try to make up some places at the start which could make the race even more interesting."

Bureau Report

First Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 18:50

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Vettel wins Belgian Grand Prix to widen F1 lead (AP)

SPA, Belgium – Defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel won the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday to strengthen his overall lead with seven races remaining.

Vettel started from pole position to win his seventh race of the season and 17th of his career. The German led Red Bull to a 1-2 finish, with Mark Webber finishing close behind.

McLaren's Jenson Button began in the 13th starting position but caught Fernando Alonso near the end to take third place.

Lewis Hamilton's slim title hopes took a further blow when he crashed his McLaren early in the race.

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