Vettel Pulls Closer to Button

Pressure has a varying effect on different individuals that often isn’t determined until the person in question has been through the fire and come out the other side without any major burns. The pressure was certainly on for Sebastian Vettel on Sunday, anything less than a victory in the Japanese Grand Prix would have meant he was at least 26 points down with only a maximum of 20 points available to be grabbed, and his chances for the 2009 Formula One drivers championship would have evaporated like a gas.

Sebastian Vettel wins the Japanese Grand Prix

Vettel seemed to know this as he came out onto the track because with the drop of the start flag he leaped into the lead and never looked back on his way to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix. Behind him Lewis Hamilton and Jarno Trulli were startled to see Vettel so fast off the start and settled in for along race of seeing if they could catch him. Nicky Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen were behind them battling for their own positions on the track, while Button was struggling to get his car up to speed.

It looked like it was going to be written in stone until Jaime Alguersuari lost control of his Toro Rosso coming out of 130R on lap 44. His problems resulted in the safety car coming out onto the track for five laps and allowed the field to pull a little closer to Vettel and the leaders. It looked like Hamilton and Trulli might get to take another shot at passing Vettel, but the chance never materialized as Hamilton lost space to the leaders and was soon feeling pressure from Rosberg Heidfeld behind him.

In the end Vettel crossed the line 4.8s ahead of Jarno Trulli for the victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton was a further 1.5s behind in third place due to a slower pit stop. Kimi Raikkonen came home in fourth, Nico Rosberg finished fifth for Williams, while Nick Heidfeld held on for sixth for BMW Sauber. This win allows Vettel to keep his hopes for the 2009 Formula One drivers’ championship alive, as he’s now just 16 points behind Button for the championship with two races left. He still has to content with Sebastian Barrichello who is only 14 points behind Button, but both Barrichello and Vettel need help to win. In fact, Button holds his own future in his hands, as long as he can continue to handle the pressure. He only needs to grab seven points in two races to capture the Formula One Championship but they might be the hardest points in his life to capture.

“Image: Zuma Press”