Austin: World champion Sebastian Vettel won a record eighth successive race when he triumphed in United States Grand Prix on Sunday (early Monday, India time).
The German Red Bull driver beat Michael Schumacher’s previous record of seven wins in a row in the same season set in 2004.
France’s Romain Grosjean, in a Lotus, was second with Red Bull’s Mark Webber taking third.
Vettel’s win was not only his eighth in a row, but also his 12th of the season and the 38th in his short, but brilliant career of just 119 races.
It was also his first in America leaving only the Hungarian Grand Prix as a venue where he has yet to triumph.
“I am speechless, speechless,” said an emotional Vettel on the Red Bull team radio, as he celebrated with a series of car-spinning doughnuts on his slowing down lap.
“We have to remember these days boys, there is no guarantee they will last. We must enjoy it. I love this team. I love you. I am so proud of you all.”
Starting from pole, the 26-year-old German controlled the race from lights to flag with a consummate demonstration of skill and speed at the wheel of his equally dominant Red Bull.
If he wins the year-ender in Brazil next Sunday, he will equal Schumacher’s 2004 record of 13 in a season with Ferrari.
It was in that series that Schumacher reeled off his now-beaten record of seven straight wins as he delivered his seventh and final drivers’ title success.
That remains another statistical landmark for Vettel to pass.
Grosjean followed him home, 6.284 seconds adrift, for Lotus, equalling his best result, with Vettel’s team mate, retirement-bound Australian Mark Webber, third, claiming his 40th career podium.
Briton Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Mercedes ahead of Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, German Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber and Mexican Sergio Perez of McLaren.
Finn Valtteri Bottas delivered a superb eighth for the Williams team, his first points-scoring finish which tripled their season total, ahead of German Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes and 10th placed Briton Jenson Button in the second McLaren.
Button, in his 246th race, equalled the British record for Grand Prix starts held by David Coulthard, a former Red Bull team mate of Webber’s.
Meanwhile, Force India returned pointless in the penultimate F1 race of the season as Adrian Sutil crashed out on the very first lap while team mate Paul di Resta finished 15th.
Sutil’s car was involved in an accident with that of Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado of Williams on lap one and that brought out the safety car until the fifth lap.
Both the drivers came out unhurt but Sutil’s car was wrecked after hitting the barriers.
Di Resta started on 11th at the grid and was involved in a midfield fight for the 10th and last point spot but could only end the race at 15th at the Circuit of the Americas.
A disappointed Sutil blamed Maldonado for the collision.
“I made a good start, gained a few positions and was racing ahead of Maldonado on back straight,” he said.
“For some reason he hit my left rear wheel and I immediately lost control of the car and crashed into the barriers. I don’t really understand why he was so close to me because the track is so wide there. I stayed on my line and there was a lot of space to the right and the left,” he said. (AFP)
