Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel firmly won the Japanese GP to keep his slim title hopes alive but championship leader Brawn's Jenson Button stayed in control. Button pounced on an early tangle up ahead to finish in eighth, although a late safety car denied his Brawn team being crowned constructors' champions. The Englishman now leads the title race from team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who came seventh in Japan, by 14 points. Toyota's Jarno Trulli snatched second at Suzuka ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel led from start to finish after defending his pole position from reigning world champion Hamilton off the start. The young German grabbed 10 points with a stunning drive and now sits 16 points behind single-point scoring Button in the championship with 20 to play for. Ferrari's in-form Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth at the famously demanding figure-of-eight circuit ahead of Williams driver Nico Rosberg with BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld in sixth.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel grabbed pole position in a thrilling finale to qualifying for the Turkish GP. The German driver pulled out a scorching lap of one minute 28.316 seconds to seize top spot with seconds remaining at the Istanbul Park circuit. Brawn's Jenson Button was second fastest ahead of his Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello in third. Meanwhile, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton failed to make it through the first qualifying session for only the second time in his career.


Sunday's race will be the fifth Turkish GP and the driver on pole has won each of the four previous races. It is Sebastian Vettel's second pole position of the season. He started from the front in China GP and became the only Formula 1 driver to beat Button to the chequered flag this season.

Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing team came fastest and won the wet Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit in China. The young German F1 driver finished first before his Renault teammate Mark Webber and Brawn Mercedes duo, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello who finished on third and fourth in the 56 laps race. McLaren drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton finished right after them.

Sebastian Vettel saved the pole position again for Grand Prix of China since Monza last year after qualifying session in Shanghai, China on Saturday afternoon. The F1 Red Bull Racing rider broke the Brawn's domination in two previous F1 Grand Prix race.