Vettel wins first Indian GP

World champion Sebastian Vettel made history by winning India's first ever Formula One on Sunday as McLaren's Jenson Button tightened his grip on the championship's second place.

Red Bull's Vettel led wire-to-wire for his 11th victory of in 17 races, finishing some 8.4 seconds ahead of Button with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso third and Australian Mark Webber fourth.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher battled to fifth but McLaren's Lewis Hamilton came in seventh after yet another collision with his Ferrari nemesis Felipe Massa.

But Vettel was in a class of his own at the all-new Buddh International Circuit near New Delhi as he closed on Michael Schumacher's 2004 record of 13 wins in one year, with two races left this season.

The 24-year-old German, who became Formula One's youngest back-to-back world champion when he reclaimed his title in Japan, also set a new record for laps led in a season as he surpassed Nigel Mansell's 1992 mark of 692.

AFP