Vettel still in title mix after assured display

Sebastian Vettel kept alive his Formula One world championship hopes with a superb victory from pole position at today's incident-packed Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

The German led home a Red Bull one-two from championship leader Mark Webber while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso took a strong third.

The McLarens of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth respectively, leaving both as rank outsiders for the title heading into the final three races of the season.

The result sees Webber increase his championship lead to 14 points over Alonso and Vettel, who are locked together on 206 points.

Hamilton is now on 192 points, 28 down on Webber, while Button has seen the gap to the leader open up to 31.

Vettel was mighty all weekend, finishing fastest in both practice sessions on Friday and going quickest in every segment of qualifying earlier today, and victory was rarely in doubt as he led home the third Red Bull one-two of the season.

Mercedes' Michael Schumacher was the first home of the non-championship challengers in sixth, while Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi produced a drive to thrill the home crowd as he finished seventh.

Kobayashi's team-mate Nick Heidfeld was eighth, while the Williams of Rubens Barrichello and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi rounded out the points scorers.