Vettel joins F1 greats

Germany's Sebastian Vettel roared into the record books as Formula One's youngest four-time world champion after winning the Indian Grand Prix for the third year in a row yesterday.

The 26-year-old's Red Bull team also took the constructors' world championship for the fourth successive year.

"You've done it in style," Red Bull principal Christian Horner shouted over the team radio as Vettel took the chequered flag with a massive 29.8-second lead over compatriot Nico Rosberg of Mercedes.

"Brilliant drive. You join the greats, mate. You're up there."

The victory from pole position was Vettel's sixth in a row and completed a hat-trick in India where he has been the sole winner since the race made its debut on the calendar in 2011.

Vettel became the fourth quadruple champion and only the third driver to land four titles in a row after Germany's seven-times winner Michael Schumacher and Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio, who died in 1995.

The German celebrated by adding some tyre smoke to the haze hanging over the Buddh International Circuit, slowing the car on the pit straight and then spinning it around, doing "doughnuts" for the fans.

He got out, standing up on the car before crouching to kiss the front in a gesture of worship. Throwing his gloves into the grandstand, Vettel clambered over the pitwall to embrace Horner and designer Adrian Newey.

"How do I feel? I'm overwhelmed. One of the best days of my life so far," he said in a podium interview alongside Rosberg and third-placed Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who had roared through from 17th on the grid for Lotus.

"I am speechless and I was empty when I crossed the line. I spent ages thinking what to say, there is so much you want to say at a time like that," Vettel said.

"From the outside, people will think it was easy but it wasn't. It has been hard for me in particular to be booed when I have not done anything wrong."

He had led Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the only man who could put his celebrations on hold, by 90 points before the start. But Alonso finished in 11th place after he tagged the rear of the Red Bull driven by Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber.

Vettel now has 322 points to Alonso's 207.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished fourth, with Mexican Sergio Perez fifth for McLaren in his best result of the year.