Vettel becomes Formula One's youngest three-time champ

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Published time: November 25, 2012 18:16
Edited time: November 25, 2012 22:27

Sebastian Vettel has overcome a first-lap crash to clinch his third straight Formula One title after a thrilling race in Brazil that saw Jenson Button win his third race of the season.

Finishing sixth in an incident-filled track in Sao Paolo was just enough for the German. He held off Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the only other driver contending for the title, and at age 25 became the youngest three-time champion in Formula One.

Alonso had a superb start on a volatile first lap at Interlagos, and finished second, but that wasn't enough to erase Vettel's lead in the standings.

Lewis Hamilton was leading in his final race with McLaren when Nico Hulkenberg crashed into him while trying to make a pass on a slippery track with 17 laps to go.

The sport’s most successful driver, Michael Schumacher, finished seventh in his final show off after 19 seasons.

The race came to a close under the safety car when Force India's Paul di Resta slammed into the barriers on his penultimate lap in heavy rain.