Emotions get better of Vettel after routine triumph in Monza

Monza was supposed to highlight Red Bull’s weaknesses, instead the dominant Vettel merely proved he and his team simply have no flaws this season, and the championship is now but a formality.

This was Vettel’s eighth victory this season, and to underline the magnitude of such a feat, only two drivers in F1 have achieved more in a single campaign.

Michael Schumacher holds the record with 13, the seven-time world champion also winning 11 one year and nine on three occasions, as did Nigel Mansell in his title-winning season of 1992.

With Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso now his nearest challenger, albeit 112 points adrift, there is the prospect of Vettel becoming the youngest back-to-back world champion in Singapore in a fortnight’s time.

For that to happen he must at least finish on the podium to start with, something he has failed to do only once in 13 grands prix to date, and then beyond that various permutations kick in.

But at the scene of his maiden victory in 2008 when he conjured an unlikely triumph with Red Bull’s ‘sister’ team Toro Rosso, his win on this occasion clearly meant as much.

Standing above one of the greatest scenes in F1, as thousands of fans invaded the track to watch the podium celebrations, emotion got the better of the 24-year-old German.

“Yeah, it’s very emotional,” said a more composed Vettel as he later reflected on his 18th career success.

“This circuit means a lot to me. It is very special as I got my first win here, so when I crossed the line I remembered every single bit of that.

“And then the podium, that is unbelievable. When you stand up there you feel so blessed. It doesn’t happen to many people.

“There are so many people underneath you who have come all the way from as far as the Curva Grande (a sweeping bend a kilometre away).

“It is still very special for me to be in this place again.”

The only blemish for Vettel saw him lose top spot on the run down to the first corner chicane as Alonso blitzed past him and Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren to a roar of approval from Ferrari’s fans, the Tifosi.

Chaos ensued behind, however, as Vitantonio Liuzzi lost control of his Hispania and wiped out Renault’s Vitaly Petrov and the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg to bring out the safety car. Once that returned, Vettel wasted no time in passing Alonso with a breathtaking move around the Curva Grande, and from that moment he was never troubled.

Behind him, Button took advantage of a fierce scrap between team-mate Hamilton, 126 points down, and Schumacher, who finished fourth and fifth, before later accounting for Alonso to seal the runner-up spot.

“It was a good race, just not for the lead, which was a shame,” said Button, now 117 points down, along with Webber, who crashed out early.

“It’s always difficult when you are down in seventh at one point after the start, which was tough. But the race was then a lot of fun, and the atmosphere here is fantastic, just electric.”

Felipe Massa was sixth in his Ferrari, followed by Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari and Paul di Resta in his Force India.