Vettel wins to seize F1 lead from Alonso

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany celebrates winning the South Korean F1 Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, Oct 14, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Button out

Brazilian Felipe Massa continued his late season resurgence with fourth for Ferrari.

Kimi Raikkonen chalked up his 13th successive points finish with fifth in the race for Lotus to consolidate third place overall and stay in the reckoning.

McLaren's Jenson Button was an early casualty, his race ending on the first lap when Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi sideswiped his car and smashed the front right suspension as well as puncturing the tyre.

Kobayashi, who also ended the race for Mercedes' Nico Rosberg in the same incident, made it back to the pits on three wheels and a rim.

The Japanese, who finished a memorable third at home last weekend, collected a drive-through penalty for causing the collision and retired in the pits on lap 18.

Red Bull Formula One mechanics watch the South Korean F1 Grand Prix from their team garage at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, Oct 14, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Button, now 84 points off Vettel, declared his remote title hopes to be defunct.

"No, definitely not," said the Briton when asked whether he could still win the championship. "I'm going to enjoy myself over the next few races. Points for the team would have been really important, but it's out of our hands."

Germany's Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Force India with Frenchman Romain Grosjean, steering well clear of trouble after a spate of first lap smashes, seventh for Lotus.

Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne was eighth for Toro Rosso, with Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo ninth.

Hamilton, who had a ripped off strip of astroturf trailing from a sidepod in the closing laps, just kept off Sauber's Mexican Sergio Perez - the man who replaces him at McLaren next season - for 10th place after starting third.