Brazilian Grand Prix 2013 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Sebastian Vettel delivered a record-shattering ninth consecutive victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix season finale, capping the most dominant individual campaign in modern Formula 1 history with a performance that rewrote the sport's record books. Starting from pole position with a lap of 1:26.479, the reigning world champion led home Mark Webber in Red Bull's final one-two finish of an era-defining partnership, with Fernando Alonso completing the podium in his last race for Ferrari. Vettel's victory at Interlagos broke Michael Schumacher's seven-year-old record of seven consecutive wins in a single season and equaled the German legend's record of 13 victories in a year, cementing his fourth consecutive world championship with an astonishing final points tally of 397 - a 155-point margin over second-placed Alonso that represented one of the most comprehensive title victories the sport had ever witnessed.

The Brazilian Grand Prix provided a fitting finale to Red Bull's season of absolute supremacy, as Vettel delivered another flawless performance at the challenging, undulating Interlagos circuit. The 26-year-old German controlled the race from pole position, managing tire wear and strategy with the precision that had defined his dominant second half of the season. After a competitive opening nine races where multiple drivers challenged for victories, Vettel and Red Bull had unleashed an unprecedented run of nine straight wins from Belgium through Brazil, completely obliterating the championship battle and leaving rivals demoralized. Webber finished second and set the fastest lap of 1:15.436, providing the perfect send-off for the Australian's Red Bull career - he would retire from Formula 1 to join Porsche's LMP1 sports car program, ending nine seasons with the team that included 9 victories and his 2010 championship near-miss. Their final one-two together was a poignant reminder of what might have been had internal team dynamics not complicated their relationship.

Alonso's third-place finish concluded his Ferrari tenure on a bittersweet note - the Spaniard had given everything across four seasons with the Scuderia, consistently overperforming in inferior machinery and nearly winning the 2010 and 2012 titles, but ultimately couldn't overcome Red Bull's technical superiority. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Mercedes, hinting at the dominance his team would unleash in the hybrid era beginning in 2014. Vettel's record-breaking ninth consecutive victory and 13th win of the season sealed his place in Formula 1 immortality alongside the sport's greatest champions. At just 26 years old, he had claimed his fourth consecutive world title, equaling the achievements of Juan Manuel Fangio (1950s) and Schumacher (2000-2004) in winning four straight championships. The 2013 season represented the absolute zenith of Vettel and Red Bull's partnership - a level of dominance so complete that the sport would implement regulation changes to try to level the playing field for 2014. As the teams departed Interlagos, few could imagine that Red Bull's era of supremacy was ending, with the hybrid power unit era about to shift the balance of power dramatically toward Mercedes.