The season finale at Sao Paolo, Brazil provided one of the most uncertain, drama-filled races in the latter half of the Formula One season, with Sebastian Vettel capturing his ninth-straight victory, making him the only driver to achieve that mark in a single season, and matching the great Alberto Ascari for consecutive victories – a record that stood since his 1952-1953 streak.

The race was a culmination in many ways, marking the final Grand Prix under V8 powered engines, as well as the final race for Red Bull's Mark Webber before he moves to the Porsche LMP1 sportscar program next year. Webber was able to capture a strong second place, followed by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Plagued by wet weather throughout the weekend, teams struggled to find pace and consistency. Vettel started from the front row once again, but against typical fashion, he was swamped by the competition, with Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg taking first place into the first corner, and Alonso scratching at the rear of Vettel's RB9.

But at the end of the first lap down the front straight, Vettel's Red Bull showed its straight-line speed and recaptured first position. Rosberg continued to see pressure from Alonso and Webber, who eventually caught and surpassed the German driver.

As Vettel extended his lead, contact between Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Williams' Valtteri Bottas on lap 47 saw the Williams lose its right rear tire, bringing out the safety car. In a split-second decision Red Bull chose to pit both of its cars, but the team failed to bring out the tires on time, resulting in a 13-second pit stop for Vettel and forcing Webber to sit behind him and wait. Miraculously Vettel retained the lead, while Webber came out of the pits behind Alonso, forcing him to overtake the Spaniard once again.

Rain loomed throughout the afternoon, but consistent drives from the Red Bull duo saw them come out on top once again. With his second place finish, Webber trumped Lewis Hamilton for third in the drivers standings, while Alonso's third place was his ninth podium position of the for second in the drivers standings. Finishing one position behind was a heroic drive from McLaren's Jenson Button, who started 14^th, followed by Rosberg and Sergio Perez, who started back in 19th in the second McLaren.

On his cool-down lap, Webber relished the moment by taking his helmet off and acknowledging the F1 fans for one last time.

“It was nice to take the helmet off for the final lap. In this sport it’s not always possible to give things a personal touch. We have the helmets on all the time, so they fans don’t always see a Formula One driver in a car without a helmet. It was nice to get it off and see the marshals and the fans; it was just a really nice thing to experience. I heard a lot of noises that I don’t normally hear. The difficult part for me today was actually getting in to the car for the final time. I was overcome with some emotion then to be honest. That moment of the helmet going on and stepping into the car was actually the strongest emotion I’ve had all day. Then crossing the line and seeing all the guys was great.”

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner was equally impressed with Webber's result, as well as that of now four-time champion Vettel.

“What an incredible way to sign off not only a remarkable season, but also Mark’s career in Formula One. It was a fitting way to finish with a one-two finish. Sebastian claims yet another record and has driven like a true champion this year to have won 13 Grands Prix in one season; it’s a remarkable achievement and will be very difficult to surpass.”

In his final Grand Prix, Webber takes with him a total of 217 race starts, 42 podiums, nine race wins, 13 pole positions and 1,047.5 points. He nearly won the driver's championship in 2010, but poor pit strategy in the final race saw him finish eighth for third in the standings and 14 points back. His teammate Vettel captured his first of four-straight titles with a win that year.

As we await the confirmed 2014 calendar, the new V6 turbocharged engines and a number of driver changes highlight an exciting forthcoming season. Of note, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen rejoins the Ferrari squad, while current Ferrari driver Felipe Massa moves to Williams, replacing Pastor Maldonado. Lotus, Force India and Sauber are all yet to confirm their lineups, although Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez have been linked to all three. Rounding out the changes, McLaren signed Kevin Magnussen as Perez's replacement and Daniel Ricciardo moves from Toro Rosso to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull. Toro Rosso will fill his spot with 19-year old Russian Daniil Kyvat.

RACE RESULTS

Photos: LAT