Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix from the pole on Sunday to close within four points of Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso, who crashed out of the race at the first turn. Vettel, who also won the last race in Singapore, is now within sight of a third straight title -- something only previously accomplished by Juan-Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher -- with five races left. "It was an important step today," Vettel said. "There is still a long way to go. I don't know what happened behind me today but Alonso was very unlucky. We never know what is going to happen in the next race so it was important to take points today." Alonso's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was second, 20.6 seconds behind Vettel for his first podium finish since Korea in 2010, a performance that should boost his chances of staying with the team. "It's a huge relief to be back on the podium," Massa said. "It was a great race and shows we are here to fight for the victory and the podium." Read more: http://espn.go.com/racing/f1/story/...lose-formula-one-lead-fernando-alonso-crashes
