Webber takes Brazilian GP

SAO PAULO (AP) ― Mark Webber won the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday after Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel struggled with a gearbox problem.

Vettel, who had already secured the Formula One title, still finished second after letting Webber pass him almost halfway through the race at the 2.6-mile Interlagos track.

Jenson Button of McLaren finished third to secure second place in the drivers’ standings.

Webber easily passed Vettel on lap 30 after his teammate reduced his pace after being told by the team that there was something wrong with his gearbox.

“Very early I got the call that we had to manage the gearbox problem,” Vettel said.

“It sounded pretty severe. It started to get worse. My main priority was to finish the race.”

Webber finished third in the championship, helped by his first victory of the season. It was his seventh overall in F1, and the second in Brazil after winning in Interlagos in 2009.

“Today was a good grand prix for me. It’s not a bad thing to finish the year like this,” Webber said. “I felt good all weekend. It would have been nice to have a race all the way through (with Vettel) but he had a bit of a problem.”

Vettel, last year’s winner in Brazil, had 11 victories this season. But he was shut out in the final two races. He retired on the first lap in Abu Dhabi because of a puncture.

Vettel’s second-place finish came a day after the two-time champion captured his 15th pole of the season to break Nigel Mansell’s 19-year record. The 24-year-old German had clinched the title four races ago, at the Japanese GP.

“I think we had a pretty amazing season and it would be over the top being upset now,” Vettel said. “So we take the second place, the 1-2 finish for the team, which is great.”

Red Bull also had already won the constructors’ championship, with McLaren finishing second and Ferrari third.

On a dry track despite forecasts of rain, Webber took the lead when Vettel gave his teammate plenty of space at the end of the main straight.