Sebastian Vettel kisses the trophy in Austin yesterday.

Sebastian Vettel made Formula One history by chalking up an eighth successive victory in a single season after taking the chequered flag at the United States Grand Prix yesterday.

After equalling Michael Schumacher’s 2004 feat a fortnight ago in Abu Dhabi, Vettel made the record his own with another comfortable run at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

Another triumph in Brazil next Sunday will see Vettel equal Alberto Ascari’s all-time record of nine straight wins set in 1952/53, and Schumacher’s victory haul of 13 in one season.

Behind Vettel, Romain Grosjean equalled the best result of his F1 career in claiming the runner-up spot, coming under attack from Red Bull’s Mark Webber late on, but with his tyres giving away the Australian had to settle for third.

Vettel ultimately cruised to his record win, delighting the fans by performing doughnuts at the top of the back straight, and after delivering an emotional message over the radio.

When told he was a record-breaker again, Vettel said: “I’m speechless! We have to remember these days. There’s no guarantee they will be forever.

“We have incredible team spirit. I’m so proud of you guys. I love you.”

Going into the summer break there was the threat of an intriguing fight to the finish between four, potentially five drivers.

But following the three-week August holiday Vettel and Red Bull have been in a class of their own, aided in part by the change in rules due to come into force for 2014.

With significant resources required for the 1.6-litre turbo-charged V6 engines that replace the current 2.4-litre V8s, teams made a call to focus their money and ideas on next year’s cars.

Red Bull, by their own admission, continued to develop this year’s RB9 to the detriment of the RB10 as they were expecting far more of a challenge that simply has not materialised.

That has, in turn, led to no-one holding a candle to Vettel and the Milton Keynes-based marque, and the sizzling run of success that has resulted in the 26-year-old German claiming another record.

Webber has threatened occasionally, but in front of a great crowd at the Circuit of the Americas, the Australian suffered a poor start.

Instead of putting Vettel under pressure as the field powered up the hill into the blind left-hander of turn one, Webber dropped back to fourth behind Grosjean and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

On this occasion there was no lap-one charge from Vettel as that was halted by a safety car when Adrian Sutil clattered his Force India into a barrier after clipping Williams’ Pastor Maldonado along the back straight.

But once the safety car disappeared at the end of lap four, so did Vettel into the distance, although not with the dominance of some races of late which he has won by 30 seconds.

Arguably the one-stop strategy was instrumental as slightly greater care of the Pirelli tyres was required to ensure the medium in the first stint and hard in the second did not fall away.

Instead, Vettel managed a comfortable gap throughout to Grosjean.

For his part, Webber had one highlight when he passed Hamilton early on and towards the finish put Grosjean under pressure, but as the tyres went off so he had to drop back and collect third.

Hamilton came home fourth, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso fifth on a weekend when he has battled with headaches and back pain following his incident in Abu Dhabi.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg almost claimed Alonso’s scalp on the final lap, but had to settle for sixth, with Mexico’s Sergio Perez, at the end of a week when he was axed by McLaren, seventh.

Valtteri Bottas collected four points for Williams, and his first for the team in his debut campaign.

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg and McLaren’s Jenson Button completing the top 10, the latter after passing Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo at turn one on the penultimate lap.

US Grand Prix result

Fastest lap: Sebastian Vettel,1:39.856, lap 54.
Next race: Brazil GP, Nov. 24.

Overall standings

Drivers
1. Vettel 372; 2. Alonso 227; 3. Hamilton 187; 4. Raikkonen 183; 5. Webber 181; 6. Rosberg 161; 7. Grosjean 132; 8. Massa 106; 9. Button 61; 10. Di Resta 48; 11. Huelkenberg 47; 12. Perez 41; 13. Sutil 29; 14. Ricciardo 19; 15. Vergne 13; 16. Gutierrez 6; 17. Bottas 4; 18. Maldonado 1.

Constructors
1. RedBull 553; 2. Mercedes 348; 3. Ferrari 333; 4. Lotus 315; 5. McLaren 102; 6. Force India 77; 7. Sauber 53; 8. Toro Rosso 32; 9. Williams 5.