Sebastian Vettel signs off on 'dream F1 weekend' in Japan after last-to-sixth drive

Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel enjoyed his final Japanese Grand Prix, calling it "a dream weekend".

The 35-year-old Vettel, who retires at the end of the 2022 season, started in ninth and proceeded to claim a sixth-place finish - this after having spun off on the first lap after making contact with Alpine's Fernando Alonso, which dropped the Aston Martin driver to the back of the field.

Following the red-flag period for the spin, and once the race restarted after a two-hour rain delay, Vettel was able to fight his way to a sixth-place finish on one of his favourite Formula 1 circuits at Suzuka.

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A good start

In an interview following the race, which was shorted to 29 of the 53 scheduled laps due to wet conditions, Vettel said: "Obviously, it was a shame that we only got half a race, but at least the people in the grandstands got to see some racing.

"We were waiting in the dry for the restart, but I imagine it must have been rather unpleasant to sit outside in the wet for a couple of hours.

"I got a very good start, but then I collided with another car at the first corner. I really could not see anything. I am not sure, maybe I aquaplaned, or I made a mistake, but I lost all the positions I had gained and ended up last," Vettel said.

"When the race restarted, we made a good decision to box immediately for inters. It was a great stop, then I pushed like crazy and managed to undercut most of the field.

"It has been a dream weekend. For us to score eight points is a mega result.

"I feel sad to have driven my last race here, but it has been a wonderful