World Championship - Down to 3

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From bettingzone...

The Formula One drivers' championship looks to be down to a three-horse race after Red Bull secured a one-two in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel won at Suzuka with team-mate Mark Webber second, a result which meant the Australian kept the lead in the title race.

With a 14-point lead, Webber is the title favourite - Sportingbet will give you 27/20, although he is as short as evens with Stan James.

Vettel also saw his odds cut and he's now a best of 5/2 (Sportingbet and extrabet) for the crown.

Fernando Alonso was third in his Ferrari and he now appears to be the only realistic challenger to the Red Bull pair.

He's a general 3/1 chance, although Sportingbet are very much keeping the Ferrari man on their side, going just 37/20.

Both Vettel and Alonso are 14 points off Webber's lead with three races of the season remaining.

The McLarens of defending champion Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came home fourth and fifth at Suzuka but that simply meant they lost more ground on the leading trio in the standings.

The British drivers' chances of getting their hands on a second world title have all but been written off by extrabet, who are prepared to offer 28/1 about Hamilton and 66s about Button.

They trail Webber by 28 and 31 points respectively, with a maximum of 75 still available.

William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly said: "Lewis was an outside bet at the start of the weekend but the Japanese Grand Prix has all but ended the British challenge in the drivers' championship and it would now appear that it is Red Bull's to lose."

Red Bull's dominance in Japan mean they are now no bigger than 1/20 to win the constructors' title. They hold a 45-point lead over McLaren in that race.