Dramatic win takes Alonso top

Fernando Alonso emerged from the chaos in Korea to claim his third victory in four races and move to the top of the Formula One world title standings.

In a rain-hit inaugural Korean Grand Prix, for the first time this season Red Bull suffered a double retirement. Mark Webber surrendered his championship lead when he crashed out on lap 19, whilst Sebastian Vettel's engine blew nine laps from home when he was on course for the win.

It allowed Ferrari star Alonso to take the chequered flag and move 11 points clear of Webber, with Lewis Hamilton - second on the day - now 21 down on his former McLaren team-mate.

The grand prix began behind the safety car due to the extreme wet conditions but after three laps it became abundantly clear the conditions were too severe to continue. It prompted race director Charlie Whiting to red-flag the race, with the drivers lining up in their original grid positions, and waiting for the rain to ease.

Overall, there was a 48 minute delay before it was announced the race would start again behind the safety car, and when it did, it was another 37 minutes before the field was finally unleashed.

The first major accident of the day occurred on lap 19 involving Webber and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. Webber put his left-front wheel off the track at turn 12, catching the synthetic surface that then sent him spinning into a wall. The momentum carried him back across the track where Rosberg was unable to take evasive action, colliding into the Australian, with both drivers retiring.

It resulted in the re-introduction of the safety car, although more pertinently it allowed Alonso to move up to second and Hamilton third.

Then on lap 46, just as Vettel surrendered his lead to Alonso into turn one, the Renault powerplant blew as he gunned the car heading up the long straight out of turn two. The German, who would have led the championship for the first time this season if he had held on for the win, now finds himself down in fourth, 25 points behind Alonso.

As for reigning champion Jenson Button, his title reign is all but over as he could only manage 12th and trails Alonso by 42 points.

Felipe Massa joined team-mate Alonso and Hamilton on the podium, with Michael Schumacher equalling his best finish of the season with fourth in his Mercedes. Robert Kubica was fifth in his Renault, followed by Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi, Williams' Rubens Barrichello, the Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Heidfeld, and with Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari 10th.