Ferrari's Fernando Alonso won the rain-splashed Korean Grand Prix on Sunday to take the Formula One championship lead, while both rival Red Bull drivers failed to finish.
Red Bull's Mark Webber led the standings entering the race, but spun out soon after racing belatedly began, while teammate Sebastian Vettel led from pole position until his engine failed 10 laps from the finish.
The incident-strewn race began behind a safety car and was red-flagged after only two laps because of persistent rain and standing water on the track. After resuming, the safety car remained out until Lap 18 while water was cleared. The race went the distance but finished in darkness at 6 p.m.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finished second to keep his title chances alive and Ferrari's Felipe Massa was third.
With two races remaining, Alonso has an 11-point lead over Webber and 21-point margin over third-place Hamilton. Vettel dropped 25 points back, all but ending his championship chances.
''This is the first wet race that I won, so I am even more happy,'' Alonso said, while downplaying his championship lead. ''Nothing changes. It was bad luck for Mark and Sebastian, but anything can happen in the next two races.''
Two laps after the cars were finally released from behind the safety car, Webber ran slightly wide at a corner, putting his tires on the slippery ripple strip and slid across the track into a wall. Webber's car drifted back across the track, and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg could not avoid hitting the Red Bull, ending the race for both drivers.
''Totally my mistake. Wasn't my day,'' Webber told the BBC. ''This is my second non-finish of the year. There are still two races to go, I'll do my absolute best.''
Mercedes' Michael Schumacher finished fourth to match his best result of the season. Renault's Robert Kubica was fifth and Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi a season-best sixth. Reigning series champion Jenson Button was 12th for McLaren to drop out of title contention.
