Sebastian Vettel kept alive his outside chance of winning the Formula One world championship after the Red Bull driver led from pole to win the Japanese Grand Prix.

The German crossed the line 4.8 seconds ahead of Jarno Trulli's Toyota with Lewis Hamilton grabbing third for McLaren.

Vettel's third win of the season now leaves him 16 points behind leader Jenson Button, who finished eighth, while Rubens Barrichello is 14 adrift of his Brawn GP team-mate having crossed the line seventh.

The battle for the drivers' world championship will go down to the final two races at Interlagos and Abu Dhabi.

Button had been promoted two places to 10th on the starting grid but title rival and team-mate Rubens Barrichello was the biggest winner of a re-shuffled order as the Brazilian started the 53-lap race sixth.

The Brawn GP pair, along with Force India's Adrian Sutil, Renault driver Fernando Alonso and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi were handed five-place grid demotions after failing to slow under waved yellow flags following the latter's crash on the exit of the Spoon Curve.

However, due to the timings of the penalties and a five-place drop for Heikki Kovalainen to 11th after the Finn changed the gearbox on his McLaren, the provisional grid took on a much-changed look.