But the German earned himself a reprimand from the stewards and a £21,300 fine for his all-conquering Red Bull team for performing doughnuts in front of 57,000 fans in the main stand.

The victory - Vettel's sixth race win in a row - put him alongside F1 legends Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio as the only men to win four or more world crowns.

And Red Bull were also celebrating after clinching their fourth constructors' title running.

But afterwards Vettel revealed his hurt at being repeatedly booed this season by race fans who believe he is stifling the sport after winning 10 races in a supposedly superior car.

    

Vettel has faced hostile podium receptions in Canada, Italy and Singapore as well as other venues.

He said: "It was for sure not an easy season, even though people from the outside got the idea that we had it in our hands for quite a while.

"It was a difficult one, all in all - very difficult for me, personally, to receive boos, even though you haven't done anything wrong.

"But to overcome that and to give the right answer on the track, and finally get that acceptance I think we're all looking for as racing drivers, it makes me very proud."

At 26, Vettel is six years younger than Schumacher was when he became a four-time champion in 2001 and will fancy his chances of eclipsing his boyhood hero's outright record of seven world titles. Vettel added: "To win four titles, it's just a big number, you know.

"To join people like that - Michael, Fangio, Prost - is very difficult to put into perspective. I'm way too young to understand what it means.

"I might be 60 one day, maybe then I will understand, but nobody will care any more."

Best Red Bull team principal Christian Horner led the praise for Vettel's achievement over the team radio, telling him: "You've done it in style. You join the greats - well done."

Vettel added: "I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what to say. It's been one of the best days of my life so far.

"It was phenomenal all season, to be honest, so I couldn't ask for more."

     

Vettel took the chequered flag 30 seconds clear of the chasing pack, moving him into an unassailable 115-point lead in the standings with three races to spare.

Mark Webber had been on target to make it a Red Bull one-two but an alternator problem forced him out, paving the way for Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Romain Grosjean of Lotus to make the podium.

Vettel's alternator was also overheating and he was banned from using his electronic drinks bottle in the closing stages to save battery life.

Vettel had a 90-point lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso going into the weekend but any slim hopes the Spaniard may have had of producing a miracle fightback were ended by first-lap collisions with Webber and Jenson Button that saw him finish 11th.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa was fourth ahead of McLaren's Sergio Perez and Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton.