Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel today registered a dominant victory in the Japanese Grand Prix 2012 to put himself in a strong position to win the world title. Championship leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari retired on the first lap and had to watch as Vettel cut his lead to four points.Alonso suffered a puncture when he was hit from behind by Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel, who also won the previous race in Singapore, is moving within sight of a third straight title, with five races left. Alonso's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was second, 20.6 seconds behind Vettel for his first podium since Korea in 2010. Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi took third place for his first-ever podium finish and become the first Japanese driver on a podium here since 1990. For Vettel, it was one the most comfortable victories of the year. The Red Bull is a faster car than the Ferrari, in which Alonso has been fighting a rear-guard battle for some time.