Ferrari have announced that the controversy regarding Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is now "closed" following a response from Formula 1's governing body.

The Italian team launched a protest against Vettel, who won his third consecutive drivers' championship title, after video footage appeared to show the German overtaking illegally during the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The FIA claimed that Red Bull do not have a case to answer after it was clarified that a green flag was shown, which allowed Vettel to overtake during the final race of the season.

Ferrari released a statement, which said: "The letter to the FIA was in no way intended to undermine the legality of the race result. We received tens of thousands of queries relating to this matter from all over the world and it was incumbent on us to take the matter further, asking the Federation to look into an incident that could have cast a shadow over the championship in the eyes of all Formula 1 enthusiasts, not just Ferrari fans.

"Ferrari duly takes note of the reply sent by the FIA this morning and therefore considers the matter now closed."

Vettel beat Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by three points to clinch the title in Brazil.