The German, who crashed out of last year's race, leads the drivers' championship by 13 points from Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso with three races remaining.
Vettel qualified third on the grid and Alonso seventh.
Vettel didn't say why his car stopped. But McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told The Associated Press that he believes it's because he "didn't have enough fuel in the car to finish the lap which, if that is true, he would be in trouble with stewards and ... would start from the back of the field."
Vettel meets stewards to explain why his car stopped on track
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