Vettel surprises and Ferrari wins in Malaysia.
Sebastian Vettel delivered a flawless performance to secure his first victory for Ferrari this Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix; "Number 1 is back, Ferrari is back," Vettel heard over the team radio as soon as he received the checkered flag.
By John O'Brien
SEPANG, Malaysia (Reuters) - Sebastian Vettel once again proved that form is temporary and class is permanent when the four-time world champion delivered a flawless performance to secure his first victory for Ferrari this Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The victory ended a long drought for Formula 1's most successful team, whose last win had been at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2013. This was the German driver's 40th career win.
Starting second on the grid, behind Lewis Hamilton and his seemingly unbeatable Mercedes, Vettel and Ferreri delivered a high-level tactical masterclass to overtake the Briton and cross the finish line 8,5 seconds ahead of the two-time world champion.
"Number 1 is back, Ferrari is back," Vettel heard over the team radio as soon as he received the checkered flag.
"Thank you, thank you. Go Ferrari!", he shouted in Italian, celebrating his fourth victory at Sepang, a circuit that has favored the Italian team over the years with seven wins in 17 editions since 1999.
Hamilton's teammate, Nico Rosberg, finished the race in third place, while the young Max Verstappen, just 17 years old, finished seventh with his Toro Rosso to become the youngest driver to score points in F1.
Vettel looked like a helpless figure in his final season with Red Bull in 2014, unable to secure a victory and far behind the frontrunners.
He agreed to transfer to Ferrari last year, replacing two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, and the partnership seems to have revitalized both driver and team.
Third in Australia, although well behind Mercedes, Vettel and Ferrari showed real potential in free practice and qualifying and were able to carry that momentum into the race.
When the lights went out signaling the start of the race, Hamilton opened up a lead, but the race turned in favor of Ferrari when Marcus Ericsson of Sauber spun at the start of lap four, forcing the safety car to come out.
While Mercedes called both its cars into the pits to put on hard tires, Vettel stayed on the track and took the lead, which he maintained until the end of the race, while Mercedes tried in every way to close the gap to the leader, but without success.
"It's been a while since I've been on the top step of the podium and, obviously, the first time with Ferrari," said an excited Vettel.
"I'm speechless. I'm happy and proud of today. We beat them fairly, and today is a special day – that's why I'm so emotional."