Vettel ends win drought

sepang, March 29 

Sebastian Vettel stunned Mercedes’ world champion Lewis Hamilton on Sunday with an audacious Malaysian Grand Prix victory which set the Formula One season alight.

The Ferrari man took advantage of an early safety car as he hit the front and held off Hamilton and Nico Rosberg after pitting only twice, compared to three for the Mercedes pair.

The four-time world champion now has 40 career wins but it is his first with Ferrari, and breaks a dry spell stretching back to his last race with Red Bull in 2013.

Few of his wins can have been as satisfying. He shattered assumptions of Mercedes’ unassailable superiority in 2015, after they dominated the season-opener in Australia. “Fantastico, fantastico!” he screamed down the radio in Italian. “Yes boys, can you hear me? Thank you, thank you. Forza Ferrari!”

Further back, there were also celebrations for Max Verstappen as the 17-year-old finished seventh, becoming the youngest points-scorer in Formula One history. Hamilton got away smoothly from pole and Vettel aggressively defended second from a charging Rosberg, helped by a nudge against the Mercedes as they battled round the first corner. — Agencies