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SHANGHAI: Britain's Lewis Hamilton ended world champion Sebastian Vettel's triumphant start to the 2011 season on Sunday when he drove to a spectacular victory in the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old McLaren driver, who was world champion in 2008, made the most of a tactical decision to preserve tyres during qualifying on Saturday to cut through the field in the closing stages and pass the 23-year-old German with less than five laps remaining.
“That was amazing, thank you so much,” Hamilton told his team over the radio as he cruised the circuit on his victory lap.
The win in Shanghai was the 15th victory of Hamilton's Formula One career.
There was also joy for Australia's Mark Webber who started 18th on the grid and finished third behind his Red Bull teammate Vettel after a near-wondrous final push.
Webber edged out Hamilton's McLaren team mate and compatriot Jenson Button, who finished an ultimately disappointing fourth after he had taken the lead at the first corner on Sunday.
German Nico Rosberg, one of several drivers who looked a possible winner after leading during the race, brought his Mercedes home in fifth place ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari and his team mate two-times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso who was seventh.
German Michael Schumacher, 42, the seven-times champion, finished eighth in the second Mercedes ahead of ninth-placed Russian Vitaly Petrov in a Renault and Japanese Kamui Kobayashi in a Sauber.
