SEPANG: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel of Germany gets the checkered flag as he crosses the finish line to win the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit on Sunday.—AP

SEPANG: Fears that Mercedes would dominate the 2015 Formula One season were swept aside in a flash of Ferrari red on Sunday as a tearful Sebastian Vettel won the Malaysian Grand Prix and announced himself as a genuine title contender.

Most observers were gloomily predicting another one-sided season after Mercedes recorded a comfortable one-two finish in the season opener in Australia, but Vettel showed again that form is temporary and class permanent when the four-times world champion put in a faultless display to record his first victory for Ferrari in only his second race for the team after leaving Red Bull.

The triumph ended a long drought for Formula One’s most successful team, whose last win was at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2013, and was the 40th of the German’s career.

Starting from second place on the grid behind Lewis Hamilton’s seemingly unbeatable Mercedes, Vettel and Ferrari produced a tactical masterclass to overhaul the Briton and cross the line 8.5 seconds ahead of the double world champion.

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’s team-mate Nico Rosberg finished a distant third while Vettel’s Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen overcame an early puncture to finish fourth, well clear of Williams pair Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa.

Verstappen finished ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr, with both Toro Rosso drivers outperforming their senior Red Bull team, with Daniil Kvyat ninth and Daniel Ricciardo 10th.

But there was more woe for former superpower McLaren as ex-world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were both forced to retire.

After two races, Hamilton leads the driver’s standings on 43 points, Vettel sits second on 40, with Rosberg on 33 and Massa on 20.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2015

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