By Mark Baker, APLewis Hamilton of Britain leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany during the Chinese Grand Prix.
By Mark Baker, APLewis Hamilton of Britain leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany during the Chinese Grand Prix.
Vettel made a strong bid for three consecutive wins to start the season but he couldn't hold off Hamilton, who made a stop more than the German and had tyres fresher at the end. "It was one of the best races I have experienced, "said Hamilton, whose last victory was the Belgium Grand Prix last year. "It's an incredible feeling to be able to bring it home. I am absolutely overwhelmed. It feels like a long, long time (since winning). I'm so proud and very grateful. "Red Bull's Mark Webber, who started 18TH, made a remarkable charge to the front to finish third.Vettel, who has 12 career victories in 65 starts, was trying to become the first driver since Michael Schumacher in 2004 to start the season with three straight victories.Hamilton came close to being out of contention before the race even started, when it was discovered a fuel leak in your engine. McLaren mechanics worked frantically in the garage with the seconds ticking down to the Pit Lane closed. They had missed the deadline, Hamilton would have gotten pitlane instead of third on the grid.They sent him in the back of the installation with only a minute to spare, but with a lack of engine lid and that had to be drilled for the car, while he was sitting on the grid ".I had real confidence in the guys who would figure this out, "said Hamilton. "As I was driving the light I was nervous that just as I reached him, he would be red, but luckily I walked away".Jenson Button McLaren, winner of last year's race, was fourth, ahead of Nico Rosberg Mercedes and Felipe Massa of Ferrari, who all took in several stages in Fernando Alonso from Shanghai International Circuit Ferrari was seventh.ahead of Schumacher of Mercedes and Vitaly Petrov Renault, with Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber, taking the last point in 10th place.Vettel started from pole, but was passed by the two McLaren prior to the first curve. He managed to get ahead of both in the first round of pit stops, overcoming a strange incident in which button mistakenly pulled the Red Bull garage in front of him and had to be waved to the correct space.Rosberg had already changed its tyres until then inherited the lead while others pitted, but Vettel went ahead again after the second round of stops. Unlike McLaren, Red Bull, then decided not to pit again and Vettel acknowledged after the race that the strategy of making the final 25 laps in a set of tires "wasn't the best." "The rhythm was there, but we decided to be patient and go with two stops, and when it doesn't work, it doesn't work," said Vettel. "I don't see today the second as a disappointment."Hamilton was fourth with 16 laps remaining and completed all the pitstops. He passed Rosberg for third on lap 42 and then got past Mass two laps later move up to second, 4.6 seconds behind Vettel. Hamilton, who now has 15 career victories, reduced the gap over the next eight laps, possibly Vettel comfortably turn seven and five laps from the end.Meanwhile, Rosberg, button and Mass were struggling on worn tires and were swallowed by Webber, who made an extraordinary charge through the field in the second half of the race.The Australian was in 17th place with more than a quarter of the race gone, but having started on hard tires, he was able to use those softer-compound for the entire second half, passing Schumacher, Alonso, Rosberg and Massa in the last 15 laps. "Suddenly I felt comfortable with the car, "said Webber. as for Schumacher, he won this race in 2006 for the last of his record 91 victories with three races completed, Vettel leads the riders with 68 points, ahead of Hamilton (47)(38) button and Webber (37).The next race will be the Grand Prix of Turkey on May 8.
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