SEPANG, Malayasia - Sebastian Vettel drove a flawless tactical race to claim his maiden victory for Ferrari at the Malaysian GP on Sunday, registering the first Formula 1 win for the Italian team since 2013.
World champion Lewis Hamilton finished second, 8.5 seconds adrift, with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg crossing the line in third.
Vettel showed again that form is temporary and class permanent when the four-times F1 champion put in a faultless display to record his first victory for Ferrari. The victory ended a long drought for the Italian F1 team, whose last win was at the Spanish GP in 2013, and was the 40th of his career.
'FERRARI IS BACK!'
Starting from second place on the grid behind 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 champion.
Vettel was told over the team radio as he took the chequered flag: "Numero uno is back, Ferrari is back," "Grazie, grazie. Forza Ferrari" he shouted in reply.
17-year-old Max Verstappen claimed seventh for Toro Rosso to become the youngest ever points scorer in F1 history.
The race got off to a clean start with Hamilton pulling away from Vettel on the first lap, but the race turned in Ferrari's favour when Sauber's Marcus Ericsson spun off at the start of lap four to bring out the safety car.
While Mercedes pulled both their cars into the pits to put on hard tyres, Vettel stayed out on the medium compound and made the lead stick until the end of the race.
Vettel, who failed to win a race for Red Bull in 2014 after four successive titles, has now won grands prix for three separate teams - Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Ferrari.