Fernando Alonso marked his Ferrari debut by coasting to victory in the season-opening grand prix in Bahrain. The Spanish two-time former champion finished 16 seconds ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa, who was making his return to racing after last season’s horror crash.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton took third with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who had begun the race in pole, in fourth.
Nico Rosberg was fifth, while Michael Schumacher marked his comeback with sixth in the Mercedes, one place ahead of Jenson Button, the defending champion, who made a faltering start to the defence of his title with his McLaren unable to match the pace of the Ferraris and Red Bulls.
Alonso, 28, who won the title twice with his former team Renault, delivered the 22nd win of his career - and his third in Bahrain - with a brilliantly-judged performance by preserving both his tyres and his engine on a sizzling hot day at the Sakhir circuit.
Formula 1: Bahrain Grand Prix - Race Results
Driving with meticulous care, the Spaniard took full advantage of bad luck that hit Vettel when his Red Bull car suffered an exhaust failure and lost power dramatically after leading for the first 34 laps of the 49-lap contest.
Alonso collected 25 points for the win under a scoring system that now rewards the top 10 finishers. Times Online
Vettel said: “It’s a pity, but what can you do?
“Overall it’s a positive. We were one of the quickest, we had very good control of the race and were on top of the strategy.
“Everything was running smoothly. Luckily we could continue and finish fourth but we should have won, really.
“It seemed to kind of recover at the end but it wasn’t great and it cost us a lot. The points are still important.”
Alonso said: “I had some pace in the pocket at that time of the race but I was just concentrating to manage the tyres.
“I was waiting for the time to attack, maybe for the last 10 laps, but suddenly Vettel had a car problem and we had the chance to overtake him a little earlier than expected.
“He was very quick, especially on the soft tyres and I could not follow him, but on the hard tyres we were better. It’s difficult to know (what would have happened if Vettel had not had his problem).”
Massa followed Alonso through at the start of the next lap and the Ferraris controlled the race from then on.
“It’s a special day for me,” said Alonso. “Coming back to the top of the podium is always special and it’s even more special with Ferrari, with all the history behind the team and the expectations a driver has driving for Ferrari.
“There is no better way to start the relationship. I am in the best team in the world.
“We did nothing today, only won the first grand prix, but it is a good start. I’m very optimistic for the rest of the season.” BBC Sport
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