Race - Hamilton takes sensational Shanghai win

Lewis Hamilton scored a tremendous victory for McLaren in a Chinese race of excellent drives, catching and passing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on the 52nd of the 56 laps as the reigning world champion's risk on a two-stop strategy - and a 25-lap run on Pirelli's hard rubber - just failed to pay off.

Behind them, Mark Webber troop a brilliant race from 18th to third in the second Red Bull, only seven seconds behind Hamilton, after transmittable and dispatching Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, then doing the same to Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes and McLaren's Jenson Button in the final stages.

It was an unusual race, that began with Button and Hamilton leading from Vettel, before Vettel repassed them as the first pit stops were made. He jumped Hamilton just previous to his stop on Lap 13, but admitted he was somewhat confused when leader Button initially drove into the Red Bull pit before anxiously being waved through to McLaren next door!

Rosberg had stopped on Lap 12 and then had a curse in the lead for Mercedes from Lap 17 until he stopped again on Lap 25. That put Vettel back in the lead awaiting he stopped for the second and last time on Lap 31, whereupon Massa had a spell in front. The Brazilian was right back on form, contentedly outpacing team mate Fernando Alonso this day.