MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel made an ideal start to his Formula One title defense, driving a flawless race to outpace McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
After starting from pole position, Vettel maintained his lead after the first turn and had already opened a gap of more than 2 seconds over Hamilton following the first lap. Renault’s Vitaly Petrov was a surprise third to claim his first-ever podium finish.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was fourth and Vettel’s Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished fifth. Michael Schumacher retired with mechanical problems less than halfway through the race.
