Sebastian Vettel stunned world champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes on Sunday with an audacious Malaysian Grand Prix victory which ignited the Formula One season.

The Ferrari driver took advantage of an early safety car as he hit the front and held off Hamilton and Nico Rosberg after pitting only twice, compared to three for the Mercedes pair.

• Like a (grid) girl: F1 needs to man up 
• Unhappy racers: Red Bull in quit threat

The four-time world champion has now racked up 40 career wins but it is his first with Ferrari, breaking a dry spell which stretches back to the final race of 2013 when he was driving for Red Bull.

Few of the German’s victories have been as telling or perhaps as satisfying as Sunday’s, as he shattered assumptions of Mercedes’ unassailable superiority in 2015.

“Fantastico, fantastico!” he screamed down the team radio in Italian.

“Yes boys, can you hear me? Thank you, thank you. Forza Ferrari!”

Further back, there were also celebrations for Max Verstappen as the 17-year-old finished seventh, becoming the youngest points-scorer in Formula One history.

Australian Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo finished 10th.