<p>Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel returned to the top of the standings on Sunday with Red Bull’s first victory of the season in a lively Bahrain Grand Prix that went ahead without incident despite protests against it.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The 24-year-old German’s 22nd career triumph, and first in the troubled Gulf kingdom, made him the fourth different winner in four races.<br /><br />He was pushed hard in the closing laps by Finland’s 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who finished second ahead of Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean in the Frenchman’s first appearance on the F1 podium.<br /><br />Australian Mark Webber was fourth in the other Red Bull for the fourth successive race.<br />“It was a difficult race, extremely tough,” said Vettel, who closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he stood on the podium.<br /><br />With the main grandstand half empty, and few spectators to be seen elsewhere at a circuit with a maximum capacity of 45,000, the race was a far from normal affair after days dominated by talk of petrol bombs and teargas.</p>.<p>There have been almost nightly clashes elsewhere on the island between anti-government protesters and riot police, and teams and organisers could breathe a sigh of relief that the race went off without trouble on the track.<br /><br />Vettel, who had started from pole position for the first time this season after a record 15 starts from the top slot last year, made his trademark single-finger salute for the first time since last year after taking the chequered flag.<br /><br />With fuel running low, he was then told to pull over and stop immediately at the pit exit -- which meant he had to run down the pit lane to embrace his mechanics.<br /><br />Vettel now has 53 points, ousting McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton from the top. The Briton, who finished eighth after two nightmare pitstops, has 49.<br /><br />Red Bull also overtook McLaren in the constructors’ championship. Germany’s Nico Rosberg, winner of the previous race in China in the first victory by a Mercedes works team since 1955, finished fifth with a stewards’ enquiry hanging over him for moves on Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.<br /><br />Britain’s Paul Di Resta was sixth for Force India with Alonso seventh and Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa finally in the points in ninth ahead of Germany’s seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in a Mercedes.Before this race, a seventh-place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix was Resta’s best show in the current season.<br /><br />Now the Briton has been among points thrice in four races so far this year. He had missed out on points at the last week’s Chinese Grand Prix.<br /><br />Hulkenberg had started 13th on the grid and did well to gain one position.</p>
<p>Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel returned to the top of the standings on Sunday with Red Bull’s first victory of the season in a lively Bahrain Grand Prix that went ahead without incident despite protests against it.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The 24-year-old German’s 22nd career triumph, and first in the troubled Gulf kingdom, made him the fourth different winner in four races.<br /><br />He was pushed hard in the closing laps by Finland’s 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who finished second ahead of Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean in the Frenchman’s first appearance on the F1 podium.<br /><br />Australian Mark Webber was fourth in the other Red Bull for the fourth successive race.<br />“It was a difficult race, extremely tough,” said Vettel, who closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he stood on the podium.<br /><br />With the main grandstand half empty, and few spectators to be seen elsewhere at a circuit with a maximum capacity of 45,000, the race was a far from normal affair after days dominated by talk of petrol bombs and teargas.</p>.<p>There have been almost nightly clashes elsewhere on the island between anti-government protesters and riot police, and teams and organisers could breathe a sigh of relief that the race went off without trouble on the track.<br /><br />Vettel, who had started from pole position for the first time this season after a record 15 starts from the top slot last year, made his trademark single-finger salute for the first time since last year after taking the chequered flag.<br /><br />With fuel running low, he was then told to pull over and stop immediately at the pit exit -- which meant he had to run down the pit lane to embrace his mechanics.<br /><br />Vettel now has 53 points, ousting McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton from the top. The Briton, who finished eighth after two nightmare pitstops, has 49.<br /><br />Red Bull also overtook McLaren in the constructors’ championship. Germany’s Nico Rosberg, winner of the previous race in China in the first victory by a Mercedes works team since 1955, finished fifth with a stewards’ enquiry hanging over him for moves on Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.<br /><br />Britain’s Paul Di Resta was sixth for Force India with Alonso seventh and Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa finally in the points in ninth ahead of Germany’s seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in a Mercedes.Before this race, a seventh-place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix was Resta’s best show in the current season.<br /><br />Now the Briton has been among points thrice in four races so far this year. He had missed out on points at the last week’s Chinese Grand Prix.<br /><br />Hulkenberg had started 13th on the grid and did well to gain one position.</p>
