Hamilton benefits from Red Bull mishap

Lewis Hamilton grabbed his first victory of the season in stunning fashion as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber broke the cardinal rule of Formula One.

After 39 laps Webber was poised for his third consecutive triumph, spearheading another one-two with Vettel at the Turkish Grand Prix, with Hamilton and McLaren team-mate Jenson Button third and fourth but on lap 40 Vettel made a move on his Australian team-mate that resulted in the German crashing out of the race.

It allowed Hamilton and Button to slip by into first and second, and despite their own hair-raising moment at the end of lap 49 and start of lap 50, the 2008 world champion took the chequered flag to end a run of nine races without a win.

Sensing an opportunity to make a move on Webber down the straight into Turn 12, Vettel pulled alongside to the Australian's left.

With Webber refusing to flinch, Vettel edged his way across towards the centre of the track, perhaps hoping Webber would yield but Webber did not, and instead the right rear of Vettel's Red Bull collided with the front left of Webber's car, the German coming off worse as he was sent into a spin and retirement.

As for Webber, he lost the left-end plate of his front wing which forced him into making a second pit stop for a replacement.

It allowed Hamilton and Button to pass with ease into first and second, with Webber holding onto third despite the additional and unexpected pit stop but there was more drama to come as in the same place Button made his way past Hamilton on lap 49 and into Turn 12.

As they diced with one another, the duo touched wheels, but with the reigning world champion taking Turns 13 and 14 with the lead. However, slipstreaming Button along the pit straight, Hamilton managed to regain the lead on entry into Turn One, forcing the 30-year-old to run wide.

Under orders then to conserve fuel, Hamilton eventually crossed the line 2.6secs ahead of Button, who are now nine and five points behind Webber in the drivers' standings as he has increased his lead despite the drama.

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were fourth and fifth for Mercedes, followed by Renault's Robert Kubica, the Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, Renault's Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil for Force India, with Kamui Kobayashi taking 10th for Sauber's first point of the season.