Vettel encouraged by winning start

Sebastian Vettel described the atmosphere as "special" and his car "perfect" after winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

And on the evidence of Sunday's stunning performance, there will be plenty more silverware to come this season given his Red Bull car is leaps and bounds ahead of his rivals.

"I am very happy because all of us, the whole team and myself, we had a lot of fun winning the Australian Grand Prix," said Vettel.

"It is always very nice to come here. The atmosphere is something special. You do the drivers' parade and see the people going crazy.

"To see so many people coming and cheering for our sport, that is something we don't get everywhere.

"We really enjoy that, so we have to keep coming here. The sun came out, which had been missing all week, so it was really great, and the car was perfect."

Vettel finished 22 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren, with Vitaly Petrov scoring the best result of his career by taking third for Renault to complete the top three.

Red Bull opted not to run with the KERS power-boost system that can provide an additional 0.5secs per lap, underlining the emphatic nature of Vettel's performance.

It was only race one, but the signs are ominous, although Vettel dismissed any suggestion of early superiority.

"I don't really like the word dominant at this stage to be honest because there is a long, long way to go," added Vettel. "But we learned a lot of things, and it's good coming here after a long winter and setting the pace."