Ferrari hit the front as Alonso proves his credentials

An element of luck played its part in Alonso's 22nd career victory as Sebastian Vettel was poised to clinch a pole-to-flag triumph in yesterday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix until an engine problem scuppered his cause.

In the space of 20 seconds Vettel's race turned on its head as with the loss of power he dropped from first to third, initially passed into the final corner by Alonso at the end of lap 34, and then into the first corner of lap 35 by Felipe Massa.

With Vettel losing two to three seconds per lap, it was not too long before Lewis Hamilton also took advantage to claim third to at least give McLaren something to smile about.

For team-mate Jenson Button, seventh was not what he would have anticipated after switching teams, and on the start of the defence of his world title.

But then this grand prix was not what anybody was anticipating as it failed to live up to all the pre-season hype as the new regulations – a ban on refuelling and one tyre change – turned it into the procession many feared, a point even Alonso remarked upon.

But there was no hiding his smile after a maiden outing for his new team to remember, clinching his first win since the Japanese Grand Prix of 2008 by 16 seconds to Massa.

"It means a lot," said Alonso, signed by Ferrari a year earlier than they had planned after losing patience with Kimi Raikkonen. "Obviously any victory means a lot, but this is a very special day for me.

"Returning to the top of the podium is always special, but this is even more so with Ferrari, with all the history behind the team and all the expectations a driver has when he drives for Ferrari.

"There is no better way to start the relationship. I am in the best team in the world."

As for Hamilton, he has urged his team to push on if they are to keep pace with the Ferraris and the Red Bulls.

"Third place was a very strong result for us," he said. "I feel we did a good job. Our reliability was great and the pace was pretty good, but we still need to push very hard to close the gap to the cars in front."

McLaren team-mate and reigning world champion Button cut a frustrated figure.

"I didn't have the pace in the middle section to challenge in the final section, which was disappointing," he said. "I'm okay with the result, although it wasn't what I was hoping for. I expected to be a bit further up."

On his return after three and a half years in retirement, Michael Schumacher had to be content with sixth, a place behind team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Mark Webber was eighth in his Red Bull, followed by Vitantonio Liuzzi in his Force India.