Waiting game finally over for Rosberg but McLaren continue to make early running

In taking the chequered flag at yesterday’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, Rosberg’s cry of “Yes!” over the team radio was loud and long, and richly deserved, as will be the celebrations.

Only four drivers in F1 history have had to wait longer to taste victory – Jenson Button (113), Jarno Trulli (117), Rubens Barrichello (124) and Mark Webber (131) – and a relieved Rosberg said: “It’s an unbelievable feeling. Very, very cool.

“I’m very happy, very excited. It’s been a long time coming for me, and for the team as well over the past two years and a bit.

“Now it’s finally here it’s just amazing, definitely very special and just nice to see how quickly we are now progressing.

“To win my first race and everything that comes with it, with the team I have, with everybody who has been working together for more than two years now, it’s a very happy moment.”

Since taking over Brawn GP following that team’s stunning double title triumph in 2009, much has been expected of Mercedes – for so long an engine partner to McLaren – as a marque in their own right.

However, despite Rosberg being partnered by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, the results of the last two years have been bitterly disappointing.

Now, with arguably the strongest technical department in F1 at their disposal, the fruits of the team’s labours have finally come to bear.

The race for the remaining podium places was astonishing, with positions changing hands at an frantic rate, particularly in the closing laps as some of the two-stop strategists paid the price for their gamble.

On worn tyres, Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen was the biggest loser, tumbling from second place with just five laps remaining to finish 14th. In the end it was Button who finished as runner-up with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton third for the third consecutive race.

Hamilton now leads the standings by two points from his fellow Briton. Button potentially had a shot at pushing Rosberg to the wire but those hopes were ended at his third and final pit stop due to a delay in replacing the left-rear wheel nut.

“That was a pity because when I exited the pits I had four cars in front of me, cars I wouldn’t have been racing, and I would have had a nice, clear track to hopefully hunt down Nico,” said Button.

Just 22 seconds separated Button from Force India’s Paul di Resta in 12th place, with the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in fourth and fifth.

Lotus’s Romain Grosjean scored his first F1 points in sixth, followed by the Williams duo of Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi in 10th.