Hamilton is the pass master

LEWIS HAMILTON conjured up a Malaysian masterclass to lay claim to being the world's best driver.

The 2008 champion is in the form of his life, after producing a devastating display of overtaking for the second race in a row.

Hamilton finished sixth in Kuala Lumpur, as 22-year-old hot-shot Sebastian Vettel finally transferred Red Bull's superior speed into a race victory.

But given the Brit started 20th on the grid after his team's qualifying howler, there is no doubting who will be the man to beat if McLaren get their collective act together.

Hamilton, 25, declared: "That was not too bad, was it. I can't complain. I think the last two races I have pulled out something good.

"They are probably the two strongest races I have had for a long, long time. Maybe ever."

Hamilton blitzed down the inside when the red lights went out at the start and, after the first of the 56 laps on the steaming Sepang track had made up an incredible eight places.

Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi and Renault's Vitaly Petrov were then quickly picked off as he maintained his Melbourne momentum.

Russian rookie Petrov did not go down without a fight, launching a counter-revolution on the home straight.

Hamilton was forced to defend his place, with stewards giving him a warning for excessive weaving.

Renault chief Eric Boullier fumed: "He got a warning for dangerous driving but I am not sure it is enough." Incredibly, Hamilton was up to second before he made his stop for fresh tyres and dropped down to sixth midway through the race.

That is where he stayed, as his closest F1 pal Adrian Sutil fended him off in a Force India car that, like the McLaren, is powered by the class-of-the-field Mercedes engine.

Hamilton admitted: "Adrian's pace surprised me. But they've always been quite quick, as they have the same engine as us. He was flat out. I tried my best to get past him but he drove a fantastic race and was faultless. Well done to him. I am enjoying the racing, though."

Team-mate Jenson Button was also in a fierce battle for points with the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, after lining up 17th.

Button's decision to pit early for a change of tyres did not pay off as spectacularly as when he romped home in Australia last weekend.

His rubber had gone by the time Hamilton had pitted on lap 30 to emerge just fractions ahead of his fellow Brit.

Button fended off Massa, the new championship leader following his seventh spot, until four laps from the chequered flag.

The reigning champ then kept Alonso, who he had overtaken earlier, at bay until the Spaniard opted to make his move two laps from home.

But he outbraked himself heading into the first corner and, as Button regained eighth spot, the Ferrari engine went up in smoke. Button, 30, admitted: "Pitting early didn't work for me here. I was pushing as hard as I could before my stop and almost got past Lewis. We had a good little race.

"It was a case of trying to hold off the Ferraris. They were pretty much the toughest 20 laps for me, having those guys stuck up my a***. It was pretty intense "I couldn't hold off Felipe at the end and then I had Fernando coming up behind.

I didn't know Fernando's engine was going to go. He was hounding me lap after lap.

"He made a very bold move into turn one, went very wide and braked way too late. I was able to get back past him.

"I looked in my mirrors and saw smoke coming out of his engine, so I just thought 'Peace'.

"For two laps I could put the car in cruise control. I'm happy with eighth."

Vettel finally bagged a win, having led the first two races before being hit by reliability problems. He blasted from third to first at the start.

The German led a crushing one-two for Red Bull from pole-winning team-mate Mark Webber, with Nico Rosberg third.

Vettel, 22, was clearly drunk on his sixth career win, after swallowing more victory champagne than he intended.

He admitted: "I'm sorry. I'm a little tipsy. I think I drunk a bit too much."

Rosberg's third place was Mercedes' first podium since they bought out Brawn and he once again overshadowed his £29million team-mate Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time champ pulled off after nine anonymous laps with a wheel nut problem.

He is now only the fourth-best German in the standings behind Vettel, Rosberg and Sutil and 30 points behind Massa.

Schumacher, 41, said: "I was pacing myself. I am not a magician. I need more races."

But even he must know his mantle as the world's best has now been inherited by Hamilton.

Source: The Sun