Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix as team orders take centre stage at Ferrari

Hamilton leads home Valtteri Bottas to give Mercedes three one-two finishes in a row in 2019

Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - April 14, 2019   Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas in action during the race   REUTERS/Aly Song
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World champion Lewis Hamilton dominated the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday to triumph and take the lead in the drivers' championship for the first time in 2019.

The crucial moment for Hamilton came at the start when he made the better getaway to pass Mercedes-GP teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had started on pole, into the first corner.

He pulled away from Bottas, who had looked to be the quicker man throughout practice, and claimed the 75th win of his career.

It puts him six points clear of Bottas in the standings after three rounds of the 21-race season.

It was a disappointing day for Ferrari as they proved to be no match for Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel was a distant third in his Ferrari.

His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc had run ahead of Vettel early on, but had been ordered by his team to move aside for the German as the Mercedes cars pulled away.

Leclerc was unhappy with the decision and stayed close behind Vettel after relinquishing the position

Leclerc ended up finishing fifth, behind the Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen, after a gamble on a long first stint before pitting did not come off.

The second Red Bull of Pierre Gasly was sixth, setting the fastest lap to gain an extra point, with Daniel Ricciardo scoring his first points for Renault in seventh, ahead of Sergio Perez's Racing Point in eighth.