Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel returned to the top of the standings Sunday with Red Bull's first victory of the season in a lively Bahrain Grand Prix that went ahead without incident despite protests against it. The 24-year-old German's 22nd career triumph, and first in the troubled Gulf kingdom, made him the fourth different winner in four races. He was pushed hard in the closing laps by Finland's 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who finished second ahead of Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean in the Frenchman's first appearance on the F1 podium. Australian Mark Webber was fourth in the other Red Bull for the fourth successive race. “It was a difficult race, extremely tough,” said Vettel, who closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he stood on the podium. With the main grandstand half empty, and few spectators to be seen elsewhere at a circuit with a maximum capacity of 45,000, the race was a far from normal affair after days dominated by talk of petrol bombs and teargas. However, the teams and organisers could breathe a sigh of relief that the race went off without trouble on the track. Vettel, who had started from pole position for the first time this season after a record 15 starts from the top slot last year, made his trademark single-finger salute for the first time since last year after taking the chequered flag. With fuel running low, he was then told to pull over and stop immediately at the pit exit – which meant he had to run down the pit lane to embrace his mechanics. Vettel now has 53 points, ousting McLaren's Lewis Hamilton from the top. The Briton, who finished eighth after two nightmare pitstops, has 49. Red Bull also overtook McLaren in the constructors' championship. Germany's Nico Rosberg, winner of the previous race in China in the first victory by a Mercedes works team since 1955, finished fifth with a stewards' enquiry hanging over him for moves on Hamilton and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Britain's Paul Di Resta was sixth for Force India with Alonso seventh and Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa finally in the points in ninth ahead of Germany's seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in a Mercedes. McLaren's Jenson Button retired on the penultimate lap. Meanwhile, security forces in Bahrain set up checkpoints and stationed armored vehicles in anti-government strongholds Sunday to confront possible protests. The beefed-up security moved into place shortly before the start of the race, which was being held after a series of clashes and protest marches by opposition groups angered by Formula One's return to the kingdom. Protesters claim at least one person was killed by riot police in the run-up to the event. The unrest, however, has remained far from the Formula One's desert circuit about 35 kilometers southwest of the capital Manama. Race drivers have mostly kept quiet about the controversy surrounding the Bahrain Grand Prix. Asked about protester's death after taking pole position in Saturday's qualifier, Vettel said, “I think it's always dreadful if someone dies.”
