2013 Chinese GP: Fernando Alonso rises above the chaos to claim a convincing victory

Fernando Alonso has reignited his pursuit of a third World Championship with a victory of supreme control and class at the Chinese GP.

On an afternoon of slow-burning drama which saw a multitude of different leaders across the 56 laps as the field operated on a variety of different strategies, Alonso's victory ultimately boiled down to a matter of straightforward simplicity with the F138 proving to be a far quicker race car than either Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus or Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes on an identical tyre strategy.

Gauntlet thrown down in a well-balanced car without apparent weakness, Alonso is very much back in World Championship business after failing to trouble the scorers in Malaysia.

"It was fantastic victory for us," said Alonso as he celebrated his 31st grand prix win but his first since last July.

Such was the extent of the Spaniard's superiority that upon being instructed to slow down by his anxious Ferrari team with ten laps remaining and his lead secure, Alonso's baffled response was to assure his pitwall that he wasn't even pushing.

"It's impossible not to push when you are racing but it is true that we perhaps had some pace in the pocket," admitted the Spaniard on the podium. His rivals will consider those words with some trepidation.

After predictably bucking the trend by starting off on the medium compound and running his race in opposite fashion to the frontrunners, reigning champion Sebastian Vettel finished the race as the fastest car on the track and within half a second of Hamilton as the Mercedes driver abandoned his pursuit of Raikkonen to protect his podium finish. Such was the speed differential between worn and fresh tyres, Vettel had been over ten seconds behind Hamilton with just four laps remaining.

The Pirellis may not enjoy universal adulation, but there's no doubting their effectiveness when it comes to producing entertainment. There have been nine different leaders in each of the three races run so far this season, with both Sunday's race headed by five World Champions. The cream is still rising to the top.

Not that the race may be the final chapter in this weekend's riveting tale, however, with Vettel and Raikkonen among seven cars summoned for a post-race investigation for allegedly using DRS under yellow flags. A late night beckons in Shanghai.

Hamilton will at least leave China for next week's Bahrain GP in the knowledge that he is not in jeopardy of receiving retrospective punishment, but the Briton must be concerned at his Mercedes' inability to keep pace with either Alonso or Raikkonen. On a disappointing day for the Brackley team, Nico Rosberg's race had already unravelled before a mechanical failure resulted in his retirement, while Hamilton's victory hopes of victory were effectively over after lap three when Alonso, followed by Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, swept past the W04.

From then on, the regal Alonso looked to be in cruise control, while Massa was never able to recover the ground lost when he was kept on track for an extra lap on the fast-disintegrating soft tyres. Such is the way of F1 life for de facto number twos.

The luckless Mark Webber will continue to bristle against any suggestion he should be saddled with the label of subordinate, but the Australian's season continues to lurch from one setback to another. The victim of friendly fire at Red Bull in consecutive races, the Australian was forced out of the race this weekend after hitting the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne when a door which had appeared open was abruptly slammed in his face.

Yet one driver's continued misfortune is another's gain and as Rosberg and Massa fell by the wayside, Jenson Button was able to bring his McLaren team welcome relief in the form of fifth place ahead of Massa and Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo.

There were points, too, for Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg, but this was a race which only belonged to one man.

A cut above the rest, Alonso's point has well and truly been made.