SHANGHAI, April 15 (UPI) -- Nico Rosberg won his first Formula 1 race Sunday with a 20.6-second margin of victory at the UBS Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
Rosberg, driving for Mercedes, claimed the pole position and led throughout Sunday during the 56-lap race over the 3.4-mile Shanghai International Circuit. He was timed in 1 hour, 26 minutes 26.929 seconds.
Rosberg is the third driver in three Formula 1 races this season to win. His previous best finish was third in Great Britain in 2010. He had been 12th and 13th in the first two races this season.
McLaren-Mercedes teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were second and third, respectively. Button was 20.6 seconds behind Rosberg and Hamilton, who won in Shanghai last year, was 26 seconds off the pace.
Mark Webber and two-time defending driving champion Sebastian Vettel, both of whom drive for Red Bull Racing-Renault, came in fourth and fifth.
Hamilton leads the driver's standings with 45 points with Button right behind with 43. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is third with 37 points followed by Webber (36) and Vettel (28). Rosberg moves into sixth with 25.
The fourth race of the 2012 Formula 1 season is next Sunday at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
