Kimi Raikkonen put behind him the disastrous start to the season that he made last Sunday's by claiming a comfortable victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver cruised home 19.5 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica, of BMW Sauber, with Heikki Kovalainen finishing third in his McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth behind Jarno Trulli, of Toyota, after a bungled pit stop cost the Briton a chance of a place on the podium, while Felipe Massa's race ended after 30 laps when he beached his Ferrari in the gravel having started in pole.

A Ferrari victory had looked odds-on before the race as chief rivals Kovalainen and Hamilton had both been hit by five-place grid penalties for impeding Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso at the end of yesterday's qualifying session, meaning they lined up eighth and ninth respectively.

When the threat of rain failed to materialise and both Ferrari drivers made a clean start from both Ferrari drivers, their dominance looked even more likely.

Massa managed to fend off Raikkonen through the first corner and set about consolidating his advantage, while Kubica climbed to third and Webber fourth as a poor getaway from Trulli saw him slip to sixth.

An excellent start from Hamilton saw the McLaren driver jump to fifth after the first lap but Timo Glock was unable to continue after his Toyota collided with Nico Rosberg's Williams, while Adrian Sutil's race also ended in retirement on lap six.

The Ferraris dominated the early stages as Massa established a slight advantage over Raikkonen, the pair leaving Kubica trailing behind.

Hamilton was beginning to catch Webber and moved up to fourth when the Australian was the first of the front runners to come in at the end of lap 15, before Massa made his first stop a lap later. The Brazilian rejoined behind Kovalainen leaving Raikkonen out in front and the Finn tried to make the most of a clear track before diving into the pits for a 7.9-second stop.

That was an excellent effort and ensured he came out in fourth place, behind Kovalainen but crucially in front of his Ferrari team-mate. However, disaster struck for Hamilton when he pitted from second and a problem with the right front wheel kept him stationary for 20 seconds, scuppering any hopes of a podium finish. He rejoined in 11th behind Webber.

Raikkonen continued to forge ahead once Kubica pitted from the lead and had established a five-second gap over Massa when the Brazilian spun at turn eight and ended up in the gravel, his race over after 30 laps. That pushed Kubica up to second but 22 seconds behind the leader, while Kovalainen had crept up to third, a further 17 seconds adrift.

Hamilton was putting pressure on Webber but could not find a way past the Red Bull. Raikkonen made his second stop of the afternoon at the end of lap 37 with a 24.5-second advantage over Kubica and a clean effort saw him rejoin in second place, around six seconds back.

Hamilton was still tussling with Webber for fifth but Heidfeld had begun to fall away before the Red Bull pitted and the Brit at last had a clear track in front of him. It proved decisive as he made his second stop at the end of lap 44 and an 8.9-second effort allowed him to leapfrog the Australian.