Rosberg coasts to win

Rosberg, who had sauntered to pole position, pulled away at the start in style to lead into the first corner, and was rarely tested from there.

Jenson Button was the only driver who threatened to challenge the German, but a pit stop blunder meant he had to settle for second.

Lewis Hamilton ensured both McLaren drivers were on the podium, and his three third-place finishes in a row means he becomes the championship leader.

Red Bull recovered from a disappointing qualifying session to salvage fourth and fifth finishes, with enterprising pit stop strategies helping Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel move up the field.

Romain Grosjean bagged his first points of the season with sixth for Lotus, while Williams' strong start to the campaign continued with Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado taking seventh and eighth.

Fernando Alonso, who led the drivers' standings going into the race, could only manage ninth, while Kamui Kobayashi grabbed the last available point for Sauber.

It was a race full of overtaking, wheel-to-wheel action and interesting strategy calls, but only from second position onwards. Rosberg looked assured, his Mercedes team calm, and he made certain that a Rosberg took the chequered flag of a Formula One race for the first time since 1985, when his father Keke won in Australia.

Mercedes had turned their pace into just one point after two races, and there must have been fears it would be another day of disappointment when Michael Schumacher exited the race.

The seven-times world champion had been running second going into his first pit stop, but his right-rear wheel was not cleanly changed and he had to pull off the track just a couple of corners after rejoining the circuit.

That allowed Button to chase Rosberg, and he found good pace on the medium compound tyres to close the gap to the 26-year-old.

With the gap dwindling and concerns over the Mercedes’ tendency to work the tyres harder than McLaren, the momentum seemed to be with Button.

But Rosberg instead opted for a two-stop strategy to Button’s three, forcing the 2009 world champion to have to pass him on the track to win the race.

Any hopes Button had of doing so disappeared after a six-second hold-up in the pits on his final stop dropped him into the midst of a ferocious battle for the remaining points places.

Kimi Raikkonen and Vettel, who were running from the middle of the race on the same set of medium tyres, had clawed their way through the field and were holding off those behind them in pursuit of unlikely podium finishes.

Raikkonen’s tyres lost their grip suddenly with nine laps to go, allowing Vettel and then the rest of the field through in double-quick time, consigning the Finn to a disappointing result well outside the points.

Vettel’s tyres were fading heavily too, allowing both McLarens and his team-mate Webber through in the closing laps, but nonetheless earning the defending champion precious points after slipping to 15th place at the first corner.

McLaren and Red Bull confirmed they are still strong contenders on Sundays, and the duo occupy the top two positions in the constructors' championship.

But Mercedes have announced themselves as a serious rival with their first win, and it is unlikely to be their last of the campaign.