SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix for a record sixth time on Sunday to seize the overall lead from his Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas in Formula One's 1,000th world championship race.
Bottas, who made a poor start from pole and lost out to five times world champion Hamilton into the first corner, was second for his team's third one-two finish in as many races this season.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took third place, his first podium appearance of the campaign, with Red Bull's Pierre Gasly denying the German an extra point with the fastest lap right at the end.
The comfortable win in a race short on thrills was the 75th of Hamilton's career, and second in a row after his lucky triumph in Bahrain two weeks ago.
He is now just 16 victories short of Michael Schumacher’s all time record tally of 91.
Hamilton has 68 points to Bottas's 62 with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third on 39. In the constructors' standings, Mercedes are already a hefty 57 clear of second-placed Ferrari.
******* Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the race on the podium with the trophy.