Vettel celebrates 'fantastic' result

The German driver had shone in the wet in Japan last weekend, but his day ended in disappointment after he crashed into Mark Webber during a safety car period.

Vettel, however, made up for the heartbreak in Japan, putting on a stunning performance in Shanghai to give Toro Rosso their best result in Formula One.

Vettel had received a five-place grid penalty on Saturday for impeding a rival during qualifying.

"P4! A Fantastic race," said Vettel. "In the beginning it was quite difficult, starting in the midfield. For a couple of metres the visibility was okay and then you got all the spray. After the start, I used my momentum to go round the outside of several cars.

"Even though it was really slippery I took the risk. I kept pushing as hard as I could. After I passed Kovalainen I had a clear track ahead of me and was able to push harder. Just as I changed to dry tyres the rain came, but fortunately it went away quickly. I fought with Jenson, but when we realized he was on a two stopper, I didn't worry.

"The last 20 laps were unbelievable and even though I had the situation under control and slowed the pace, it was tough. A fantastic day for the whole team, especially with Tonio in P6.

"Yesterday I wasn't happy with my grid penalty but today I got my revenge on the track. Finish fourth is fantastic.

"When I left the factory in Italy, the guys said 'Sebastian, you must bring back some points' and I said I'd try. In Fuji we got close and today came this great result. Now I will celebrate with the team who did a great job in the pitstops and with the strategy."

Toro Rosso enjoyed their best day in Formula One, with Vettel's teammate Tonio Liuzzi coming home in sixth position.

The result allowed the Italian squad to move from 10th to seventh place in the standings and with an outside shot of catching Toyota, four points ahead.

The Faenza-based squad had lost the point scored by Liuzzi in Japan following a 25-second penalty for overtaking under yellow.

The Italian driver said the team deserved today's result.

"This was a great race from start to finish with everything going perfectly," he said. "I think Sebastian's one-stop strategy was better but that does not matter now. It is fantastic for the team that we both scored points. I made no mistakes and had some great fights with Williams, Renault and BMW.

"I don't think we could have done more than this. I am really happy for the team who really deserve these points. Many times this year, we have shown that we were capable of scoring points, but somehow we never got them.

"Now everyone can be happy and it shows that the team is growing and that all the guys are doing a great job.

"Now we can go to Brazil in a really positive frame of mind after showing what we can do, both here and in Fuji last week. We deserve this result."