Hamilton had been forced to come from the rear after being tapped into a spin on the opening lap by Kimi Raikkonen. The Ferrari driver was duly given a 10-second penalty but, like Hamilton, Raikkonen benefitted from the two late-race Safety Car interventions to recover and cement his place on the final step of the podium.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas ended up a disappointing fourth, having led the race at the final restart. But while Ferrari chose to fit Vettel and Raikkonen with fresh tyres, Mercedes elected to leave Bottas out. In the end the Mercedes strategy failed, as the Finn didn't have the grip to hold out Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen.

Daniel Ricciardo was a fighting fifth right behind Bottas, Ricciardo inheriting that position after a late-race mechanical failure for Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.

But neither Renault-powered Red Bull was a threat on a day when Renault struggled to match Mercedes and Ferrari in the power stakes.

Vettel leads Hamilton in the world championship title race by eight points as they prepare for the German Grand Prix on July 22.