Sebastian Vettel took his maiden victory for Ferrari after beating “fair and square” the two Mercedes at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton was second and team-mate Nico Rosberg was third ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who fought his way back from an early puncture.
The McLarens of Alonso and Jenson Button both retired.
The performance of Ferrari and Vettel was a wake-up call for both Mercedes and Formula 1, the German manufacturer having dominated the sport since the start of last season.
| Pos. | Drivers | Teams | Time |
| 01. | 05 –  Sebastian Vettel |
Scuderia Ferrari | Winner |
| 02. | 44 –  Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes AMG Petronas | +8.5s |
| 03. | 06 – Nico Rosberg |
Mercedes AMG Petronas | +12.3s |
| 04. | 07 –  Kimi Raikkonen |
Scuderia Ferrari | +53.8 s |
| 05. | 77 – Valtteri Bottas |
Williams Martini Racing | +70.4s |
| 06. | 19 –  Felipe Massa |
Williams Martini Racing | +73.5s |
| 07. | 33 –  Max Verstappen |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | +97.7s |
| 08. | 55 –  Carlos Sainz |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | +1 Lap |
| 09. | 26 –  Daniil Kvyat |
Red Bull Racing | +1 Lap |
| 10. | 03 –  Daniel Ricciardo |
Red Bull Racing | +1 Lap |
| 11. | 08 –  Romain Grosjean |
Lotus F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 12. | 40 – Felipe Nasr |
Sauber F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 13. | 11 –  Sergio Perez |
Sahara Force India | +1 Lap |
| 14. | 27 – Nico Hulkenberg |
Sahara Force India | +1 Lap |
| 15. | 98 – Roberto Mehri |
Manor F1 Team | +3 Laps |
| 16. | 09 –  Marcus Ericsson |
Sauber F1 Team | RETIRED |
| 17. | 14 – Fernando Alonso |
McLaren Honda | RETIRED |
| 18. | 22 – Jenson Button |
McLaren Honda | RETIRED |
| 19. | 13 –  Pastor Maldonado |
Lotus F1 Team | RETIRED |
| 20. | 28 – Will Stevens |
Manor F1 Team | DNS |
