Germany's Sebastian Vettel stunned Formula One as the sport's youngest race winner at the age of 21 with victory for Toro Rosso at the team's home Italian Grand Prix.

Vettel, who had also started as the youngest driver on pole position, gave his Ferrari-powered team their first win with a remarkably assured drive through the spray and slippery conditions.

A thrilled Vettel, who was driving for the smallest team on the grid, said over the team radio: "I can't believe it. I am lost for words. It is amazing."

At the post-race media conference, he said: "This is the best day of my life. The car worked well, we had a very good strategy, and it was a great race. But from the end of the race through to the podium it was just amazing. There were scenes I will never forget.

"Who could have thought we (Toro Rosso) would achieve this at the start of the season? It's great! Fantastic! I'm speechless!"

The weather caused enough chaos, as it did yesterday in qualifying, for race director Charlie Whiting to make the decision 11 minutes before the start that the race would begin behind the safety car.

Poland's Robert Kubica is now just 14 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton after claiming third in his BMW Sauber behind McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

But reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen is 21 points adrift as he could only finish ninth despite a remarkable charge at the close and in the wake of making three stops due to the conditions.

McLaren's Hamilton, who started 15th after losing a gamble with the weather in qualifying, retained his championship lead by a single point after overtaking a string of rivals to finish seventh.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, the Briton's closest rival, started and finished sixth.

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