Sebastian Vettel is Formula One's youngest winner

Monza: Germany's Sebastian Vettel stunned Formula One as the sport's youngest race winner on Sunday with an exuberant victory for tiny Toro Rosso at their home Italian Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old, already the youngest to start a Grand Prix on pole position, gave his Ferrari-powered team their first win with a remarkably assured drive through spray and slippery conditions.

It was an astonishing result for the smallest of teams, formerly tail-enders Minardi, in a paddock dominated by mighty manufacturers.

Emerging from Ferrari's immense shadow at the temple of Italian motor racing, Toro Rosso became the only other Italy-based team to win a grand prix since Juan Manuel Fangio triumphed for Maserati in 1957.

"It's amazing, I can't believe it. I'm lost for words," declared Vettel, who was almost crying with joy before taking the chequered flag 12.5 seconds clear of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

"It is the best day of my life. These pictures and emotions I will never forget."

McLaren's Lewis 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 cars to finish seventh.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, Hamilton's closest rival, failed to make the most of starting nine places ahead of the Briton and finished sixth in a wet race that began behind the safety car.

Schumacher impressed

With four races remaining, Hamilton has 78 points to Massa's 77 and Robert Kubica's 64 for BMW-Sauber, pending an appeal into the result of the Belgian Grand Prix where the championship leader was demoted from first to third for cutting a chicane.

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At 21 years and 74 days old, Vettel became Germany's first race winner since seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher retired in 2006.

The Ferrari ace, who won at Monza in 2006, was present to witness the triumph of a youngster dubbed 'Baby Schumi' in the German media and offered his compliments.

"What he did today was absolutely first class -- to make no mistakes in these conditions and dominate the race from the start, and that in a car that is not the fastest," said Schumacher.

"He has the potential to be world champion but it's a long and rocky road," he told RTL television.

Austrian Gerhard Berger, who at least until the end of next year co-owns the team with Red Bull energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, added: "I'm not into comparisons but what I do know is that this guy will win a lot of races and a lot of championships."

Kubica, himself only 23, took third place at the circuit where he took his first podium in 2006.

Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso, who held the previous record for the youngest race winner after chalking up his first victory in Hungary in 2003 at 22 years and 26 days, finished fourth.

Germany's Nick Heidfeld was fifth for BMW-Sauber while Australian Mark Webber collected the final point for Red Bull.

The title contenders, and particularly Massa, could only rue an afternoon of missed opportunities.

"With me being right at the back they both missed an opportunity of taking lots of points off me. I showed that I was quickest in the wet and had great pace. I think a win was possible today," said Hamilton.

Ferrari remained on top in a tightening constructors' championship battle with 134 points to McLaren's 129 and BMW-Sauber's 117.

Toro Rosso leapfrogged former champions Williams and Renault-powered Red Bull into sixth place.