Rosberg wins Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton finishes 7th

Nico Rosberg avoided the early drama to win his sixth successive Formula One race with a dominant display at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

Despite losing out to Daniel Ricciardo at the first corner, Rosberg managed to reclaim the lead on the third lap when the Red Bull driver suffered a left-rear puncture after running over debris.

The German was untroubled from that point on, guiding his Mercedes to victory ahead of second-placed Sebastian Vettel, extending his lead in the F1 drivers’ standings with his third win in as many races to open the season.

It was an eventful afternoon for Ferrari after a collision at the opening turn between team-mates Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen saw their hopes of a win dashed, but both managed to finish in the top five after the Finn battled home for fifth.

Daniil Kvyat secured his second F1 podium after guiding his Red Bull home in third, just ahead of team-mate Ricciardo, who put in a superb shift to finish in fourth place after his early troubles.

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton – who started the race from last place on the grid – also suffered contact on the first corner but worked his way through the pack to salvage a seventh-place finish.

Rounding out the top 10 were the Williams duo of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas who finished sixth and 10th respectively, while the two Torro Rosso drivers Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz made it home in eighth and ninth.