Rosberg strolls to seventh straight win
Nico Rosberg led from the start as he recorded his seventh successive Formula One victory at the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday.
World championship leader Rosberg was in charge throughout and never came under serious pressure from the remainder of the field, making it four wins from four this season.
The German’s quick start saw his Mercedes get clear of the drama that ensued behind him on the opening lap, with the safety car quickly deployed.
After Daniil Kvyat’s aggressive driving irked Sebastian Vettel last time out in China, the Russian provoked a similar reaction when he made contact with the rear of the Ferrari twice on the opening lap to send the German careening into the wall.
One of the beneficiaries of the contact was defending champion Lewis Hamilton, whose luck turned after electrical issues in qualifying forced him to start from 10th.
Hamilton showed great composure to work his way up to second, but he was unable to stop Rosberg from finishing at the top of the podium for a second straight year at Sochi, with the surviving Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen rounding off the top three.
FIRST GRAND SLAM FOR ROSBERG
Rosberg has been irrepressible this season, and his sensational form continued in Russia. For the first time in his career, the German completed a grand slam. After qualifying in pole position, the Mercedes driver followed up with the fastest lap en route to winning the race. Not wanting to be caught in the closing stages, Rosberg produced his quickest lap on his penultimate loop around the track, breaking the circuit record he set a day earlier.
VETTEL AND KVYAT CLASH AGAIN
The weekend had already been frustrating for Vettel before the lights went out on Sunday. He received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change on his Ferrari and subsequently started in eighth. It did not get any better for the four-time world champion as the rear of his Ferrari received a shunt from the Red Bull in turn two, with further contact heading into turn three sending him into the wall and out of the race. Unlike after the incident involving the pair in China, Kvyat received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty in Sochi.
TYRE GAMBLE FAILS TO PAY OFF FOR RED BULL
With the safety car deployed so early in the race, Red Bull called Daniel Ricciardo and Kvyat into the pits to switch their tyres for the medium compound. The intent appeared to be to get to the end of the race without further stops, but the choice failed to pay dividends. Kvyat struggled to work his way forward from the back of the field following his penalty stop, and still needed another set before the end of the race. Ricciardo opted to switch back to soft compound, but he was unable to salvage a place in the points.
MCLAREN, RENAULT GET OFF THE MARK
Having failed to secure any top-10 finishes in the opening three races of the season, there was finally some cause for celebration for McLaren and Renault. Fernando Alonso had expressed his pleasure at the fact both of his team’s cars simply finished the last race in China, but he managed sixth position this weekend while team-mate Jenson Button came 10th. Seventh place for Kevin Magnussen ensured Renault got points on the board.
IN THE POINTS
1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +25.022secs
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) +31.998s
4. Valteri Bottas (Williams) +50.217s
5. Felipe Massa (Williams) +1.14.427s
6. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) +1 lap
7. Kevin Magnussen (Renault) +1 lap
8. Romain Grosjean (Haas) +1 lap
9. Sergio Perez (Force India) +1 lap
10. Jenson Button (McLaren) +1 lap
TITLE STANDINGS
1. Nico Rosberg 100
2. Lewis Hamilton 57 (+43)
3. Kimi Raikkonen 43 (+57)
4. Daniel Ricciardo 36 (+64)
5. Sebastian Vettel 33 (+67)
1. Mercedes 157
2. Ferrari 76 (+81)
3. Red Bull 57 (+100)
4. Williams 51 (+106)
5. Haas 22 (+135)
NEXT UP
Hamilton will be desperate to put aside the issues plaguing his car so far this season and close the gap to team-mate Rosberg when F1 heads to Spain in two weeks. However, the German triumphed in Catalunya in 2015 and will be hoping to do so again to extend his winning streak to eight races.
