Rosberg, 36 points clear in the race for the Formula One title, cruised to pole position after Hamilton was unable to post a lap in the top-10 shoot-out following his engine failure – his second in as many grands prix.
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Rosberg now leads triple world champion Hamilton by 43 points in the standings with 17 races remaining.
Hamilton ultimately finished 10th in qualifying after an issue on his power unit prevented him from taking part in Q3.
With Mercedes again dominant at the track that winds around the 2014 Winter Olympic Park, Rosberg starts on pole position as favorite for what will be a seventh successive victory including three wins at the end of 2015. “I know I made a mistake and I know that I’ll learn from that mistake”, he said. Others have definitely been extremely unfortunate today, and that makes my race a little bit easier tomorrow, but an F1 race is never easy. “The opposition are still there”.
Vettel, who had already been dropped to seventh on the grid by a penalty, saw his race ended on the first lap after he was knocked into the wall.
On the re-start, Hamilton now fifth, continued to climb back up the leaderboard, making crucial passes on first Kimi Raikkonen and then later Valtteri Bottas to take the runners-up spot, although he was forced to nurse his vehicle towards the end due to a water pressure issue. “It’s not happened in the last three years (favouritism) and I have no reason to think that’s happening now”. “Nico is very strong – but we have gained from what happened to Lewis”.
“I just tried to nurse it home”.
Hamilton, who started 10th, avoided the carnage of a first lap multiple collision that eliminated Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari – hit again by Russian rival Daniil Kvyat of Red Bull, who twice rammed into his auto – to sear through the field and, briefly, threaten a challenge for the lead.
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was ninth for Toro Rosso with Hamilton 10th.
Rosberg did not mention the problem on the podium or during a subsequent news conference, when he said the vehicle was “fantastic” and he had driven flat out to the finish with plenty of life in the tyres.
Hamilton was summoned to see the officials as he had rejoined incorrectly after going wide over the run-off area at Turn 2 early in Q1.
Rosberg pitted on lap 22, and rejoined 12s ahead of Hamilton.
Romain Grosjean and his Haas team-mate Esteban Gutierrez were 15th and 16th.
The engine fitted to the auto has a new turbocharger and MGU-H – his third of the season as they were replaced after the China failure.
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Lewis Hamilton’s hold on the F1 title has suffered a fresh blow after his Mercedes AMG Petronas vehicle was hit by an engine failure in Sochi.
