Mercedes Formula One driver Nico Rosberg, of Germany, proudly shows off the trophy after winning the Chinese Grand Prix.
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Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, who ended in second place, was caught on camera berating third-placed Daniil Kvyat for a “suicidal” move on the opening circuit which caused him to collide with his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
Rosberg now leads Hamilton by 36 points with 18 rounds of a record 21-race season to run. In the first two races this season, Hamilton started from pole position but dropped to seventh at the start each time, having to work his way back up the pack.
With a race win in hand, Rosberg insists he isn’t losing focus on the task ahead as F1 embarks on its longest ever season. “It was a really good auto today, so I’m feeling great”.
Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton began from the back due to engine problems on his Mercedes racing vehicle but managed to place seventh.
Rosberg started on pole position and led almost the entire race by a wide margin to win his third race to start this season and his sixth consecutive dating back to previous year.
“I know we will recover from this at some point”.This marks the first race this year that both Ferrari drivers have finished in the points after problems for Raikkonen in Australia and Vettel in Bahrain.It was an unlucky day for Rosberg’s key rivals as misfortune fell up on them from lap one.
Rosberg has now won six races in a row, the last three of 2015 and first three of 2016, and the German is in the form of his life.
The championship leader took his third consecutive win of 2016 in China, beating Sebastian Vettel by almost 40 seconds having led from the third lap of the race.
“It doesn’t feel any nicer than it did back then”, added Hamilton, who was already due to serve a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
Hamilton also trailed Rosberg by 29 points midway through the 2014 season and was able to win six of the final seven races to capture the championship. He eventually finished seventh with a damaged auto after five pit-stops.
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.
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“At the end there was nothing left in the tyres but anyway that’s racing and not a great finish for us this weekend but hopefully onwards and upwards”.
