Rosberg wins in Brazil to up the pressure on Hamilton
Nico Rosberg drove a flawless race to win the Brazilian Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
The German controlled the race from the front to claim his fifth win of the season, while Hamilton will be kicking himself as he wasted a golden opportunity.
The championship leader was trying to take the lead through the pits but a spin at a crucial moment in the middle of the race meant Rosberg retained his lead. Hamilton fell seven seconds back and, although he reeled the German in, he didn’t have the strength in his tyres to get past.
If Rosberg goes on to win in the season ending race in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton will have to finish second in order to secure the world championship. The double points on offer mean that Hamilton can’t be too complacent.
Felipe Massa overcame a couple of challenges to earn a popular podium. The home favourite was given a stop/go penalty after speeding in the pit lane, and he incorrectly entered the wrong pit garage for his second stop after pulling in to early and driving to McLaren.
Massa stayed third at the start of the race and slotted in behind Rosberg and Hamilton. He kept up with the leading duo but his penalty prevented any chance he had of getting amongst them.
The pace of the front two was searing towards the end of race as Hamilton applied a lot of pressure, but he will be reeling after his earlier mistake. In an earlier stint, Hamilton caught Rosberg quickly before the German dashed into the pits to replace his damaged tyres.
Hamilton was setting blistering lap times and was set to take the lead but the Englishman pushed his tyres too far and spun. He ended up seven seconds behind Rosberg, which proved to be too big a gap to bridge.
Behind Massa, Valtteri Bottas also started strongly but a disastrous pit stop sent him spiralling down the field. He ended up finishing a disappointing tenth.
Jenson Button once again underlined his skill by dragging the McLaren to a very creditable fourth, while Sebastian Vettel came fifth after making intelligent progress through the pit windows. His expected battle with Fernando Alonso failed to materialise after the Spaniard was held up by his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn refused to let the quicker Alonso through, in a clear message by Ferrari who will no longer tolerate Alonso with the two parties set to go their separate way.
Daniel Ricciardo failed to finish for the first time since Malaysia after a mechanical failure forced him out of the race in lap 39.
The day, and the weekend, belonged to Rosberg who crucially held off Hamilton in a straight. He was clearly the quicker driver all weekend and delivered when it mattered. He will need luck on his side in Abu Dhabi but he has not given up on this championship yet.
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