Nico Rosberg continued his perfect start to the 2016 Formula 1 season today with an impressive pole-to-flag victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
The Mercedes ace recovered from a poor start and enjoyed a generally trouble-free race en route to claiming his win.
Rosberg had lost the lead at the start to a hard-charging Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing.
Rosberg was able to take it back on lap four, and never wavered from there, building his advantatge to a comfortable margin before completing the 56-lap sprint in one hour 38 minutes 53.891 seconds.
Rosberg was classified well ahead of runner-up Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who was 37.776 seconds behind, while Daniil Kvyat, also of Red Bull, completed the podium finishers a distant 45.936s back. Ricciardo did well to fight back after his left-rear tyre explosion to round out the top four.
With the result, Rosberg claimed a third win from as many races so far this season. It also earned Rosberg a sixth successive triumph in the top flight, with his streak dating back to the last three races from 2015.
View 2016 Chinese GP photo gallery
Rosberg commented:
“It’s been a fantastic few days for me here in China. First of all, the fans have been amazing from the moment I arrived. They’re so enthusiastic, which gives us drivers a very special feeling.
“Then, racing wise, it was an almost perfect weekend. Only the start could have been better - but luckily I was able to pass Daniel later on the straight and from then on I could build up a gap. I must say, I’ve never had a better balance in my car than I had today. It was really perfect, so a big thanks to everyone who helped me achieve that.
“I also want to thank all the women in my life - my wife, my daughter and my mother. Their support is unbelievable and that’s really what makes it possible for me to be doing what I’m doing. I’m a very happy man today and, after three races I can be really pleased about how my season has gone so far. But it’s a very long year ahead and there’s a lot of points still on the table, so I’m not losing my focus.
“Now I look forward to Russia, where I started my good run of qualifying results last year. Hopefully I can get on a nice run like that again.”
The Formula 1 season resumes in Russia from April 29 to May 1.
Full Results
| Pos | Driver | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1h38m53.891s |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 37.776s |
| 3 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull/TAG Heuer | 45.936s |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/TAG Heuer | 52.688s |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m05.872s |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m15.511s |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m18.230s |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso/Ferrari | 1m19.268s |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso/Ferrari | 1m24.127s |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 1m26.192s |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m34.283s |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | 1m37.253s |
| 13 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 1m41.990s |
| 14 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India/Mercedes | 1 Lap |
| 16 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1 Lap |
| 18 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor/Mercedes | 1 Lap |
| 19 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 20 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 21 | Rio Haryanto | Manor/Mercedes | 1 Lap |
| 22 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1 Lap |
