Formula One returned to Europe over the weekend, and with it Mercedes continued their winning ways.
However, unlike the majority of the season so far, it was Nico Rosberg who took the honours at Catalunya, romping to his first victory of the season from pole position.
Rosberg’s teammate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton solidified the one-two finish for the Silver Arrows, albeit 17.5 seconds behind.
Sebastian Vettel’s return to form with Ferrari continued with another podium finish, but there is still much more to improve for the Scuderia, with Vettel 27.7 seconds further behind Hamilton at the chequered flag.
At a circuit the drivers know like the back of their hand, there wasn’t much expectation for action on the track, with the Catalan circuit offering not many opportunities for overtaking.
Rosberg retained the lead at the start, with Hamilton initially losing out to Vettel into the run down to the first corner.
Throughout the race, Hamilton found it troubling to find a way past Vettel on the track, despite that being the challenge that he faced to finish ahead of the German.
“I can assure you that’s pretty much impossible. Find another solution,” was Hamilton’s response to his task.
Mercedes then tried to undercut Ferrari, but an issue with the rear-left tyre on Hamilton’s first stop left him stranded behind Vettel when Ferrari pitted him on the next lap.
Hamilton swapped over to the hard tyres for his next stint, and it became apparent that Mercedes was aiming to build a gap for a three-stop strategy.
The plan worked, and Hamilton was able to re-join ahead of Vettel after his third stop, and he began to push towards Rosberg, but it was too late with Rosberg’s race already seemingly won.
Williams’ Valtteri Bottas held off Kimi Raikkonen for fourth place, while his teammate Felipe Massa followed the Ferrari home in sixth.
Despite being out-qualified by Daniil Kvyat and the Toro Rosso duo on Saturday, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was able to finish seventh for Red Bull.
Romain Grosjean took a few points home at eighth place, even with a gearbox problem, as well as overshooting his pit-box during a stop, hurtling into his pit-crew, who were thankfully unharmed.
Carlos Sainz for Toro Rosso and Kvyat for Red Bull rounded out the points finishes in ninth and 10th. McLaren’s pointless run this season continues, with Fernando Alonso retiring in front of his home crowd with a brake failure, despite running seventh during the race, while Jenson Button’s 100th start for McLaren ultimately reaped no rewards as he finished 16th.
Mercedes’ one-two finish further shows their dominance again this season, now 70 points ahead of Ferrari after just five races.
Rosberg’s victory leaves him 20 points behind Hamilton on the standings, and 11 ahead of Vettel, but Rosberg’s confidence must now be rising, with the next race in Monaco in two weeks, where he won from pole in both 2013 and 2014.
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The absolute vitriol against the Canadian that has come from the incident is beyond reprehensible.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the Monaco of American motorsport, and this past weekend, the IndyCar Series reminded everyone exactly why. We witnessed…
New Zealand made a triumphant return to the Supercars championship calendar since the demise of the much-loved Pukekohe Park Raceway – as Taupō delivered…
It’s time that serious questions are asked of his Lance Stroll and his future in the team.
Five-years is a long time in motorsport, let alone the general state of the world – especially given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic…
Red Bull and Max Verstappen vaulted right back to the top of the charts with a win in Suzuka, after his DNF in Melbourne.
