2016 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX EDITION
Hamilton drove with great vim from 10th
on the grid – he was unable to run in Q3 on
Saturday due to an engine failure – to finish
second even after being told to slow down by
his team because of another engine problem
during the race.
Rosberg’s win lifted him alongside the
only other men to have won seven races in
a row, Italian Alberto Ascari and compatriots
Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel,
whose own race for Ferrari was wrecked by
an opening-lap collision with Daniil Kvyat of
Red Bull.
All three went on to win the championship,
but as Rosberg pointed out when he spoke
to reporters: “The other people did not have
Lewis Hamilton as their teammate.
“Yes, I have a good points lead, but
there are 425 points to go and I have only
a 43-point lead now so it is completely not
worth talking about.
“Lewis is driving as strong as ever. For
sure, he will bounce back massively. He
doesn’t have an issue with fighting back
either with his head. I am sure we will see
a lot more of the battle between us and it is
always going to be a tough battle.”
Hamilton, who appeared downcast after
the race, said later that he would never give
up in defence of his crown and intended to
fight all the way.
“(Rosberg) has the buffer of knowing that,
even if he has two bad weekends, he is still
in the fight, which is a huge confidence boost,
and generally he has been starting at the front
with no-one to really bother him.
“So far, it has been a nice Sunday drive for
him, but there are still 17 races to go and still
17 races in which I can give him hell.”
GPI