Rosberg leads Silver Arrows double podium in Russia

Domination. A complete grand slam. There’s simply no other way of describing Nico Rosberg’s weekend at the 2016 Russian Grand Prix.

His team-mate Lewis Hamilton may have had technical difficulties, and been denied the chance to stage the fight-back both he and the fans wanted, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nico took pole position, the fastest lap, the race win, as well as having led from lights to flag.

“This weekend really went really perfectly for me. Already in Qualifying I had found a perfect balance and that continued throughout the race, which was fantastic,” said an ecstatic Nico after the podium ceremony. “I was feeling really comfortable today, especially at the end of the race, in the last 15 laps I opened the gas and pushed a little bit more because I knew it was safe to push and definitely get to the end of the race on my last set of tyres. It´s unbelievable to go into the European races with four wins and I really look forward to Barcelona now. Thanks Russia – you were very good to me!”

Of course true racers are never satisfied with second place, and you this is why you can forgive Lewis for not smiling too much, despite turning a potentially disastrous weekend into a second place podium. The engine problems during qualifying – which were identical to the issues he suffered in Shanghai – dropped him into the depths of the pack for the race. Not only did that mean a midfield fight back from P10 for the triple world champion, but also, that he had to carve a clear path through the destruction laid on by his rivals in the opening laps.

Happily for both Lewis, and the 60,000 fans lining the Sochi Autodrom, he used pure race instinct to carve a clear path to the podium. “The first corner was pretty hectic. I don’t know what happened – but I saw something happening in the corner of my eye and just thought “I’m not getting caught again!” I managed to get out of the way and avoid it – but if I’d turned in I would have collected them,” explained Lewis.

“It was pure instinct and I’m glad I was able to come out without any contact this time. From there I had good pace and I felt like I could challenge for the win – but then there was the water pressure problem, which ended that chance. It was tough to hang on at the end but I handled it as best I could. I had to really nurse the car home and I’m just relieved to have made it to the flag after how this weekend has been.”

“Lewis also took time after the race to thank his team, who worked through the night before the Grand Prix to fit a fresh engine and powertrain into his F1 W07. “I would like to that the guys who came together to get the new parts over here from the factory last night – and then to the mechanics who worked all through the night to get everything prepared for me to go out there and race today. The guys on my side of the garage are having a really hard time of it at the moment – but I have every faith and confidence in them. We’ve swapped things round in the garage a bit this season but that is absolutely not the reason we’ve been having issues.”

Just four races down and Nico already has an enviable 43 point lead in the standings. Four other drivers have done the same in F1 history, and all four have gone on to win the championship in the same year. Things are definitely looking good for the 30 year old German racer. Especially when you consider that the next race – the Spanish Grand Prix at Cataluña on the 15th of May – is one that he won from pole position last season.

Credit: Monster