Hamilton continues dominance with Chinese GP win
Mercedes driver, teammate Rosberg complete third one-two finish
SEARCHING FOR GLORY: Despite winning three races in a row for the first time in his career, Hamilton still trails Rosberg by four points in the title race as he seeks his second world championship. PHOTO: AFP
SHANGHAI:
Lewis Hamilton completed a hat-trick of wins by leading a dominant Mercedes one-two in the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday.
German teammate Nico Rosberg took the chequered flag 18 seconds behind the Briton to finish runner-up for the third race in a row but retaining the overall lead in the championship, four points ahead of Hamilton.
"I just can't believe how amazing the car is," said Hamilton, who led from pole and punched the air with both fists after parking up and leaping out.
"I was just really racing myself. This team is on a roll, that's for sure."
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, last year's winner in Shanghai, finished third – his first podium of the year – in his team's first race under new principal Marco Mattiacci and ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The victory was the 25th of Hamilton's career, pulling him level with Niki Lauda and the late Jim Clark in the all-time list of winners, and the first time the 2008 champion had won three races in a row.
Rosberg, the winner of the season-opener in Australia, now has 79 points after four races, with Hamilton on 75 and Alonso third on 41.
Mercedes have 154 points to Red Bull's 57. Red Bull's four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who was asked to move aside for his faster Australian teammate for the second race in a row, was fifth.
Germany's Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Force India, with Valtteri Bottas seventh for Williams despite making contact with Rosberg at the start.
His Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa had a nightmare, however, stuck in the pits for a minute as Williams struggled to change a rear left tyre. Kimi Raikkonen was eighth for Ferrari with Mexican Sergio Perez ninth for Force India and Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat 10th for Toro Rosso.
Vettel chafes after orders to let Ricciardo pass
Vettel denied sparking another Red Bull team orders row after he appeared to ignore an instruction on Sunday.
Vettel grumpily replied, "Tough luck" when told to yield to his teammate Ricciardo, who was closing fast in fifth, after the first round of pitstops.
But despite his initial reaction, Vettel insisted he did give way to Ricciardo when he realised the Australian had more pace.
"I did move over," Vettel told reporters. "Initially I didn't understand [the request] because we were on the same tyres.
"However, I could see more and more towards the end of the race that I just didn't have the pace... In the end there was no point in holding him back."
Lewis Hamilton completed a hat-trick of wins by leading a dominant Mercedes one-two in the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday.
German teammate Nico Rosberg took the chequered flag 18 seconds behind the Briton to finish runner-up for the third race in a row but retaining the overall lead in the championship, four points ahead of Hamilton.
"I just can't believe how amazing the car is," said Hamilton, who led from pole and punched the air with both fists after parking up and leaping out.
"I was just really racing myself. This team is on a roll, that's for sure."
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, last year's winner in Shanghai, finished third – his first podium of the year – in his team's first race under new principal Marco Mattiacci and ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The victory was the 25th of Hamilton's career, pulling him level with Niki Lauda and the late Jim Clark in the all-time list of winners, and the first time the 2008 champion had won three races in a row.
Rosberg, the winner of the season-opener in Australia, now has 79 points after four races, with Hamilton on 75 and Alonso third on 41.
Mercedes have 154 points to Red Bull's 57. Red Bull's four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who was asked to move aside for his faster Australian teammate for the second race in a row, was fifth.
Germany's Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Force India, with Valtteri Bottas seventh for Williams despite making contact with Rosberg at the start.
His Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa had a nightmare, however, stuck in the pits for a minute as Williams struggled to change a rear left tyre. Kimi Raikkonen was eighth for Ferrari with Mexican Sergio Perez ninth for Force India and Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat 10th for Toro Rosso.
Vettel chafes after orders to let Ricciardo pass
Vettel denied sparking another Red Bull team orders row after he appeared to ignore an instruction on Sunday.
Vettel grumpily replied, "Tough luck" when told to yield to his teammate Ricciardo, who was closing fast in fifth, after the first round of pitstops.
But despite his initial reaction, Vettel insisted he did give way to Ricciardo when he realised the Australian had more pace.
"I did move over," Vettel told reporters. "Initially I didn't understand [the request] because we were on the same tyres.
"However, I could see more and more towards the end of the race that I just didn't have the pace... In the end there was no point in holding him back."