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Rosberg defeats title rival Hamilton in Brazil

Rosberg closed team-mate Hamilton's points lead down to 17 heading into the Abu Dhabi GP double-points finale.
3 min read9 Nov '14
Staff WriterStaff Writer
2K+ views

Nico Rosberg ended Formula 1 title rival Lewis Hamilton's five-race winning streak by beating the sister Mercedes to victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

By converting his 10th pole position of the 2014 F1 season into victory, Rosberg closed team-mate Hamilton's points lead down to 17 heading into the Abu Dhabi GP double-points finale.

Hamilton's hopes of challenging Rosberg's supremacy were largely undone when he half spun at the Descida do Lago on lap 28 of 71.

The Brit ran wide after correcting a snap of oversteer as he braked for the corner. He subsequently revealed over the radio that he had wound his brake bias too far to the rear.

Hamilton hustled superbly to recover the time lost to Rosberg, and put him under pressure by remaining within DRS range during a franctic final stint (in which both drivers exchanged fastest laps), but ultimately Hamilton had to settle for second.

Local hero Felipe Massa brought smiles to the faces of the home crowd by completing the podium.

The Williams driver survived a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane at his first stop, and the embarrassment of accidentally driving into the McLaren pit at his last, to finish a distant third.

Team-mate Valtteri Bottas should have been well-placed to capitalise on Massa's errors, after running fourth early on, but a lengthy delay at his first pitstop set him back badly, and he lost more time when Nico Hulkenberg's Force India forced him wide while overtaking into the Senna S.

Bottas eventually wound up a lapped 10th.

McLaren's Jenson Button took that fourth spot with a brave pass around the outside of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at the Descida do Lago with 10 laps to run.

Their side-by-side duelling also allowed world champion Sebastian Vettel to nip through into fifth in his Red Bull.

Vettel might have finished higher but for ground lost while battling Kevin Magnussen's McLaren on the opening lap, while team-mate Daniel Ricciardo retired shortly before half-distance with a left front suspension problem on his Red Bull.

Raikkonen started 10th and dropped behind the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez on the first lap, but made progress by being the only driver to complete the race on two pitstops.

The Finn lost time to what appeared to be a front jack problem at his second stop, and defended desperately in a battle of world champions with Fernando Alonso in the closing stages, but ultimately couldn't prevent his Ferrari team-mate passing him for sixth with a handful of laps to go.

Hulkenberg made good use of alternative tyre strategy - running the soft tyre at the end - to finish eighth, ahead of Kevin Magnussen's McLaren and Bottas, who just held off Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat to claim the final point.

RESULTS - 71 LAPS:

Nico RosbergMercedes1h30m02.555s
2
Lewis HamiltonMercedes1.457s
3
Felipe MassaWilliams/Mercedes41.031s
4
Jenson ButtonMcLaren/Mercedes48.658s
5
Sebastian VettelRed Bull/Renault51.420s
6
Fernando AlonsoFerrari1m01.906s
7
Kimi RaikkonenFerrari1m03.730s
8
Nico HulkenbergForce India/Mercedes1m03.934s
9
Kevin MagnussenMcLaren/Mercedes1m10.085s
10
Valtteri BottasWilliams/Mercedes1 Lap
11
Daniil KvyatToro Rosso/Renault1 Lap
12
Pastor MaldonadoLotus/Renault1 Lap
13
Jean-Eric VergneToro Rosso/Renault1 Lap
14
Esteban GutierrezSauber/Ferrari1 Lap
15
Sergio PerezForce India/Mercedes1 Lap
16
Adrian SutilSauber/Ferrari1 Lap
17
Romain GrosjeanLotus/RenaultPower Unit
-
Daniel RicciardoRed Bull/RenaultSuspension

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP:

Lewis Hamilton334
2
Nico Rosberg317
3
Daniel Ricciardo214
4
Sebastian Vettel159
5
Fernando Alonso157
6
Valtteri Bottas156
7
Jenson Button106
8
Felipe Massa98
9
Nico Hulkenberg80
10
Kevin Magnussen55
11
Kimi Raikkonen53
12
Sergio Perez47
13
Jean-Eric Vergne22
14
Romain Grosjean8
15
Daniil Kvyat8
16
Pastor Maldonado2
17
Jules Bianchi2
18
Adrian Sutil0
19
Marcus Ericsson0
20
Esteban Gutierrez0
21
Max Chilton0
22
Kamui Kobayashi0

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP:

Mercedes651
2
Red Bull/Renault373
3
Williams/Mercedes254
4
Ferrari210
5
McLaren/Mercedes161
6
Force India/Mercedes127
7
Toro Rosso/Renault30
8
Lotus/Renault10
9
Marussia/Ferrari2
10
Sauber/Ferrari0
11
Caterham/Renault0

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