Germany’s Nico Rosberg romped to his fifth win in a row for Mercedes on Sunday, ending Formula One champion teammate Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of a third successive Bahrain Grand Prix victory.
In a race that at times resembled a demolition derby – with bits of bodywork flying as cars collided – Rosberg seized the lead from the start and enjoyed an easy evening under the floodlights.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, whose teammate, Sebastian Vettel, failed to start after his car’s engine let out a plume of smoke on the formation lap, finished 10.2 seconds behind to repeat last year’s second place.
Hamilton, a distant third and never in a position to challenge for the lead, made a slow start from pole position and tangled with Valtteri Bottas of Williams at the first corner as the Finn tried to go past on the inside.
That left him having to battle back from seventh place at the end of lap two with a damaged car, while stewards gave Bottas a drive-through penalty for causing the collision.
Rosberg stretched his lead over Hamilton at the top of the standings to 17 points after two races.
The win was the 16th of the German’s career, lifting him level in the all-time lists with British great Stirling Moss, and the eighth in a row for champions Mercedes.
All but the top six cars were lapped, with 17 finishers.
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