Sport

Rosberg win in Brazil seals championship runner-up spot

Comfortable win leaves frustrated Hamilton to take second place

Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowds as Formula One drivers tour the Interlagos track wearing black ribbons as a sign of mourning for the victims of the Paris attack terrorist attacks last Friday, prior to the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday. Photograph: Fernando Bizerra jr/EPA
Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowds as Formula One drivers tour the Interlagos track wearing black ribbons as a sign of mourning for the victims of the Paris attack terrorist attacks last Friday, prior to the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday. Photograph: Fernando Bizerra jr/EPA
Paul Weaver
Mon Nov 16 2015 - 01:00

Nico Rosberg won the Brazilian Grand Prix as he continued to look stronger than Lewis Hamilton in the run-in to the 2015 Formula One season.

Rosberg followed his fifth pole position in a row by winning as impressively as he had done in the previous race in Mexico, denying Hamilton his ambitions to win at Interlagos for the first time.

The closest Hamilton got to taking the lead was on the first corner. But Rosberg, looking very determined, would not let him past and Hamilton did not seriously threaten his team- mate again. At one point he even asked his team to change strategy, but they would not listen.

Mercedes were once again in a class of their own. But since Hamilton clinched the world title in Austin at the end of last month he has looked very much second best to Rosberg, who has now won five times this season and 13 times in his career.

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As in Mexico, the German did not make a mistake and controlled the race from start to finish. In doing so he confirmed that he would finish second in the world championship table ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Niki Lauda, Mercedes's non-executive chairman, said: "Maybe Lewis has lost the need. Right now Nico is better."

It was the team’s 11th one-two result of the season, equaling their performance last year.

Rosberg said: “It went perfectly. Lewis put up a great challenge but I was able to control it. I’ve been working very hard because Lewis had the upper hand for most of he season.”

Hamilton had to be content with the fastest lap of the race. He said: “I just couldn’t get close enough to race. It was relatively boring. But Nico has done a fantastic job this weekend.”

Vettel was third ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

They were followed by Valtteri Bottas (Williams) and Nico Hulkenberg (Force India), who is now something of a specialist on this circuit.

There was another eye-catching drive from Max Verstappen, who produced so many impressive moves that it was a surprise he was only 10th at the end.

Jenson Button was 15th, one place ahead of his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso. Guardian service