2016 F1 Russia: Rosberg claims fourth consecutive win

Continuing his brilliant form from the first three races, Nico Rosberg once again put up a stellar performance to take a rather comfortable pole to finish victory in Sochi. Starting from the front of the grid, the German driver did well to stay clear of disaster as he approached the first corner. And from there on, it was a rather easy way to victory for the Mercedes driver as he crossed the finish line 25 seconds clear of second placed Hamilton. The British racer on the other hand didn’t have such a fruitful qualifying session and could only manage a 10th place on the grid. However, he did well to stay out of trouble on turn 1 and gradually gained positions to take the chequer in second. 

Raikkonen Rejoices 

Kimi Raikkonen had a good race in Sochi as he took the last step on the podium which brings him up to third place on the championship table. The Finnish driver qualified in fourth place from where he got off to a decent start as the five red lights went out. With the two Williams cars easily matching up with his pace, it was getting difficult for him to hold them back. The 2007 champion then changed his strategy and decided to run longer stints in order to gain an advantage. Although he did lose second place to Hamilon, Raikkonen got some valuable points for the team. 

Vettel-Kvyat Skirmish 

Sebastian Vettel once again had an extremely frustrating race at Sochi. The German racing driver posted an impressive lap to take second place in qualifying. In the race though, he wasn’t so lucky. Although he had a good start, Red Bull racer Daniil Kvyat nudged him from the back on turn 2 and then again on turn 3. Vettel was hit hard and pushed into the barriers marking an end to his race in Sochi. The four-time champion was in a good position and could even have challenged Rosberg for P1 but was forced to retire. 

Points for Williams

It was a good weekend for the Willaims team as both its drivers finished in top 10 bringing valuable points for the team. After Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa qualified in third and fifth respectively, the two could maintain good pace throughout the race to remain in the top 5 places and bring home 22 points for the team. Bottas finshed the race in fourth place while Massa took fifth place; they were the last of the drivers to not be lapped by race winner Rosberg. 

Four down, lots to go

With four victories in the first four races, Rosberg has been dominating the 2016 season of Formula1 so far. However the season is far from over. Both the Ferrari and Williams drivers seem to be the old people to have the pace to challenge the Meredes duo. With the European leg of the championship about to commence soon, it will be interesting to see the developments they make and the outcome it brings in the races to come.