SOCHI, Russia (AP) – Nico Rosberg cruised to victory in the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday as his title rival and teammate Lewis Hamilton dodged crashes and battled through the pack for second.
Rosberg has won all four of this season’s races – seven in a row including victories from last season – and has a hefty 43-point lead over Hamilton in the title race.
“Very, very happy, thanks to everybody,” Rosberg said.
Pole position and the unbeatable pace of the Mercedes meant Rosberg faced little competition as he won by 25 seconds from Hamilton, who had to fight through the field after starting 10th due to a technical failure in qualifying.
Already up to fifth after an incident-packed first lap in which Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel crashed out, Hamilton passed both Williams cars and the other Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen to take and hold second.