Following his cruise to victory at the Chinese GP, Nico Rosberg has joined an elite group of F1 drivers who have won 6 consecutive races. Ahead of him are Sebastian Vettel (9), Alberto Ascari (9) and Michael Schumacher (7) and triple world champion team mate has a best of 5 consecutive wins from the 2014 season along with greats like Jack Brabham, Jim Clarke and Nigel Mansell.
Wins in the upcoming Russian and Spanish GP’s would see Rosberg 2nd in the all time list of F1 drivers with 8 consecutive victories.
The Chinese GP in 2011 saw Nico Rosberg win his first race from 111 starts, putting him 5th in the list of drivers who started the most races before their first win.
- Mark Webber 130 races, won first in Germany 2009
- Rubens Barichello 123 races, won first in Germany 2000
- Jarno Truli 119 races, won first in Monaco 2004
- Jenson Button 113 races, won first in Hungary 2006
The prospects for Hamilton this year look even grimmer when you consider Mercedes are allowing their drivers free reign on engine mode selection. For three races Lewis has been playing catch up and by some analyst’s best guess has used around ½ an ICU more than his team mate.
Lewis was insistent following a horrendous race this weekend that the bad old days were history when he allowed adversity to get on top of him: “I definitely I don’t feel the dark cloud I’ve had in the past over me now,” said the British driver.
That said, another win for Rosberg next time out in Russia may play on the somewhat fragile mentality Hamilton has displayed in previous years.
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Leopards don’t change their spots…
I doubt we’ll have a full season without a #44 meltdown.
@WTF_F1
Omg you iz like such a haterrrr! I can’t even!
You jelly! Soz no Soz.
Oh WTF..you do like to live on the edge😇 lets see the comments section light up with that little number.
I quite like the ‘new’ Lewis. He seems relaxed, composed and appears to drive as before. It will be interesting to see what happens if his run of bad luck does not improve though as we will eventually be able to say if the ‘change’ in permanent or not!
Points are points and the tally is swaying in a certain direction. Where did I hear team engineers swapped garage sides before this season began?
You are right, they did swop sides however Rosberg started his winning streak with his [apparently now Hamilton’s] engineers last year.
Doubt Hamilton supporters will take kindly to you suggesting it’s down the the engineers that Hamilton was so dominant the last couple of years. I don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors however Hamilton does look calmer than normal, perhaps that 3rd WDC has given Hamilton the assurance that he is one of the best drivers. As the article suggests it would be good to see how he reacts if Rosberg wins the next two as well.
Your comment just won the internet. I’m gonna use that “Doubt Hamilton supporters will take kindly to you suggesting it’s down the the engineers that Hamilton was so dominant the last couple of years” part. Thanks for that
Hamilton does look calmer than normal
Indeed. It looks as if Hamilton is keeping his head down and focusing on the task ahead. Even if Rosberg now has more than a race win in points advantage, this can easily evaporate courtesy to an unfortunate DNF, as we’ve seen in the previous two years. This said, mother luck can just as easily swing in the other direction, turning a miserable start into an apocalypse for Hamilton…
Interesting season thus far. It’s still far too early to call who’ll win, but if Ferrari and Red Bull can be in the mix then race wins for one Mercedes drive could perhaps yield bigger gains over their other driver when they happen.
I fancy Nico to win in Russia, last year he stuck his car on pole by 0.3s over Lewis (this was pre title finishing) and was leading the race prior to brake failure. If that happens then the pressure on Lewis really starts to mount, especially if the likes of RBR and Ferrari can interfere with his race. RBR are clearly quick on the tighter stuff, and I think the backside of the Sochi circuit will really suit them. With the new rules regarding driver starts a bad getaway can completely change your race before you’re even at T1. That makes the sport a hell of a lot more entertaining than engineers setting up cars for near perfect starts each race.
Rosberg may have won 6 races on the bounce, but it’s since Singapore last year that he’s had the speed advantage over Lewis really. He was unlucky in Austin, had a car issue in Sochi and had to fight through the field in Japan after getting that shoulder onto the kerb exit of T2. It may be 6 race wins on the bounce, but it could oh so easily be 9. I’m absolutely convinced the tyre pressure changes since Monza has something to do with it all.
Nico said in the run down that he does not count the last races of the previous season as an addition to the running streak so why should we? He does seem to be in a different mindset this year,it could be down to him being a Father and maturity while Lewis is still living the playboy lifestyle of many of the F1 crowd..Jenson/Alonso/DC included. If you have the will and the funds then why not enjoy yourself,it never did James Hunt or swirving Irv any harm but with a family there generally comes a more measured mentality,Seb showed this side yesterday with the heated comments in the drivers cool down room, he was not frustrated at the move,just the fact it could have been a bloody nasty shunt..Danny had nothing to lose while I am sure Seb was thinking of others (IMHO) Now Nico is starting to get this mindset and it’s calmed him down..made him think more and it’s starting to show,will it last? I really dont know but it’s going to be fun to watch.
Rosberg has a new F1 record. The most number of race wins, without winning a WDC. The previous holder was Stirling Moss.
You mean Chinese Grand Prix 2012.
It was put to Nico that the last few drivers to win the first 3 races have gone on to be WDC – he pointed out that none of them had Lewis as a team mate – good luck to them both, hope Lewis can maintain this dignity win or lose and that the racing remains… interesting… would say exciting but I don’t pay to watch so usually know the results before hand.
Same for drivers who won 5 in a row. They all became champion
What surprises me reading the comments is how few of these people making comments are actually true sports fans.
A true sports fan would feel frustrated and want to see who is the best driver not who gets good fortune from misfortune of others .Whether you prefer Rosberg or Hamilton , you want your star to shine because he is the better driver not because his nearest rival has been beset with mechanical problems. Lets face it the vast majority of points defecit between the 2 Mercedes drivers is not Hamilton’s fault.He does not build his car .
Yet I see some people are rejoicing and frothing at the mouth ( prematurely ) at the prospect that Hamilton will not win this year because of his set backs . It shows me that 1. many people are not true sports fans, as I have said and
2. some people have a hidden agenda behind supporting Rosberg not because they think he is superb racing driver Telll me something why is it that Rosberg someone the same age as Lewis has never won a WDC, whereas Lewis already has 3 WDC under belt?
I know it’s because is Rosberg is more cerebral . That old chestnut!
Personally, I rate Hamiton, Vettel and Alonso as far superior drivers than Rosberg because of their race craft we have seen over the years and not because they can simply sprint from one end of the track to other unimpeded. Rosberg is a good technician alright but something tells me when Lewis gets back in the groove he will crush Rosberg and crush his spirit .
Every one knows were it not for these problems in Bahrain and China Lewiis would be ahead of Rosberg in the WDC standings. His 2 pole positions show you that he is on form. The pole Rosberg got in China I don’t think he would have got it , or as easily if Lewis car was working and Rosberg knows it !
charliebrown, you seem very rational in your analysis… But rational in a Hamilton fanboy viewpoint.
As we’ve all come to understand watching F1 all these years, we know for certain two things: 1- a driver doesn’t win races and championships alone. They all have teams with hundreds of people alongside them and 2- both drivers have the same equipment, resources and mechanisms to deal with (unless otherwise noted).
So, even though Hamilton did have problems this year, these problems could easily have gone Rosberg’s way as they did so many times in the past. In the grand scheme of things, they all even out in the end.
I don’t understand why so many people analysis the sport with ifs and buts. The fact of the matter is that Rosberg made the most of his car and opportunities and Hamilton have not. That’s why Rosberg is ahead and winning.
To look for reasons outside the race track to justify Hamilton’s results is to also forget that you can say the same thing about Rosberg’s misfortunes in the past and I don’t see you doing it.
Objectively, F1 is about the results and history books doesn’t tell the story of the loser unless he is Gilles Villeneuve. If Rosberg wins the crown this year, it’ll be his merit. He had plenty of chances and we already know that Hamilton is the best overall driver but if he loses, it’s because Rosberg did better. That’s the beauty of having 21 races instead of 3.
So, wait until the end of the season to celebrate or not but don’t rely on excuses to analyze the season of your favorite driver.
“So, even though Hamilton did have problems this year, these problems could easily have gone Rosberg’s way as they did so many times in the past.”
2014: Lewis Hamilton retired 3 races (one, Belgium because of Rosberg); Nico Rosberg – 2. Hamilton was forced to start from the pit lane in Hungary and finished 3rd, AHEAD of Rosberg. At Abu Dhabi Rosberg had he electrical issues.
2015: each driver retired once. Remember the Monaco gaffe that cost Hamilton his 19-second lead and the race?
Who had more “problems?” Or, will you spew out “ifs and buts.” I mean, your quote shows you’re trying to rewrite history to make Rosberg, in the two years past, more a victim of various failures – car, crashes, paddock gaffes – than was Hamilton.
Another absurd response. Remove your head from terra firma and smell the coffee; Rosberg has capitalized on Hamilton’s misfortune! He hasn’t had to race anybody as such this season. The records show that in a straight fight with Rosberg, Hamilton has the upper hand. Your obvious dislike of Hamilton is scewing your perspective, which begs the question of whether you’re in this for the sport or for another agenda?
“A true sports fan would feel frustrated and want to see who is the best driver”
I think you’ve just summed up my frustrations with F1 at present. It doesn’t matter how well the likes of Alonso, Vettel and Ricciardo perform, that Mercedes uber car is just too damn quick.
“So, even though Hamilton did have problems this year, these problems could easily have gone Rosberg’s way as they did so many times in the past.”
I thought the article was about the 2016 season that was why I did not talk about previous years ( duh!)
Yes I am a Hamilton supporter , unashamedly so – and I can see you are Hater . Having said that Hamilton is human. He is susceptible to being beaten like anyone , and if and when he does get beaten, I prefer that it is done based on the race craft of Rosberg on the track so we can all agree that his is the better racing driver of the two not simply because he won based on Hamilton’s mechanical gremlins.
Indeed, if you were a genuine Rosberg fan ( as opposed to a Hamiltion hater) you would want the same. Otherwise it further diminishes Rosberg in the eyes of real sports fans. None of whom, by the way are convinced that Rosberg is better than Hamiton by the way.
Yes people can provide all the statistics like 6 wins in a row etc , but who would people actually like to watch race over a race weekend? It’s not Rosberg, He does not have Hamilton’s raw talent and excitement and he is not marketable at all not even to the Germans.
I agree that misfortune hits all drivers and over the course of a season they tend to even out so the advantage Rosberg has now will have evaporated by the end of the year .Let’s hope so, because I want to see the best drivers balls to the wall stuff ( which I am still waiting to see = Bahrain 2014 ) not simply the luckiest !
BTW – Years ago I never watched F!1 . I couldn’t not see what the fun was about cars going round and round on a track. Then Lewis came on the scene in 2007 . There was so much excitement around this young mixed race guy so I thought I would watch one of the races on TV .Man I was blown away and the penny dropped all at the same time . I have been watching F1 ever since and I understand the excitement about F1. I have read that other people only began watching f1 because of Lewis as well . The man Lewis is not just a 3 x WDC , He is for many a superstar!
Six consecutive races in a row, eh?
Tautology alert !!