on the podium after his Williams teammate Valterri Bottas fell back from third position on the grid. Ferrari had a day to forget in their home Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso retired and Kimi Raikkonen could only come home in 10th position.
Beginning the race in pole position, much was expected of Hamilton around a track where he’s typically fared well. But some hesitancy on the start line cost the Brit three places, as Rosberg, Kevin Magnussen and Bottas charged past him down into Turn 1.
It was a nightmare start for the Mercedes man, as two stubborn drivers provided a frustrating buffer between him and Rosberg, who began this race 29 points clear of Hamilton in the race for the World Championship.
The 2008 World Champion seemed especially keen to reduce the deficit to his teammate though, and he followed Massa past Magnussen and into third position early on. But Hamilton had eyes for the Brazilian's spot too, and on the 10th lap he was able to outbreak the Williams man into the Turn 1 chicane, moving up into second place.
After Hamilton's win, here's how the the race for the Driver's World Championship looks:
2014 Formula One Driver Standings
Pos Driver Nationality Team Points
1 Nico Rosberg German Mercedes 238
2 Lewis Hamilton British Mercedes 216
3 Daniel Ricciardo Australian Red Bull Racing-Renault 166
4 Valtteri Bottas Finnish Williams-Mercedes 122
5 Fernando Alonso Spanish Ferrari 121
6 Sebastian Vettel German Red Bull Racing-Renault 106
7 Jenson Button British McLaren-Mercedes 72
8 Nico Hulkenberg German Force India-Mercedes 70
9 Felipe Massa Brazilian Williams-Mercedes 55
10 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish Ferrari 41
11 Sergio Perez Mexican Force India-Mercedes 39
12 Kevin Magnussen Danish McLaren-Mercedes 38
13 Jean-Eric Vergne French STR-Renault 11
14 Romain Grosjean French Lotus-Renault 8
15 Daniil Kvyat Russian STR-Renault 8
16 Jules Bianchi French Marussia-Ferrari 2
17 Adrian Sutil German Sauber-Ferrari 0
18 Marcus Ericsson Swedish Caterham-Renault 0
19 Pastor Maldonado Venezuelan Lotus-Renault 0
20 Esteban Gutierrez Mexican Sauber-Ferrari 0
21 Max Chilton British Marussia-Ferrari 0
22 Kamui Kobayashi Japanese Caterham-Renault 0
Formula1.com
Rosberg was quick to pay tribute to his teammate's display in the aftermath of the race, per BBC Sport: It was a pity it didn't work out today, Lewis drove a great race and he deserved it, so it's all ok!
Former driver David Coulthard also paid tribute to the resilience showcased by the Mercedes man, per BBC Sport: The mental strength from Lewis to come back from that and take the win was unbelievable.
In the end two mistakes from Nico has cost him. He put on a brave face but when he goes home and reflects on this he will know he has been well beaten.
This victory was critical for Hamilton, and it was a performance that showcased all the facets required of a potential World Champion. He could have easily lost his cool after falling back at the start, but he drove with a poise and purpose to gradually move his way up through the field.
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And when it came to the clinch, Hamilton was able to put the pressure on Rosberg, force the mistake and take advantage. Once he re-secured that first place spot, there was no way the Brit was going to yield.
Now just 22 points behind his teammate in the race for World Championship glory, Hamilton will sense he has a real opportunity to win his second individual title. Next up it's Singapore, and although the Brit notched a win here in 2009, he'll be well aware that his performances must improve around the Marina Bay Street Circuit if he's to make further inroads into Rosberg's lead.
SOURCE: http://bleacherreport.com
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