Hamilton mistake opens gap for rival Rosberg

A week after claiming his 32nd victory to become the most successful British driver in F1 history in terms of race wins, Hamilton had the chance in Brazil to become the first Briton to win six successive grands prix.

It was not to be, though, as team-mate Nico Rosberg brought an end to Hamilton’s victory streak by taking the chequered flag at Interlagos by 1.4secs over his Mercedes team-mate.

Rosberg completed his dominance of the entire weekend with a crucial triumph to close the championship gap on Hamilton to 17 points, but now the spectre of the controversial double-points system looms large.

Under the preceding points format, even if Rosberg ended the year with a win at the Yas Marina Circuit, Hamilton would take the title with a sixth-placed finish at worst.

With double points, however, Hamilton has to now finish runner-up in Abu Dhabi should Rosberg cross the line ahead of him.

Ordinarily, it appears that should not be a problem as Mercedes set a new F1 record in Brazil of 11 one-two finishes in a season, surpassing the mark of 10 set by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988 for McLaren.

Reliability will be crucial, as will be the need to avoid any errors, as occurred to Hamilton when he had a shot at taking the lead, and with it more than likely the win and a potential 31-point gap.

At the second round of pit stops, Rosberg took on fresh rubber after lap 26, leading to Hamilton comfortably pumping in the fastest lap of the race at that point on 27.

Given his pace, Hamilton was told to stay out for one more lap, but overcooked it on 28, resulting in a spin at turn four which cost him around seven seconds.

Despite hounding Rosberg for the last 20 laps after the third stop, with the gap continually less than a second, Hamilton never once got close enough even to attempt a pass.

Assessing his error, Hamilton said: “Ultimately it cost me the win.

“I was much quicker up until that point, and on that lap I’d gone a second quicker whilst Nico pitted.

“I thought I was going to pit at the end of that lap so I used everything of the tyres.

“The next lap, I had nothing left. Either way, at the end of the day, I made a mistake, locking the rears into turn four, and with the under-rotation, it just spun me around.

“It was the second time it had happened over the weekend. So it was no one’s fault but mine.

“Still, a great result for the team. Nico drove really well, great, defensive, no mistakes and ultimately we got a one-two.

“I really was pushing right to the chequered flag, which is what motor racing’s all about. So I really enjoyed it.”

Rosberg now knows a victory in Abu Dhabi and third or worse for Hamilton will see him crowned champion.

At least the 29-year-old German has stopped the rot setting in with Hamilton’s run of success as he said: “It was a great weekend all in all.

“It’s one race too late, but there’s still all to play for. Now I’m just hoping for (Abu Dhabi) and the need to try and keep this going now.”

Rosberg’s win means Mercedes have also equalled the record for the number of race victories in a season previously held jointly by Ferrari and McLaren.

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: “Numbers like 11 one-two finishes, 15 wins and 30 podiums in a season make me incredibly proud of my colleagues and humble at what we have achieved together.”

Home hero Felipe Massa was third, albeit 40 seconds adrift, despite a five-second stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane en route to making his first stop.

McLaren’s Jenson Button was fourth, putting in a performance that suggests he should remain with the team as his future remains uncertain.

Outgoing four-times champion Sebastian Vettel was fifth, with Ferrari pair Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen sixth and seventh, followed by Nico Hulkenberg in his Force India, McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas in his Williams.