Rosberg wins Chinese GP for sixth straight F1 victory

SHANGHAI – Nico Rosberg of Mercedes captured the Chinese Grand Prix with ease on Sunday to extend his perfect start to the Formula One season and become just the fourth driver in history to win six straight races.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who collided with teammate Kimi Raikkonen at the first corner, finished second, 37.7 seconds behind Rosberg, while Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat used an aggressive race strategy to take third – only the second podium of the 21-year-old’s career.

Rosberg started on pole position and led nearly the entire race by a wide margin to win his third race to start this season and his sixth consecutive dating back to last year.

Every driver who has started an F1 season with three straight wins went on to win the title that year.

“It was a great weekend here for me in China. It’s a special place for me – first pole, first win here (in 2012),” Rosberg said.