Mercedes wins the F1 Grand Prix in Catalonia

Barcelona (CNA).- Lewis Hamilton won the F1 race followed by Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg in the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit on Sunday afternoon.  The two drivers fought hard for the victory and Hamilton finished only 0.6 seconds ahead Rosberg. The Mercedes had already dominated qualifying on Friday and Saturday. Daniel Ricciardo, from Red Bull, completed the podium but he finished a fair distance behind the two Mercedes. Hamilton is now the leader of the championship, with 100 points, three more than Rosberg.

All the drivers after Fernando Alonso, who finished sixth, were more than a lap behind the Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel ended in fourth position, after starting the race 15^th. Vettel’s recovery and the fight between Hamilton and Rosberg, which had different race strategies, were the Grand Prix’s main attractions. Valtteri Bottas finished fifth, two places ahead of his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen, who was seventh.

There were no remarkable incidents during the Grand Prix. Only Kamui Kobayashi, from Caterham and Jean-Eric Vergne, from Toro Rosso, retired due to breakdowns. The next stage of the Championship is Monaco. For the moment the Mercedes lead the constructors rankings and their drivers have a huge advantage over their rivals, more than doubling their opponents. 

More than 200,000 people went to the F1 Grand Prix over three days as once again the circuit received a large local and foreign audience. All the hotels near the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit were full and the Catalan hotels and restaurant owners predicted a profit of 135 million euros.