Race Notes - Rosberg wins Mercedes 1-2 at Mexico City

Nico Rosberg won the Mexican Grand Prix today in his Mercedes GP, over his team mate Lewis Hamilton in another Mercedes 1-2, winning by 1.9 seconds. Valtteri Bottas in the Williams-Mercedes finished in third - 14.5 seconds behind the winner.

Daniil Kvyat (16.5s) in the Red Bull-Renault finished in fourth place, followed by his Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo (19.6s) in fifth, Felipe Massa (21.4s) in the second Williams was sixth, Nico Hulkenberg (25.8s) in the Force India-Mercedes was seventh, followed by his team mate, Mexican Sergio Perez (34.3s) in eighth place, Max Verstappen (35.2s) in the Toro Rosso-Renault was ninth, and Romain Grosjean (37.9s) in the Lotus-Mercedes finished in the final points paying position by finishing tenth.

The win is Rosbergs fourth of the season and 12th of his career. It is Mercedes 14th win of the season so far. With Sebastian Vettel retiring from the race with an accident Rosberg now retakes Vettel for second in the Drivers World Championship with two rounds remaining.

Before the race with the sun was shining with a full crowd of spectators on hand, Rosberg sat on pole position with Hamilton alongside on the front row. Vettel and Kvyat on the second row, Ricciardo and Bottas on the third row, Massa and Verstappen on the fourth row and Perez and Hulkenberg rounding out the top ten.

The cars came around onto the grid and the lights went off and the race started. Polesitter Rosberg took the lead ahead of Hamilton, Kvyat up to third, Ricciardo past Ricciardo. Vettel sufferering a puncture and falls back. Vettel and Ricciardo having touched.

Alonso radios that he has no power and the team calls him in to retire the McLaren. Vettel pits for new tyres and continues.

On lap 2 Rosberg sets fast lap at 1m25.195 seconds, and pulls out to a 1.3 seconds lead over Hamilton, ahead of Kvyat, Ricciardo, Bottas, Verstappen, Massa, Perez, Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz.

On lap 4 Bottas closes on Ricciardo in fourth place. Ferrari radios Raikkonen in 15th place that his brakes are overheating. Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m24.889s.

At lap 6 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m24.313s and trails Rosberg by 0.9s.

On lap 8 Kimi Raikkonen passes Marcus Ericsson for 13th place, while Sainz overtakes Hulkenberg for ninth place. Bottas pits the next lap, Massa and Hulkenberg pit as well on lap 10, switching to medium tyres.

At lap 20 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 1.4 seconds, followed by Kvyat (7.0s), Ricciardo (12.5s), Verstappen (14.5s), Perez (22.0s), Sainz (22.5s), Raikkonen (27.6s), Bottas (35.8s), and Massa (39.1s) in tenth place.

On lap 11, Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m24.256s. Rosberg set fast lap the next lap at 1m23.998s.

On lap 14 Sainz pits. Red Bull will try to make a one-stop strategy with Ricciardo. Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m23,499s.

On lap 15 Vettel passes Sainz in the first corner and takes 12th place. Vettel now attacks Jenson Button for 11th place, and takes the position.

Shortly after Vettel spins his Ferrari at turn 8, luckily not hitting anything. He rejoins back in 15th place. Perez pits from sixth place.

On lap 20 Sainz passes home favorite Perez and takes tenth place.

Rosberg sets fast lap, but Hamilton responds and sets a 1m23.008s.

At lap 20 Rosberg continues to lead Hamilton by 2.6 seconds, followed by Kvyat (15.8s), Ricciardo (21.4s), Verstappen (28.5s), Raikkonen (39.9s), Bottas (41.2s), Massa (44.5s), Hulkenberg (50.2s) and Sainz (59.1s) in tenth place.

On lap 22 Kvyat pits from third switching to medium tyres and rejoins in fifth.

Bottas and Raikkonen make contact at turn 4, and the Ferrari suffers a right rear suspension damage and Raikkonen pulls off and retires.

On lap 24 Ricciardo pits his Red Bull from third place for medium compound tyres, rejoining behind the two Williams in seventh place. The next lap Verstappen pits from third pace.

On lap 27 Rosberg pits for medium tyres, and rejoins behind Hamilton. Vettel attempts to pass Pastor Maldonado, but cant pull it off.

On lap 29 Hamilton pits from the lead for medium tyres and rejoins behind Rosberg once again.

Vettel tells Ferrari, ºthe tyres are not in great shape¹.

At lap 30 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 3.1 seconds, followed by Kvyat (21.4s), Bottas (24.6s), Massa (27.3s), Vettel (56.7s), Verstappen (42.4s), Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Sainz in tenth place.

Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m22.441 seconds

On lap 31 Button pits.

On lap 34 Sainz, followed closely by Perez locks up his brakes and cuts the corner to stay ahead of Perez. Later in the lap Sainz gives the place to Perez and then continues to chase the Mexican driver.

On lap 36 Vettel pits for another set of medium compound tyres for his final stop and rejoins a lap down behind Rosberg. Vettel complains to the team that they should have switched to soft tyres for the final stint.

On lap 39 Bottas is closing on Kvyat in third place. Ericsson pits. Vettel complains that there is debris at the exit of turn 10.

At lap 40 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 2.6 seconds, followed by Kvyat (27.9s), Bottas (29.8s), Massa (34.3s), Ricciardo (38.1s), Hulkenberg (41.4s), Verstappen (54.5s), Perez (56.2s) and Sainz (60.2s).

On lap 41 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m21.994 seconds. Perez is closing on Verstappen in eighth place. A course marshal runs on the track and removes the debris that Vettel earlier mentioned.

On lap 45 Rosberg sets fastest lap, then Hamilton retakes it at 1m22.187 seconds. Rosberg tells his engineer to stop informing him of the gap back to Hamilton - the German pushing to focus on keeping his lead.

On lap 46 Rosberg pits for the second time and switches back to soft tyres, coming out in second place behind Hamilton.

On lap 49 Hamilton, after questioning why they are calling him in, pits from the lead and switches to soft tyres as well, and rejoins once again behind Rosberg in second place.

Rosberg sets fast lap at 1m21.367 seconds. Hamilton sets fast lap the next lap at 1m20.853 seconds.

At lap 50 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 3.5 seconds, followed by Kvyat (14.6s), Bottas (17.5s), Massa (27.3s), Ricciardo (27.5s), Hulkenberg (32.8s), Perez ( 49.3s), Verstappen and Grosjean in tenth place.

On lap 51 Ricciardo passes Massa down the straight and takes fifth place.

On lap 52Vettel goes off at turn 7 again, but this time contacts the barrier. He is okay and the safety car is deployed.

Ricciardo, Massa, Hulkenberg, Verstappen, and Grosjean all pit.

Behind the safety car Rosberg leads Hamilton, Bottas, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Massa, Hulkenberg, Perez, Verstappen, Grosjean in tenth, Maldonado, Sainz, Ericsson, Felipe Nasr, Button, Will Stevens and Rossi in 17th place.

It is the first race since the Australian GP of 2006 that neither Ferrari will be classified at the finish.

On lap 58, with Vettels car removed and the barriers fixed, the Safety Car pulled in and the race is resumed with Rosberg leading over Hamilton in second, Bottas taking over third place from Kvyat, Ricciardo, Massa, Hulkenberg, Perez and Verstappen. Nasr pulls off the circuit with a brake failure in his Sauber-Ferrari. Rosberg runs off track at turn 8 but continues.

At lap 60 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 1.3 seconds, followed by Bottas (4.3s), Kvyat (6.1s), Ricciardo (6.7s), Massa (8.3s), Hulkenberg (9.8s), Perez (12.2s), Verstappen (13.1s), and Grosjean (13.8s) in tenth place.

Hamilton is trying hard to close to within DRS range of the leader.

On lap 64 Maldonado runs wide by continues at turn 12.

On lap 65 Hamilton falls back to 1.7 seconds behind Rosberg.

On lap 66 Hamilton sets fast lap aty 1n20.772s, and closes to 1.144 seconds behind Rosberg.

Entering the final lap, Rosberg leads Hamilton by 1.6 seconds, and takes the chequered flag over Hamilton and Bottas.