Nico Rosberg’s Spanish Grand Prix win will slow Lewis Hamilton’s race to the title

Nico Rosberg’s Spanish Grand Prix win on Sunday allowed him to cut his deficit in the title battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton to 20 points. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the German. He had pushed Hamilton all season long last year, scoring 11 pole-positions to the Briton’s 7 and taking the title fight down to the wire, conceding defeat at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

But this year, he has struggled to match Hamilton as he romped to four straight pole positions and three wins from opening four flyaway races. Far from engaging Hamilton, Rosberg had instead increasingly seemed to be locked in a fight for second with the resurgent Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

He needed to turn the tide, stem the loss of points and sap some of the momentum from Hamilton’s charge. F1’s return to Europe after a three-week break gave him the opportunity he needed to reset his season.

The foundation for Rosberg’s win was laid in qualifying. He knew starting from pole would be vital. The 4.6 km Circuit de Catalunya, made up of fast, sweeping corners, is notoriously difficult to overtake at as Hamilton found out in the race stuck behind Vettel’s Ferrari. He had to get pole in Spain.

Pole position gave him a further advantage—relegating Hamilton to second, forcing him to start from the dirty side of the grid probably played a part in the Briton’s slow getaway at the start.

Rosberg’s win has raised the prospect, perhaps prematurely, of Hamilton finally having a challenge on his hands. It’s tempting to hail it as a turning point in the championship. But while Sunday’s win will undoubtedly act as a massive boost for Rosberg heading to Monaco, where the German turned the tables on Hamilton last year, it’s still early to say it signals a shift in momentum.

The level at which Hamilton is driving this year suggests it will take more than one defeat to knock him out of his groove.