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Barcelona - Nico Rosberg has had a superb start from pole for his
first Formula One season victory on Sunday while his championship
leading Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton salvaged second thanks to a
strategy change after getting off the grid poorly.
Rosberg ended Hamilton's 2015 pole monopoly Saturday and then cruised
to his ninth career victory ahead of Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel of
Ferrari, after finishing behind his team-mate in the season's first
four races.
Vettel flew past the slow starting Hamilton on the first straight but
a switch to three stops helped Hamilton reclaim second over Vettel,
who like Rosberg had two stops.
The three-time season winner Hamilton leads the championship with 111
points from Rosberg (91) and Vettel (80).
Rosberg is the ninth different winner in as many years in Barcelona
but the 19th in 25 editions to win from pole on the 4.655km
Circuit de Catalunya where overtaking is difficult.
There was agony for the Spanish home crowd when former world champion
and 2013 race winner Fernado Alonso overshot the pit box in the 28th
because of a brakes problem and had to retire his McLaren.
And with Jenson Button also placing outside the top 10, McLaren are still without a championship point.
