Nico Rosberg has found the missing ingredient at Austrian Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg had every reason to be jubilant after Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix. He had comprehensively beaten his world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton in a fair fight and the performance is the kind that he needs if he is to become world champion.

The many lefts and rights of the season have twisted and turned back to Nico Rosberg, whose win at the Red Bull Ring puts him 10 points behind his Mercedes-GP teammate Lewis Hamilton. ‘I had a good start and then good pace in the race – that is what I’m most happy about,’ Rosberg says yesterday after his 11th career win. Joe Klamar / AFPShow less

Nico Rosberg had every reason to be jubilant as he got out of his Mercedes-GP in parc ferme at the Red Bull Ring after Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

It was not only that he had won the race, his third of the year, but it was the manner of the victory that meant the most to him.

He had comprehensively beaten his world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton in a fair fight and the performance is the kind that he needs if he is to become world champion this year.

Brazil in November last year was the last time Rosberg came out on top in a duel with ­Hamilton.

He did finish ahead of the Briton in Spain and Monaco this year, but in both of those races Hamilton had been hampered.

The double world champion had spent half the race in Barcelona stuck behind the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel as Rosberg streaked away at the front, while, in Monte Carlo, Hamilton had Rosberg beaten until Mercedes made the bizarre decision to bring him into the pits during a late safety car period, which dropped him behind his teammate and Vettel.

But yesterday was all about Rosberg doing the better job and illustrating what he can do if he gets out in front.

He had been beaten by Hamilton in qualifying for the seventh time in eight races, but that mattered little at the start after he had the better getaway.

He refused to be intimidated as Hamilton moved across on him and took the line to lead into Turn 1. He then drove impressively to defend lunges from his teammate around the outside at the following two corners.

The immediate threat ended there as the safety car came out after Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari and Fernando Alonso’s McLaren collided on the straight after Turn 2, but Rosberg was in a class of his own when the race restarted, opening up a lead of three seconds at one stage.

The gap never fell below 1.5 seconds and any real challenge to him ended when Hamilton cut across the pit lane exit line after his lone stop, an illegal act, which earned him a five-second time penalty.

For Hamilton to win, he would have had to pass Rosberg and pull out a lead of 5.1 seconds, which was never going to happen given the German’s speed.

Hamilton, to his credit, did not attempt to offer excuses for his defeat.

“Nico did a fantastic job today. he was quicker during the race,” he said.

Rosberg was happy with the 11th win of his career. “I had a good start and then good pace in the race – that is what I’m most happy about,” he said.

Too often last year when his title challenge fell short Rosberg was competitive with Hamilton, but failed to overcome his ­teammate.

“I think I’ve found what I needed to find last year, in terms of in the races, and that’s what is really working out for me this year,” he said.

Rosberg’s challenge is to put in performances like that more consistently so as to achieve what he failed to do last year when his challenge to Hamilton ran out of steam. He must now maintain his competitiveness for 11 more grands prix, until the finish line at the Abu Dhabi race.

Despite having largely been put in the shade by Hamilton this season, Rosberg is only 10 points behind in the standings.

The immediate goal for him is a consecutive competitive effort on July 5 on Hamilton’s home turf at Silverstone in Britain.

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