Braking Rad: Delving into What Makes Good Brake Feel, with the Help of Alfa’s Spectacular 4C

What Makes Good Brake Feel, with the Help of Alfa's Fantastic 4C – Feature – Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog Car and Driver - Intelligence. Independence. Irreverence. VehiclesAcuraFiatLincolnRamAlfa RomeoFordLotusRolls-RoyceAston MartinGMCMaseratiScionAudiHondaMazdaSmartBentleyHyundaiMcLarenSpykerBMWInfinitiMercedes-AMGSubaruBugattiJaguarMercedes-BenzTeslaBuickJeepMercedes-MaybachToyotaCadillacKiaMiniVolkswagenChevroletKoenigseggMitsubishiVolvoChryslerLamborghiniNissanDodgeLand RoverPaganiFerrariLexusPorscheView AllReviewsFirst DrivesInstrumented TestsComparison TestsLong-Term TestsArchived ReviewsView All ReviewsNews2015 NY Auto Show2015 Geneva ShowBlogFuture CarsAuto ShowsView All NewsVideoCar and Driver VideoYouTubeFeatures10Best Cars2015 Editors' Choice2014 Editors' ChoiceColumnsGearboxTech Dept.View All FeaturesBuyer's Guide2015 Editors' Choice2014 Editors' ChoiceShopping AdviceGet a Free QuoteUsed Car ListingsView Buyer's GuideSubscribeMagazineDigital EditionGive a GiftNewsletterText AlertsCar and Driver Store Backfires Skip to navigation Skip to main content Skip to secondary content Skip to footer Home >News > 'Featured' > Braking Rad: Delving into What Makes Good Brake Feel, with the Help of Alfa’s Spectacular 4C Braking Rad: Delving into What Makes Good Brake Feel, with the Help of Alfa’s Spectacular 4C May 14, 2015 at 10:41 am by Csaba Csere | Illustration by Chris Philpot SHARE TWEET

From the June 2015 issue

We all like firm, solid-feeling brake pedals. But even on good per­formance cars, modern brakes often feel vaguely synthetic, with more pedal travel than seems strictly necessary. Then there’s the Alfa Romeo 4C. Its creators wanted the 4C to have a hard edge. “Our goal in development was to deliver the racing feeling and sensation,” says Alberto Cavaggioni, head of Alfa’s marketing, planning, and brand development. “We wanted the brakes to work more on brake pressure than travel.” And so they do: Travel is short, the pedal has no give, and the brakes bite hard. A braking system is fairly simple; there’s a pedal, a booster, hydraulic lines, and calipers. How did Alfa make its brakes so radically different, more like a race car’s than a road car’s? Engineers employed a handful of tricks, but the real answer is by optimizing every last part of the system. To wit:

Master Cylinder
A large master-cylinder-piston diameter moves a lot of fluid in a short amount of time, effecting quick responses.

Booster
Even a car as light as the 4C needs a vacuum booster. But by paring assistance to a minimum, engineers achieve a linear and tightly controlled response to pedal pressure.

Pedal
“Two simple things we did were bolt the pedal to the floor of the chassis and set the angle of the pedal to provide perfect leverage,” says Cavaggioni. “The angle of the pedal makes it easier to apply more force, and the floorboard is more rigid than a dash-mounted setup.” Less flexing means truer pedal feel.

Lines
Stiff steel-and-rubber brake lines are a must for good pedal feel. The more hydraulic lines expand under pressure, the less precise the feel.

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider: And Along It CameJohn Phillips: I’m Helping to Kill the Sports CarHow Alfa Hopes to Go From Zero to Sales Hero in the U.S. by 2018

Calipers
It’s all about stiffness. Caliper deflection translates into additional pedal motion. The 4C uses opposed-piston calipers, meaning that there are pistons on each side of the brake rotor, housed in a substantial, one-piece caliper. Most cars use single-piston calipers, which apply pressure to the brake pads by forcing two sliding caliper halves against the brake rotor—an inherently more flexible arrangement.

Pads
The 4C’s high-friction pads (Ferodo HP1000s, for truly geeky readers) are racing-derived.

And don’t forget: This is all straightforward brake engineering, and any car could employ it. But to fully realize the benefits of these measures requires one other key ingredient—a light car. Regardless of vehicle weight, a driver can be expected to apply a maximum 50 pounds of force to the pedal. It is then up to hydraulic and mechanical leverage to bump that figure up to sufficient stopping force. Because the 4C weighs about 2500 pounds, a thousand pounds or so lighter than the average car, it requires less braking force to produce a given amount of deceleration. The total leverage between the driver’s foot and the front brake pads is 56:1 in the 4C, 72:1 in a Chevy Corvette Stingray, and 88:1 in a Toyota Camry (not counting the booster’s contribution). When you reduce leverage and assistance, you also minimize real-world imperfections, such as pedal and caliper deflections, brake-hose expansion, and booster nonlinearity. That’s why braking feel as pure as a 4C’s is just about impossible to achieve in a heavier car.

SHARE TWEET

Research Vehicles Select a Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bugatti Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Ford GMC Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lotus Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-AMG Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Maybach Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Porsche Ram Rolls-Royce Scion Smart Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Select A Model (optional) Model ResearchOverview Pricing Photos Get a Quote Rank In Sports Cars 1. Chevrolet Corvette Price: $55,995 - $64,995 2. Porsche Cayman Price: $53,595 - $76,195 3. Porsche Cayman GT4 Price: $85,595 4. Porsche Boxster Price: $52,395 - $74,495 7. Alfa Romeo 4C Price: $55,195 - $69,695 News and Reviews2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider: And Along It Came - Official Photos and InfoFeast Your Eyes on Our 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition Mega Gallery - Car NewsComing to America: What Makes the U.S.-Spec Alfa Romeo 4C Unique? Quite a Lot - Car News2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe - Instrumented Test2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Questions Answered: 20 Responses to Your 20 Best Queries - Car NewsWe Have a 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C at Our Office Right Now: Ask Us Anything - FeatureCon Brio! Alfa Romeo's 4C Sports Car Could Get a Higher-Output Variant - Car NewsVideo: Alfa Romeo 4C Eats Hay at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - Car NewsAlfa Romeo Opening Up Shop in 33 States, 4C Sports Car Coming Soon - Car NewsU.S.-Spec 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Pricing, Availability Released! - Car News Advertisement RECENT NEWSEzra Dyer: The Coolest Cars Are the Ones that Don’t Make Any Sense—Like a V-8–Powered Volvo 2402015-05-14 15:54:49SEAT’s Hot Leon ST Cupra Is Quickest Station Wagon to Lap the ’Ring [w/ Video]2015-05-14 14:49:36Braking Rad: Delving into What Makes Good Brake Feel, with the Help of Alfa’s Spectacular 4C2015-05-14 14:41:442015 Volkswagen GTI DSG Test: There’s No Shame in this Automatic2015-05-13 22:36:29Jeremy Clarkson’s Rumored Netflix Series Could Be Called “House of Cars”2015-05-13 21:49:31Latest Ford GT Info: Serious Computing Chops, May Pack 700+ Horsepower2015-05-13 21:19:31Brownian Motion: $795,000 David Brown Automotive Speedback GT Coming to U.S.2015-05-13 21:15:20Audi for 2016: Pricing and Model-Change Info Released2015-05-13 21:08:21Toyota and Nissan Recall 6.5 Million Cars for Potential Shrapnel-Shooting Takata Airbags2015-05-13 19:07:16Car and Driver 60th Anniversary: Reader Stories, Part I2015-05-13 15:57:55View All News facebook twitter you-tube rss REVIEWS First Drives Instrumented Tests Comparison Tests Long-Term Road Tests Specialty Files From the Review Vault NEWS Spy Photos Auto Shows Blog FEATURES Hybrid Cars Electric Cars Columns Tech Department Gearbox 10Best Shopping Advice Video BUYER'S GUIDE 2015 Editors' Choice Ford F-150 Jeep Wrangler Ford Escape Honda Accord Jeep Grand Cherokee ABOUT CAR AND
DRIVER Subscribe Mobile User Sitemap Contact Us Subscriptions/
Customer Service Website Feedback FOLLOW US Backfires RSS Facebook Twitter YouTube © 2015 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved., Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights | Terms of Use

Read more »

2015 Spanish F1 Grand Prix makes its Deutsche mark

2015 Spanish F1 Grand Prix makes its Deutsche markSpain F1 GP Auto RacingMercedes driver German's Nico Rosberg, right, leads the race after the start during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, just outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)Image Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESSAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg leads after the start of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: LLUIS GENE via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP into the second corner during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPFerrari's German driver Sebastian Vettel leads as he drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPFerrari's Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen, Williams Martini Racing's Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr and Infiniti Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing drives next to Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela and Lotus during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)Image Credit: Paul Gilham via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Ferrari drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Carlos Sainz of Spain and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)Image Credit: Dan Istitene via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Williams locks up ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)Image Credit: Paul Gilham via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Daniil Kvyat of Russia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPWilliams Martini Racing's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa and Lotus F1 Team's French driver Romain Grosjean drive at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPSauber F1 Team's Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr and Sauber F1 Team's Sewdish driver Marcus Ericsson drive at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPFerrari's Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen, Infiniti Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren Honda's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, Lotus F1 Team's Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado and Lotus F1 Team's French driver Romain Grosjean drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPInfiniti Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo and Lotus F1 Team's Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPMcLaren Honda's British driver Jenson Button and Sahara Force India F1 Team's German driver Nico Hulkenberg drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives ahead of Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela and Lotus during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPLotus F1 Team's French driver Romain Grosjean (L) and Scuderia Toro Rosso's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / TOM GANDOLFINI (Photo credit should read Tom Gandolfini/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: TOM GANDOLFINI via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Carlos Sainz of Spain and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP crosses the finish line to win the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP celebrates in Parc Ferme after winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESP-PODIUMMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg celebrates on the podium after the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on May 10, 2015 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: LLUIS GENE via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESP-PODIUMMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's senior race engineer Tony Ross (2L), Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg (2R) and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's German driver Sebastian Vettel celebrate on the podium after the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on May 10, 2015 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: LLUIS GENE via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP celebrates on the podium with Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari after winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty Images2008 Grand PrixMSRP$22,210ShopReviewsMore Photos2015 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix2015 Chinese Formula One Grand Prix2015 Malaysian F1 Grand PrixRace recap: 2015 Australian F1 Grand PrixHottest Cars and Trucks in AmericaMost Popular Cars By StateJonathon Ramsey

The first race of the European Formula One season inaugurates the second phase of the Championship. Teams overhaul their cars with the big updates they've been working on since Australia, and at the end of The Battle of Spain we find out how the positions on the field have changed.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg brought a big update to his psychology, straight-up beating teammate Lewis Hamilton to take his first pole position of the season. Mercedes owns the front row and Ferrari maintains its status as primary challenger, Sebastian Vettel lining up in third. Williams proved it's been hitting the books to do better in class, though, Valtteri Bottas slotting into fourth. And Toro Rosso's visit to a track that rewards strong aero rewarded them with the best team grid position since the Italian Grand Prix in 2008: Carlos Sainz secured fifth, ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth.

Kimi Räikkönen's bout of Saturday woes – it seems the Finn is always handicapped by lots of tiny issues – continued in Barcelona with one of his sets of prime tires getting cooked by malfunctioning tire warmers. He recovered well enough to take seventh on the grid, but he's got some strong competition ahead of him. He led three other drivers in the Continuous Issues department, Daniil Kvyat unable to wrestle his Infiniti Red Bull Racing higher than eighth, Williams driver Felipe Massa getting it wrong in Turn 3 to fall five places behind his teammate Bottas, and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull enduring another engine change and sloppy car behavior to get tenth.

And while it turned out to be a steady race a little rough around the edges, the positions on the battlefield just might have changed. A little.



Of the 66 laps in the race we might have seen Rosberg for three of them – maybe. The German got a smashing start, had a clear lead into Turn 1, and after that we checked in occasionally during his two pit stops and again at the checkered flag. He owned the entire weekend the way we're used to seeing his teammate do, and the cameras left him alone to run his race. No one got within seven seconds of him during the first third, and as the pit stop strategies played out that cushion grew. He finished seventeen seconds ahead of Hamilton, and 45 seconds ahead of third-placed Vettel.

Hamilton, on the back foot all three days, stumbled out of the gate. His rear wheels spun when taking off on the formation lap, then did so again at the start, and he got swamped in the dash to Turn 1 but limited the damage to getting passed by Vettel. Unable to get around the Ferrari because his car wouldn't behave when he closed the gap, then suffering a botched wheel change during his first pit stop on Lap 14, he nevertheless switched to a three-stop strategy to get around the Ferrari toward the end of the middle stint. He then rang off a bunch of fast laps on the hard compound tire. Hamilton fought to nearly the end, until he realized there was no way he was going to catch Rosberg, then settled for second place. Not the result he wanted, but considering his start and the difficulty in overtaking in Jerez, second place wasn't a bad recovery.



There's a good chance commentators will continue to dissect Ferrari's tactics for Vettel in this race. When Hamilton switched to a three-stopper, Ferrari stuck with two stops and didn't bring Vettel in to cover Hamilton's move. When the Brit reeled off blistering laps, there was nothing the German could do to recover the time, third place his best fate after completing his second stop on Lap 41. Vettel said the Mercedes was too much for the Ferrari anyway, but in that case it seemed even stranger not to play the daring hand.

Valtteri Bottas tried to keep his Williams in the game up front and switched to a two-stop strategy, but after a mostly quiet race he then spent the last six laps fighting off Kimi Räikkönen. Both Finns have proved they won't crack when they have the right tools: Bottas using his power unit's extra boost to keep Räikkönen from getting close enough to pass on the front and back straights. It was a replay of Bahrain, in fact, when he worked the same playbook to keep Vettel behind him. Bottas and Räikkönen crossed the line less than a second apart in fourth and fifth places. Felipe Massa in the second Williams came home sixth, barely seen for the entire grand prix and the last man not to be lapped.



The final four top-ten finishers, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean in the Lotus, Carlos Sainz, and Daniil Kvyat, seemed to be constantly mixing it up until their order settled down on Lap 30. Ricciardo duked it out a couple of times with the Toro Rosso drivers, who went backward once the race began. Grosjean came together with his teammate Pastor Maldonado on Lap 9, leading to Maldonado running his race until retiring on Lap 43 with a rear wing missing a right endplate. Sainz and Kvyat, in another bout of sister-team rivalry, fought for a few laps at the end of the race and their cars touched, Sainz coming out on top and avoiding a penalty from the stewards, but it's likely that Red Bull won't want to see that kind of bumping and grinding again.



Hamilton still leads the Driver's Championship with 111 points, but Rosberg's win gets him to 91 points, just a win and a Hamilton retirement from the top of the chart. Vettel lurks in third with 80 points. Mercedes' third one-two of the season gets them to 202 points in the Constructor's Championship, ahead of Ferrari with 132 and Williams with 81. The next race is in Monaco in two weeks, a race Rosberg has won the last two years and that Hamilton hasn't won since 2008. If Rosberg can take it again this year – but fairly – we might have a European season to start cheering about. We'll see you then.Featured Gallery2015 Spanish Grand Prix

Read more »