2016 Formula One season

Nico Rosberg won his first World Drivers' Championship.

Lewis Hamilton, the defending World Drivers' Champion, finished second in the championship.

Mercedes successfully defended their World Constructors' title.

The 2016 Formula One season was the 67th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which is recognised by the sport's governing body, the FIA, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Teams and drivers were scheduled to take part in twenty-one Grands Prix—making for the longest season in the sport's history—starting in Australia on 20 March and finishing in Abu Dhabi on 27 November as they competed for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships.^[1]

The 2016 season saw the grid expand to twenty-two cars with the addition of the Haas F1 Team entry.^[2] Renault returned to the sport as a constructor after a four-year absence following their takeover of Lotus prior to the start of the season.^[3] The calendar has similarly expanded, with the return of the German Grand Prix. The European Grand Prix was also revived, with the event visiting a new circuit in Azerbaijan's capital city, Baku.^[1]

Nico Rosberg won his only World Drivers' Championship title in the final race of the season. With nine wins and seven podiums, Rosberg beat team-mate and defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton by five points. In doing so, Rosberg followed the success of his father in 1982 and became the second son of a champion to become champion himself, a feat previously achieved by Graham and Damon Hill. This would later prove to be Rosberg's last season, as he announced his retirement from the sport shortly after winning the title.

In the World Constructors' Championship, Mercedes successfully defended their title for the second consecutive year, beating Red Bull Racing by two hundred and ninety-seven points. Ferrari finished third overall, a further seventy points behind.^[4]

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers took part in the 2016 Formula One World Championship:

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Power unit	Tyre	No.	Race drivers	Rounds	No.	Free practice drivers
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	SF16-H	Ferrari 061[5]	P	5	Sebastian Vettel	All	N/A
					7	Kimi Räikkönen	All
Sahara Force India Formula One Team[3]	Force India-Mercedes	VJM09	Mercedes PU106C Hybrid[6]	P	11	Sergio Pérez	All	34	Alfonso Celis Jr.
					27	Nico Hülkenberg	All
Haas F1 Team	Haas-Ferrari	VF-16	Ferrari 061[5]	P	8	Romain Grosjean	All	50	Charles Leclerc
					21	Esteban Gutiérrez	All
McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team	McLaren-Honda	MP4-31	Honda RA616H[7]	P	14	Fernando Alonso	1, 3–21	N/A
					47	Stoffel Vandoorne	2
					22	Jenson Button	All
Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team	Mercedes	F1 W07 Hybrid	Mercedes PU106C Hybrid[6]	P	6	Nico Rosberg	All	N/A
					44	Lewis Hamilton	All
Manor Racing MRT	MRT-Mercedes	MRT05	Mercedes PU106C Hybrid[6]	P	88	Rio Haryanto	1–12	42	Jordan King
					31	Esteban Ocon	13–21
					94	Pascal Wehrlein	All
Red Bull Racing	Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer	RB12	TAG Heuer	P	3	Daniel Ricciardo	All	N/A
					26	Daniil Kvyat	1–4
					33	Max Verstappen	5–21
Renault Sport Formula One Team[3]	Renault	RS16	Renault RE16[8]	P	20	Kevin Magnussen	All	45 46	Esteban Ocon Sergey Sirotkin
					30	Jolyon Palmer	All
Sauber F1 Team	Sauber-Ferrari	C35	Ferrari 061[5]	P	9	Marcus Ericsson	All	N/A
					12	Felipe Nasr	All
Scuderia Toro Rosso	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	STR11	Ferrari 060[9]	P	33	Max Verstappen	1–4	N/A
					26	Daniil Kvyat	5–21
					55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	All
Williams Martini Racing	Williams-Mercedes	FW38	Mercedes PU106C Hybrid[6]	P	19	Felipe Massa	All	N/A
					77	Valtteri Bottas	All
Sources:[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Team changes

Gene Haas, founder of NASCAR team Haas CNC Racing (top), entered a new team in 2016 (VF-16 pictured bottom).

Lotus (E23 Hybrid pictured top) were purchased by Renault (RS16 pictured bottom).

• Haas F1 Team, a team formed by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Gene Haas, joined the Formula One grid, becoming the first American team to compete since the unrelated Haas Lola team competed in 1986.^{[20][N 1]} The team uses power units supplied by Ferrari and a chassis developed by Dallara.^[22][23] Dallara last participated in Formula One as the chassis manufacturer for HRT in 2010.^[24]
• Marussia applied for their team name to be changed to Manor Racing, a request granted in January 2016.^[25] The team adopted the formal name of "Manor Racing MRT" and switched from Ferrari to Mercedes power,^[26] with the team upgrading to a 2016-specification engine after having used a year-old Ferrari engine in 2015.^[27] The team underwent a management reshuffle following the resignation of team principal John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon.^[28]
• Red Bull Racing formally ended their nine-year partnership with engine supplier Renault at the end of the 2015 season,^[29] with the team citing the lack of performance from the Renault Energy-F1 2015 engine as a leading factor in the change.^[30] The team continued using Renault engines, however they were rebadged as TAG Heuer. Team principal Christian Horner named Renault's partnership with Mario Illien and his company Ilmor as a reason for staying with the manufacturer.^[31]
• Renault returned to Formula One as a full factory-supported team after they purchased Lotus from Genii Capital,^[32] the venture capital firm they had originally sold the same team to in 2010, and supplied engines to up until the end of 2014. Lotus's participation in the 2016 season was in question pending the resolution of a High Court case brought against the team by HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid PAYE tax.^[33][34]
• Sauber underwent a change in ownership in the week prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the team being purchased by Longbow Finance. Despite the acquisition and the retirement of team founder Peter Sauber, the team continues to use the Sauber identity.^[35]
• Scuderia Toro Rosso returned to using Ferrari power units, as they had done prior to the start of 2014, after Renault announced that they would no longer supply customer engines.^[9][36] The team uses the 060 power unit used by Ferrari teams in 2015^[37] after Ferrari received approval from the World Motor Sport Council to supply year-old engines on the grounds that the extensive revisions to the engine design meant that they would not be able to manufacture additional 2016 specification engines in time for the start of the season.

Driver changes

• Romain Grosjean left Lotus at the end of the 2015 season.^[38] He joined the newly formed Haas F1 Team for 2016,^[39][40] where he was joined by former Sauber driver Esteban Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez returned to competition after spending a season as Ferrari's test and reserve driver.^[41]
• Jolyon Palmer, the 2014 GP2 Series champion, made his race début in Melbourne with Renault.^[42] Palmer had previously made regular free practice appearances with the team when it was known as Lotus in 2015.^[43]
• Despite originally having signed a contract with Lotus for 2016,^[44] Pastor Maldonado announced he would not be driving for Renault after his sponsors were unable to fulfil their contractual obligations to the team.^[45] He was replaced by Kevin Magnussen, who was released by McLaren when they chose not to renew his contract after he entered a single race for the team in 2015.^[46][47]
• Manor signed two rookies for its 2016 campaign: reigning Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 Series regular Rio Haryanto, who became the first Indonesian driver to race in the championship.^[48] Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi—who drove for the team when it competed as Marussia—were not retained by the team. Both moved to the FIA World Endurance Championship with Manor Motorsport,^{[49][50][N 2]} while Alexander Rossi, who also raced for the team in 2015, was moved to a test and reserve role while he joined the IndyCar Series.^[51][52]

Mid-season changes

• Fernando Alonso was ruled out of the Bahrain Grand Prix as a precaution after medical exams following his collision with Esteban Gutiérrez in Australia revealed that he had broken ribs and a pneumothorax injury.^[53] McLaren reserve driver and reigning GP2 Series champion Stoffel Vandoorne made his Formula One début, replacing Alonso.^[54][55] Alonso returned to his seat for the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks later.
• Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen traded places ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, with Verstappen promoted to Red Bull Racing and Kvyat returning to Scuderia Toro Rosso.^[56] Red Bull explained the decision to swap their drivers as being made to relieve pressure on Kvyat following criticism for his role in a first-lap accident in the Russian Grand Prix, and to ease ongoing tension between Verstappen and team-mate Carlos Sainz, Jr. at Toro Rosso.^[57]
• 2015 GP3 Series champion and Renault test driver Esteban Ocon made his Formula One début with MRT at the Belgian Grand Prix.^[58] Ocon replaced Rio Haryanto, who lost the seat when his sponsors were unable to meet their financial obligations to the team.^[59] Haryanto stayed with the team, filling a testing and reserve role.^[60]

Season calendar

Nations which hosted a Grand Prix in 2016 are highlighted in green, with circuit locations marked with a black dot. Former host nations are shown in dark grey, and former host circuits are marked with a white dot.

The following twenty-one Grands Prix took place in 2016.^[1]

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	Australian Grand Prix	Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne	20 March
2	Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	3 April
3	Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	1 May
5	Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona	15 May
6	Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal	12 June
8	European Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku[61]	19 June
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	3 July
10	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
11	Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Budapest	24 July
12	German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim[62]	31 July
13	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
14	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	4 September
15	Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	18 September
16	Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur	2 October
17	Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka[63]	9 October
18	United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	23 October
19	Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	30 October
20	Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	13 November
21	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	27 November
Source:[1][64][65]

Calendar changes

Formula One visited Azerbaijan for the first time in 2016 for the revival of the European Grand Prix. The race was run on a street circuit in the capital, Baku.

New and returning races

• The European Grand Prix returned to the calendar after a four-year absence. The race was moved from its previous home in Valencia to a brand-new street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. It was the first Grand Prix held in Azerbaijan.^{[64][65][66][67]}
• The German Grand Prix returned to the Hockenheimring after the event was cancelled in 2015 when a venue could not be secured.^[62] The circuit had previously hosted the race in 2014 as part of their agreement with the Nürburgring to alternate between venues, with the Hockenheimring hosting the race every even-numbered year.

Date changes

• The Malaysian Grand Prix—which had been held in the early months of the year since the 2001 season—will now be held later in the year, paired up with the Japanese Grand Prix in October, reverting to the time of year it was held in 1999–2000.^[1]
• The Russian Grand Prix was brought forward from its October date to May, becoming the fourth round of the season.^[1]

Failed race bids

• The Grand Prix of America was set to be held for the first time at the Port Imperial Street Circuit in New Jersey, in accordance with a fifteen-year contract.^[68][69] The race was originally scheduled to début in 2013, but has been delayed for four consecutive years.^[69]
• Following a dispute over taxation, the Indian Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after the 2013 race. After several failed attempts at reviving the race in 2014 and 2015, the event's return was deferred until the 2016 season;^[70] however, it was once again left off the final calendar for the season.^[1]
• In 2006, Formula One Management signed a seven-year contract to run the Korean Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit beginning in 2010. However, the event was discontinued in 2014, and was omitted from the calendar for the third consecutive season in 2016.^[71]

Rule changes

General changes

• The FIA and Formula One Management will be granted greater power to change the Sporting and Technical regulations and to make decisions affecting the governance of the sport.^[72]
• From the Monaco race weekend onwards, the FIA allowed drivers to choose alternative helmet designs for one race weekend per season,^[73] a practice previously prohibited as drivers were required to wear the same design to make them more recognisable to spectators and television audiences.^[74]

Technical regulations

• Cars were required to be designed with a separate wastegate for exhaust gases to pass through in a bid to increase the noise of the cars following criticism since the introduction of the 2014 generation of engines.^[75]
• The FIA has opted to increase the number of tokens available for power unit development starting in 2016. While the initial plans would have given manufacturers fifteen tokens for the season, the number was raised to thirty-two, the same number as 2014, in order to allow struggling manufacturers such as Renault and Honda to improve their development. This decision also allows further development on parts that were initially planned to be closed off, including the upper and lower crankcase, valve drive, crankshaft, air-valve system and ancillaries drive.^[76]

Sporting regulations

• Starting in 2016, the number of pre-season tests were reduced from three to two.^[77]
• The FIA formally increased the maximum events allowed in a season from 20 to 21 to accommodate the calendar's approval.^[78]
• Tyre supplier Pirelli introduced a fifth dry tyre compound known as "ultrasoft",^[79] with the manufacturer stating that they would only be available on street circuits.^[80] Pirelli further changed their approach to tyre supply in 2016, bringing three dry compounds to races instead of two. The compounds are made public two weeks before each event.^[81][82][83] Pirelli assigns two "choice" compounds, and a third set (the softest available regardless of Pirelli's selection) are given to teams reaching Q3. Drivers select their remaining ten tyre sets for the event between the three compounds and must use two dry compounds during the race.^[78]
• The stewards were given greater powers in enforcing track limits, with drivers required to stay between the white lines marking the edges of the circuit, except in cases of driver error.^[75] The change was introduced after an investigation by Pirelli into Sebastian Vettel's high-speed blow-out at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix that concluded that Vettel's off-track excursions had been a significant factor in the incident.
• Any driver who causes the start of the race to be aborted will be required to start the race from pit lane at the restart.^[75]
• The procedure for issuing gearbox penalties was amended so that penalties are applied in the order that they are awarded, bringing the system in line with the wider grid penalty system.^[75]
• The Virtual Safety Car system is to be used in practice sessions as well to avoid the unnecessary use of red flags and session stoppages.^[82]
  • The rules governing the use of the drag reduction system, which is deactivated when under Virtual Safety Car periods and full-course yellow flags, were amended to make use of the device available as soon as a Virtual Safety Car period has ended;^[82] drivers previously had to wait two laps before the system was reactivated.^[84]
• The qualifying process was heavily revised two weeks before the season began. The three-period format first introduced in 2006 was retained, but with a progressive "knock-out" style of elimination.^[85]
  • Following widespread criticism of the format at the opening rounds,^[86][87][88] the format was abandoned after two races, and the system used between 2006 and 2015 re-introduced at the Chinese Grand Prix.^[89]
• The stewards' powers to monitor pit-to-car communications were broadened for the 2016 season, with race control able to monitor the radio feeds for each driver in real time and consult with engineering advisors to further monitor the content in a bid to crack down on driver coaching and the use of coded messages.^[90]
  • Following a series of controversial penalties at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix and extended debate over the application of the rules, the FIA relaxed the restrictions on radio-communication which were introduced at the start of the season; starting with the German Grand Prix, restrictions apply to the formation lap only.^[91]
• The process new drivers go through in order to qualify for a superlicence will be changed,^[92] with additional restrictions—including the requirement that drivers complete eighty percent of two seasons from a series outside a recognised points-paying championship^[93]—put in place as part of the wider FIA Global Pathway.^[94][95] The new points system was retroactively applied, with all results for all eligible drivers automatically qualifying for superlicence points.^[93] The changes were introduced following controversy surrounding Max Verstappen qualifying for a superlicence at the age of sixteen after a single season competing in European Formula 3.^[94]

Season report

Pre-season

Jolyon Palmer performing a practice pit stop in his Renault RS16. The black testing livery was later replaced.

For the second year in a row, Hamilton decided not to exercise his option of switching his car number to 1, as was his prerogative as reigning World Champion, and would instead race with his career number 44.^[10] A pre-season tyre test was held at Circuit Paul Ricard in France in January, conducted by Pirelli to evaluate their wet weather tyres.^[96] The first pre-season team test was held a month later at the Circuit de Catalunya.^[97] Ferrari were fastest on three of the four testing days,^{[98][99][100]} with Nico Hülkenberg topping the time sheets for Force India on the third day.^[101][102] A second test, also in Barcelona, was conducted on 1–4 March.^[97] Ferrari ended the two tests with the best time set overall on the newly introduced ultra-soft tyres, while Mercedes covered the most distance in testing, almost 5,000 km (3,100 mi).^[103][104] The second four days of testing also saw the teams examine a proposed feature for driver head protection, dubbed the "halo".^[105]

Opening rounds

The season started with the Australian Grand Prix, and featured the newly introduced elimination-style qualifying format. This format was heavily criticized by teams, drivers, fans and the press, to which the decision was taken to review the format before the next race. The race ended with a 1–2 finish for Mercedes with Nico Rosberg taking victory from Lewis Hamilton in second.^[106] Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari finished on the last remaining step of the podium. Team-mate Kimi Räikkönen retired with a turbo failure on lap 21. On lap 16, whilst attempting to overtake Esteban Gutiérrez in the new Haas F1 car at turn three, Fernando Alonso crashed at high speed into the outside barrier before barrel-rolling and land upside-down against the barrier. Gutiérrez ended up in the gravel trap with terminal rear tyre damage, and quickly went over to Alonso who managed to exit his cockpit unaided. Due to the huge amount of debris caused by the accident the race was red flagged, with the cars subsequently lining up in the pitlane. Romain Grosjean finished an impressive sixth in the other Haas and they became the first new (and "from scratch") team to score points in their inaugural race since Toyota did so in 2002.

At the next race in Bahrain, Alonso was ruled out of taking part on medical grounds and was later revealed to have suffered broken ribs and a pneumothorax as a result of the previous race's collision, and was replaced by rookie Stoffel Vandoorne. Following the widespread criticism of the new qualifying format, the teams voted to abandon it and revert to the system used in 2015. However, in the week before the race weekend, the sport's Strategy Working Group and over-ruled the teams in order to keep the elimination style for 2016. After qualifying, the system once again came under heavy fire with Hamilton pole position followed by Rosberg and then Vettel. The race saw Rosberg take his second consecutive victory of 2016 followed by Räikkönen and Hamilton, respectively.^[107] The Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel and the Renault of Jolyon Palmer retired before the race started with engine and hydraulics failures, respectively. Following a first-lap collision with Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas was penalised and given two points on his licence, a subsequent third would result in a ten-place grid penalty.

At the next Grand Prix in China, the elimination style qualifying format was permanently dropped in favour of the previous format used between 2006 and 2015, this yielded Nico Rosberg's first pole position of the year after Hamilton suffered a number of setbacks both in qualifying and during the race itself, eventually finishing in seventh place, with his team-mate taking his third consecutive victory of the 2016 season.^[108] The race finished with no retirements, a feat that has only been achieved six times.^[109] The next race in Russia featured a number of incidents on the first lap with Vettel and Kvyat getting involved again as in China, but this time Kvyat hit Vettel two times forcing Vettel to retire. Rosberg won the race with his team mate Lewis Hamilton finishing second after starting 10th and Rosberg achieved his first grand slam and extended his championship lead going into the European races.^[110]

Summer season

Max Verstappen became the youngest ever winner in Formula One when he won the Spanish Grand Prix.

Before the race in Spain, Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen swapped places with Kvyat going to Toro Rosso and Verstappen to Red Bull. The start of the race saw Hamilton and Rosberg collide after Hamilton went to the grass and hit his team mate, handing the lead to Daniel Ricciardo. The race also saw the youngest race winner as Max Verstappen won the Grand Prix, defending against Kimi Räikkönen after Red Bull committed Ricciardo to an additional pit stop.^[111]

At the next round in Monaco, Ricciardo took the first pole position of his career, and helped by the race starting behind the safety car he held the lead for 33 laps, but was unable to convert it to a win after the team made a costly error during his stop. As a result, Lewis Hamilton inherited the lead and went on to win the race, his first of the season. Ricciardo finished second ahead of Sergio Pérez.^[112] Hamilton then went on to win the Canadian Grand Prix after losing the lead to Sebastian Vettel at the start, but reclaimed the position with a one-stop strategy while Vettel and Ferrari committed to two stops. Valtteri Bottas finished third, his first podium of the season.^[113] Rosberg won the returning European Grand Prix with his second grand slam of the season and of his career, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Pérez, while Hamilton finished fifth after struggling with a software issue that limited his engine's ability to harvest energy.^[114]

Hamilton took pole position at the next round in Austria while Rosberg started sixth after a grid penalty. The two drivers followed opposing strategies to be first and second after the pit stops, with Hamilton on the preferred racing tyre gradually catching Rosberg. The two made contact as Hamilton tried to pass Rosberg on the final lap; Hamilton won the race, while Rosberg broke his front wing and finished fourth behind Verstappen and Räikkönen. A stewards' inquiry found that Rosberg had caused an avoidable collision, and handed him a ten-second penalty, though the race result was not affected.^[115] Hamilton reduced the deficit to Rosberg to a single point at the next round in Great Britain, where difficult conditions saw the drivers contend with a drying circuit and varying grip levels. Hamilton established an early lead, while Rosberg and Verstappen fought over second place. Rosberg prevailed, but suffered a critical fault with his gearbox late in the race. Mercedes instructed him to reset the gearbox and to avoid using seventh gear or else risk a catastrophic failure, which prompted an investigation by the stewards for providing him with assistance. Rosberg was ultimately penalised for the radio call, having ten seconds added to his race time, which demoted him to third behind Verstappen.^[116]

Following the Austrian Grand Prix, Sauber was the last remaining team that had not scored a single point in the 2016 Formula One World Championship

Lewis Hamilton took the championship lead from Nico Rosberg at the next round in Hungary, leading another Mercedes 1–2 finish to gain a six-point lead in the Drivers' Championship standings.^[117] The Grand Prix was marked by controversy: Rosberg secured pole position on a drying circuit in qualifying after McLaren's Fernando Alonso spun in front of him necessitating a double waved yellow flag. Although race stewards confirmed that Rosberg had slowed, he nevertheless secured pole with his lap time. The race saw Jenson Button fall afoul of new restrictions on pit-to-car communications that demanded that any car with an issue serious enough to require the intervention of the team be pitted or retired. Button reported a brake issue – which was later revealed to be a faulty sensor – and was penalised for unauthorised assistance.

In light of the controversy surrounding pit-to-car communications, the FIA repealed all regulations for the next round in Germany. Hamilton further consolidated his championship lead, beating Rosberg off the line at the start; for his part, Rosberg was caught by the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen and was unable to pass them. Rosberg's race was further complicated by a time penalty for an aggressive pass on Verstappen that forced the Red Bull driver wide. However, Hamilton remained pessimistic about his position as championship leader, as with nine races left in the season, he was anticipating grid penalties for exceeding his engine allocation.^[118]

With Mercedes opting to take a series of grid penalties to build up a stockpile of components, Hamilton was forced to start the next race in Belgium from the back of the grid. He took advantage of first-lap contact between Vettel, Räikkönen and Verstappen to work his way through the field before a heavy accident involving Kevin Magnussen at Eau Rouge forced the race to be temporarily stopped. When the race resumed, Nico Rosberg led the race until the chequered flag, while Hamilton ultimately finished third after being unable to catch Daniel Ricciardo.^[119] Further down the order, Verstappen was subject to increasing criticism over his driving standards after being caught in several incidents with Räikkönen and Sergio Pérez, while Esteban Ocon finished sixteenth on début for MRT.

Rosberg reduced Hamilton's championship lead to two points at the next round in Italy, taking advantage of a slow start by Hamilton to establish an early lead that went unchallenged through the race. Hamilton dropped as low as fifth at the start, recovering to fourth in the opening laps and using strategy to get ahead of the Ferraris of Vettel and Räikkönen.^[120] Vettel went on to finish third—his first podium finish in five races—with Räikkönen fourth as the team introduced upgrades to the 061 power unit in the hopes of recovering second place in the World Constructors' Championship from Red Bull.

Return to Asia

Lewis Hamilton's engine failure in Malaysia was a key moment in the Drivers' Championship fight.

Rosberg reclaimed the championship lead in Singapore, qualifying on pole while Hamilton was forced to settle for third after struggling with mechanical issues and driving errors. A late pit stop during the race by Mercedes saw Hamilton pass Kimi Räikkönen for third, which in turn forced Red Bull to pit Daniel Ricciardo from second lest he come under threat from Hamilton. This allowed Ricciardo to take on a fresh set of supersoft tyres and mount his own challenge for the lead; however, Rosberg was forced to stay out on the circuit as Ricciardo's pace meant that Rosberg would concede the lead if he pitted. As a result, the race entered its final phase with Ricciardo closing down Rosberg's twenty-five second lead at a rate of over two seconds per lap and the team projecting that he would catch Rosberg in the final laps. Mercedes countered the threat posed by Ricciardo by turning up the power of Rosberg's engine, risking increased wear and damage but allowing Rosberg to hold Ricciardo off long enough to win the race. With Hamilton finishing third, Rosberg turned a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead.^[121]

Mercedes's streak of ten consecutive wins came to an end in Malaysia. Hamilton established an early lead, but retired sixteen laps from the end of the race when his engine exploded, leaving Daniel Ricciardo in control of the race. Nico Rosberg was turned around by Sebastian Vettel in a first corner accident that eliminated Vettel and forced Rosberg to work his way up through the field. Ricciardo raced Max Verstappen for the lead when Hamilton's retirement triggered a Virtual Safety Car, prompting Red Bull to pit both drivers at the same time. On fresher tyres, Ricciardo was able to withstand pressure from Verstappen to win his first race since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg finished third despite having ten seconds added to his race time for contact with Kimi Räikkönen, extending his championship lead to twenty-three points.^[122]

Rosberg further extended his championship lead to thirty-three points in Japan, starting the race from pole and winning it. Meanwhile, Hamilton suffered a poor start, slipping from second on the grid to eighth by the end of the first lap. He was forced to run a race of recovery, using pit strategy to reclaim third place going into the final phase of the race, but was unable to pass Max Verstappen, and so he finished third. The result secured Mercedes's third consecutive World Constructors' Championship title.^[123]

Championship conclusion

With the championship leaving Asia for the Americas, Hamilton gradually started to erode Rosberg's championship lead. Mercedes scored a 1–2 finish in the United States, with Rosberg taking advantage of a Virtual Safety Car triggered by Max Verstappen to take second place from Daniel Ricciardo.^[124] Hamilton led another Mercedes 1–2 in Mexico, with the race overshadowed by a late incident that saw Verstappen run wide and cut part of the circuit, triggering an angry response from Sebastian Vettel. Vettel inherited third place when Verstappen was penalised, only to be penalised himself for dangerous driving when defending against Ricciardo. The final amended results saw Ricciardo finish third, ahead of Verstappen and Vettel.^[125] Treacherous weather conditions saw the Brazilian Grand Prix subject to several race stoppages—most notably after Kimi Räikkönen crashed on the main straight—but when racing resumed, Mercedes took another 1–2 finish. Hamilton won the race ahead of Rosberg for the third time in as many races, with Max Verstappen completing the podium.^[126]

Going into the final round at Abu Dhabi, Rosberg led Hamilton by twelve points. Hamilton secured pole ahead and led from the start. In the closing laps of the race, he slowed down in attempt to allow other drivers to catch and pass Rosberg, despite repeated instructions from Mercedes not to risk losing the race to Sebastian Vettel, who used pit strategy to bring himself into contention and was quickly catching up. Hamilton went on to win the race, while Rosberg secured his maiden Drivers' Championship title with second place.^[127]

Results and standings

Daniel Ricciardo took the first pole position of his career in Monaco.

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	Australian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Daniel Ricciardo	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
2	Bahrain Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Nico Rosberg	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
3	Chinese Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
4	Russian Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Nico Rosberg	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
5	Spanish Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Daniil Kvyat	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer	Report
6	Monaco Grand Prix	Daniel Ricciardo	Lewis Hamilton	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
7	Canadian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Nico Rosberg	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
8	European Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Nico Rosberg	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Lewis Hamilton	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
10	British Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Nico Rosberg	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
11	Hungarian Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Kimi Räikkönen	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
12	German Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Daniel Ricciardo	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
13	Belgian Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Lewis Hamilton	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
14	Italian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Fernando Alonso	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
15	Singapore Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Daniel Ricciardo	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
16	Malaysian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Nico Rosberg	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer	Report
17	Japanese Grand Prix	Nico Rosberg	Sebastian Vettel	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Report
18	United States Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Sebastian Vettel	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
19	Mexican Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Daniel Ricciardo	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
20	Brazilian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Max Verstappen	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report
21	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Sebastian Vettel	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Report

World Drivers' Championship standings

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers in every race, using the following structure:

In the event of a tie, a count-back system is used as a tie-breaker, with a driver's best result used to decide the standings.^{[N 3]}

Pos. Driver AUS BHR CHN RUS ESP MON CAN EUR AUT GBR HUN GER BEL ITA SIN MAL JPN USA MEX BRA ABU Points 1 Nico Rosberg 1 1 1 1 Ret 7 5 1 4 3 2 4 1 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 2 385 2 Lewis Hamilton 2 3 7 2 Ret 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 3 2 3 Ret 3 1 1 1 1 380 3 Daniel Ricciardo 4 4 4 11 4 2 7 7 5 4 3 2 2 5 2 1 6 3 3 8 5 256 4 Sebastian Vettel 3 DNS 2 Ret 3 4 2 2 Ret 9 4 5 6 3 5 Ret 4 4 5 5 3 212 5 Max Verstappen 10 6 8 Ret 1 Ret 4 8 2 2 5 3 11 7 6 2 2 Ret 4 3 4 204 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ret 2 5 3 2 Ret 6 4 3 5 6 6 9 4 4 4 5 Ret 6 Ret 6 186 7 Sergio Pérez 13 16 11 9 7 3 10 3 17† 6 11 10 5 8 8 6 7 8 10 4 8 101 8 Valtteri Bottas 8 9 10 4 5 12 3 6 9 14 9 9 8 6 Ret 5 10 16 8 11 Ret 85 9 Nico Hülkenberg 7 15 15 Ret Ret 6 8 9 19† 7 10 7 4 10 Ret 8 8 Ret 7 7 7 72 10 Fernando Alonso Ret 12 6 Ret 5 11 Ret 18† 13 7 12 7 14 7 7 16 5 13 10 10 54 11 Felipe Massa 5 8 6 5 8 10 Ret 10 20† 11 18 Ret 10 9 12 13 9 7 9 Ret 9 53 12 Carlos Sainz Jr. 9 Ret 9 12 6 8 9 Ret 8 8 8 14 Ret 15 14 11 17 6 16 6 Ret 46 13 Romain Grosjean 6 5 19 8 Ret 13 14 13 7 Ret 14 13 13 11 DNS Ret 11 10 20 DNS 11 29 14 Daniil Kvyat DNS 7 3 15 10 Ret 12 Ret Ret 10 16 15 14 Ret 9 14 13 11 18 13 Ret 25 15 Jenson Button 14 Ret 13 10 9 9 Ret 11 6 12 Ret 8 Ret 12 Ret 9 18 9 12 16 Ret 21 16 Kevin Magnussen 12 11 17 7 15 Ret 16 14 14 17† 15 16 Ret 17 10 Ret 14 12 17 14 Ret 7 17 Felipe Nasr 15 14 20 16 14 Ret 18 12 13 15 17 Ret 17 Ret 13 Ret 19 15 15 9 16 2 18 Jolyon Palmer 11 DNS 22 13 13 Ret Ret 15 12 Ret 12 19 15 Ret 15 10 12 13 14 Ret 17 1 19 Pascal Wehrlein 16 13 18 18 16 14 17 Ret 10 Ret 19 17 Ret Ret 16 15 22 17 Ret 15 14 1 20 Stoffel Vandoorne 10 1 21 Esteban Gutiérrez Ret Ret 14 17 11 11 13 16 11 16 13 11 12 13 11 Ret 20 Ret 19 Ret 12 0 22 Marcus Ericsson Ret 12 16 14 12 Ret 15 17 15 Ret 20 18 Ret 16 17 12 15 14 11 Ret 15 0 23 Esteban Ocon 16 18 18 16 21 18 21 12 13 0 24 Rio Haryanto Ret 17 21 Ret 17 15 19 18 16 Ret 21 20 0 Pos. Driver AUS BHR CHN RUS ESP MON CAN EUR AUT GBR HUN GER BEL ITA SIN MAL JPN USA MEX BRA ABU Points Source:[129]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap

Notes:

• † – Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.

World Constructors' Championship standings

Pos. Constructor No. AUS BHR CHN RUS ESP MON CAN EUR AUT GBR HUN GER BEL ITA SIN MAL JPN USA MEX BRA ABU Points 1 Mercedes 6 1 1 1 1 Ret 7 5 1 4 3 2 4 1 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 2 765 44 2 3 7 2 Ret 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 3 2 3 Ret 3 1 1 1 1 2 Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 3 4 4 4 11 4 2 7 7 5 4 3 2 2 5 2 1 6 3 3 8 5 468 26 DNS 7 3 15 33 1 Ret 4 8 2 2 5 3 11 7 6 2 2 Ret 4 3 4 3 Ferrari 5 3 DNS 2 Ret 3 4 2 2 Ret 9 4 5 6 3 5 Ret 4 4 5 5 3 398 7 Ret 2 5 3 2 Ret 6 4 3 5 6 6 9 4 4 4 5 Ret 6 Ret 6 4 Force India-Mercedes 11 13 16 11 9 7 3 10 3 17† 6 11 10 5 8 8 6 7 8 10 4 8 173 27 7 15 15 Ret Ret 6 8 9 19† 7 10 7 4 10 Ret 8 8 Ret 7 7 7 5 Williams-Mercedes 19 5 8 6 5 8 10 Ret 10 20† 11 18 Ret 10 9 12 13 9 7 9 Ret 9 138 77 8 9 10 4 5 12 3 6 9 14 9 9 8 6 Ret 5 10 16 8 11 Ret 6 McLaren-Honda 14 Ret 12 6 Ret 5 11 Ret 18† 13 7 12 7 14 7 7 16 5 13 10 10 76 22 14 Ret 13 10 9 9 Ret 11 6 12 Ret 8 Ret 12 Ret 9 18 9 12 16 Ret 47 10 7 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 26 10 Ret 12 Ret Ret 10 16 15 14 Ret 9 14 13 11 18 13 Ret 63 33 10 6 8 Ret 55 9 Ret 9 12 6 8 9 Ret 8 8 8 14 Ret 15 14 11 17 6 16 6 Ret 8 Haas-Ferrari 8 6 5 19 8 Ret 13 14 13 7 Ret 14 13 13 11 DNS Ret 11 10 20 DNS 11 29 21 Ret Ret 14 17 11 11 13 16 11 16 13 11 12 13 11 Ret 20 Ret 19 Ret 12 9 Renault 20 12 11 17 7 15 Ret 16 14 14 17† 15 16 Ret 17 10 Ret 14 12 17 14 Ret 8 30 11 DNS 22 13 13 Ret Ret 15 12 Ret 12 19 15 Ret 15 10 12 13 14 Ret 17 10  Sauber-Ferrari 9 Ret 12 16 14 12 Ret 15 17 15 Ret 20 18 Ret 16 17 12 15 14 11 Ret 15 2 12 15 14 20 16 14 Ret 18 12 13 15 17 Ret 17 Ret 13 Ret 19 15 15 9 16 11 MRT-Mercedes 31 16 18 18 16 21 18 21 12 13 1 88 Ret 17 21 Ret 17 15 19 18 16 Ret 21 20 94 16 13 18 18 16 14 17 Ret 10 Ret 19 17 Ret Ret 16 15 22 17 Ret 15 14 Pos. Constructor No. AUS BHR CHN RUS ESP MON CAN EUR AUT GBR HUN GER BEL ITA SIN MAL JPN USA MEX BRA ABU Points Source:[130]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap

Notes:

• † – Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Footnotes

References

External links

• Official website
• Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile