2016 F1 Season
21 races · Mercedes W07
The 2016 season brought the Mercedes team-mate rivalry to boiling point, in the most intense in-house duel since the days of Senna and Prost. Nico Rosberg planned everything meticulously to beat Lewis Hamilton once and for all.
Rosberg opened by winning the first four races and withstood Hamilton's fightback, as the Briton dominated much of the summer but suffered a crucial engine failure in Malaysia while leading. The tension even boiled over on track, with a famous collision between the pair in Spain that took both out.
At the Abu Dhabi finale, Rosberg only needed to finish third; Hamilton tried to back him into the pack by slowing the pace, but the German held on and was crowned champion. Five days later he announced his retirement, becoming the very rare champion who walks away at the top.
Drivers’ Champion
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes W07
Constructors’ Champion
Mercedes
21 races
Ver en españolKey moment
«Rosberg wins the title in Abu Dhabi and retires 5 days later, the only driver to do so.»
The 2016 grid, car by car
The 11 teams that raced in 2016, ordered by how good we rate the car. It is our own judgement, not an official figure: what it is worth is that the same yardstick is applied to every season since 1988, so you can compare eras.
| # | Team | Our rating | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 99 | Lewis Hamilton · Nico Rosberg |
| 2 | Red Bull | 92 | Max Verstappen · Daniel Ricciardo |
| 3 | Ferrari | 91 | Sebastian Vettel · Kimi Räikkönen |
| 4 | Williams | 83 | Valtteri Bottas · Felipe Massa |
| 5 | Force India | 82 | Sergio Perez · Nico Hulkenberg |
| 6 | McLaren | 78 | Fernando Alonso · Jenson Button |
| 7 | Haas | 76 | Romain Grosjean · Esteban Gutierrez |
| 8 | Toro Rosso | 75 | Carlos Sainz · Daniil Kvyat |
| 9 | Renault | 70 | Kevin Magnussen · Jolyon Palmer |
| 10 | Sauber | 67 | Felipe Nasr · Marcus Ericsson |
| 11 | Manor | 63 | Pascal Wehrlein · Rio Haryanto |
How 2016 actually ended
The official final standings, from the Australian Grand Prix to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is the real result; the simulation is further down.
| Driver | Points | Wins | Podiums | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Nico RosbergMercedes | 385 | 9 | 16 | 8 |
| 2Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 380 | 10 | 17 | 12 |
| 3Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | 256 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 4Sebastian VettelFerrari | 212 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 5Max VerstappenRed Bull | 204 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 6Kimi RäikkönenFerrari | 186 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7Sergio PérezForce India | 101 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8Valtteri BottasWilliams | 85 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
It came down to 5 points: Rosberg and Hamilton finished closer than a fourth place is worth. 4 different drivers won that year, and the final Grand Prix went to Lewis Hamilton.
Official FIA standings via Jolpica (formerly Ergast).
2016, race by race
All 21 races: who started first, who won and from where, and how many cars reached the flag.
4different drivers won: Hamilton 10 · Rosberg 9 · Verstappen 1 · Ricciardo 1.
2different teams won: Mercedes 19 · Red Bull 2.
3different drivers took pole: Hamilton 12 · Rosberg 8 · Ricciardo 1.
9different drivers stood on the podium.
9one-twos for a single team: Mercedes 8 · Red Bull 1.
13 of 21races were won from pole position.
1first-ever win: Max Verstappen (Spanish Grand Prix).
From 4ththe win from furthest back: Max Verstappen, Spanish Grand Prix.
18 years, 228 daysthe youngest winner of the year: Max Verstappen, Spanish Grand Prix.
83%of starts reached the flag (378 of 457).
15 of 22cars finished the Monaco Grand Prix, the race with fewest survivors.
3hat tricks (pole, win and fastest lap). Most fastest laps: Rosberg 6 · Ricciardo 4 · Hamilton 3.
| # | Grand Prix | Winner | Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 2nd |
| 2 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 2nd |
| 3 | Chinese Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 1st |
| 4 | Russian Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 1st |
| 5 | Spanish Grand Prix | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 4th |
| 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 3rd |
| 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 8 | European Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 1st |
| 9 | Austrian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 10 | British Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 11 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 2nd |
| 12 | German Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 2nd |
| 13 | Belgian Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 1st |
| 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 2nd |
| 15 | Singapore Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 1st |
| 16 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | 4th |
| 17 | Japanese Grand Prix | Nico RosbergMercedes | 1st |
| 18 | United States Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 19 | Mexican Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 20 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 21 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
Pole goes to whoever started first, after penalties. «Finished» counts classified cars that took the flag. Fastest lap is the race fastest lap.
What if 2016 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 2016 grid (every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating) and re-ran the full 21-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis HamiltonMercedes | P1.1 | 92% |
| Nico Rosbergreal championMercedes | P1.9 | 8% |
| Max VerstappenRed Bull | P3.1 | 0% |
| Sebastian VettelFerrari | P4.3 | 0% |
| Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | P5.3 | 0% |
| Kimi RäikkönenFerrari | P5.4 | 0% |
The engine disagrees with history: its favourite was Lewis Hamilton (92%), and Nico Rosberg only wins 8% of the time. That title was won with something a table cannot hold.
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2016 championship-winning car?
Build your own hypothesisHypotheses from 2016
Drivers of 2016
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What we have measured about 2016 and about what decided it, with our own numbers.
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