2016 Formula 1 Season
21 races · Champion: Nico Rosberg
Driver Standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 385 | 9 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 380 | 10 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 256 | 1 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 212 | 0 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 204 | 1 |
| 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 186 | 0 |
| 7 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 101 | 0 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 85 | 0 |
| 9 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | 72 | 0 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 54 | 0 |
| 11 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 53 | 0 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 46 | 0 |
| 13 | Romain Grosjean | Haas F1 Team | 29 | 0 |
| 14 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 25 | 0 |
| 15 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 21 | 0 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 7 | 0 |
| 17 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor Marussia | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Esteban Gutiérrez | Haas F1 Team | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Esteban Ocon | Manor Marussia | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Rio Haryanto | Manor Marussia | 0 | 0 |
Constructor Standings
| Pos | Constructor | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 765 | 19 |
| 2 | Red Bull | 468 | 2 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 398 | 0 |
| 4 | Force India | 173 | 0 |
| 5 | Williams | 138 | 0 |
| 6 | McLaren | 76 | 0 |
| 7 | Toro Rosso | 63 | 0 |
| 8 | Haas F1 Team | 29 | 0 |
| 9 | Renault | 8 | 0 |
| 10 | Sauber | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | Manor Marussia | 1 | 0 |
Races
The 2016 Season
The 2016 season produced the most personal and dramatic conclusion to the Mercedes-versus-Mercedes saga, as Nico Rosberg finally toppled his team-mate Lewis Hamilton to claim his one and only world championship. Rosberg, carrying momentum from the end of the previous year, won the first four races of the season to establish a substantial early lead. Hamilton's fightback was hampered by a string of reliability problems, most damagingly an engine failure while leading in Malaysia, which proved enormously costly in the final reckoning.
The rivalry between the two reached its most explosive point in Spain, where Hamilton and Rosberg collided on the opening lap while battling for the lead, taking each other out of the race and handing a debut victory to Red Bull's young new signing Max Verstappen. The crash deepened the animosity within the team and forced Mercedes management to impose strict rules of engagement. Throughout the year the two pushed each other to the limit, with the championship lead swinging as Hamilton recovered ground through the middle of the season.
Despite Hamilton winning more races across the year, Rosberg's consistency and his rival's mechanical misfortune kept him ahead. The title was decided at the Abu Dhabi finale, where Hamilton, needing Rosberg to finish off the podium, deliberately backed his team-mate into the chasing pack in an attempt to disrupt his race. Rosberg held his nerve under intense pressure to finish second behind Hamilton, securing the championship by five points and achieving the goal he had pursued his entire career.
In one of the most stunning decisions in sporting history, Rosberg announced his retirement from Formula One just five days after winning the title, walking away at the very peak of his career having finally beaten Hamilton. His departure brought an abrupt end to one of the sport's defining rivalries and triggered a scramble at Mercedes to find a replacement. The season also marked Verstappen's emergence as a generational talent and confirmed the relentless dominance of Mercedes, which secured yet another Constructors' Championship with ease.