2016 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton mastered a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix to take the championship battle to Abu Dhabi. Nico Rosberg finished second, while Max Verstappen produced a spectacular recovery drive to claim the final podium place.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Pole time	1:10.736
Fastest lap	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:25.305 on lap 67
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Third	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 November 2016	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
11 November 2016	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
12 November 2016	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
12 November 2016	Qualifying	14:00
13 November 2016	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Nico Rosberg arrived at round 20 leading the 2016 F1 World Championship on 349 points, with Lewis Hamilton on 330. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 679 points.

Race entries

The 11 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc, Sergey Sirotkin also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 after teams initially conserved tyres and waited for the circuit to improve. The opening runs moved from medium-compound work towards faster attempts before settling into longer stints. Max Verstappen showed encouraging pace between the Mercedes drivers, while the title rivals began assessing their options for the weekend.

Lewis Hamilton remained quickest in hot FP2 conditions as teams switched to race simulations. Fernando Alonso was instructed to stop immediately with an energy-recovery problem, leaving his McLaren parked near Turn 3. The interruption cost him valuable longer-run mileage while Williams showed promising pace behind the Mercedes pair.

Cooler weather and drizzle transformed FP3 after Friday’s heat. Wet-weather tyres initially gave way to slicks despite lingering damp patches, with Lewis Hamilton locking up and running off early. Nico Rosberg narrowly led the improving session as teams adapted their preparation to conditions that differed substantially from the previous day.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 11 November 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:11.895	32
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.096s	29
3	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.230s	26
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.476s	27
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.234s	36
6	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.394s	31
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.398s	33
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.423s	33
9	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.672s	24
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.674s	26
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.816s	22
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.195s	15
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.357s	27
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.401s	26
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.612s	25
16	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.736s	21
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.759s	23
18	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	+2.932s	30
19	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+3.013s	32
20	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+3.053s	32
21	50	Charles Leclerc	Haas	+3.496s	27
22	46	Sergey Sirotkin	Renault	+3.905s	10

Free Practice 2 Classification

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 11 November 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:12.271	41
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.030s	40
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.490s	47
4	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.518s	43
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.557s	43
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.657s	45
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.731s	45
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.776s	24
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.028s	42
10	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.169s	19
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.301s	18
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.418s	46
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.530s	47
14	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.647s	38
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.803s	35
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+1.838s	47
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.038s	40
18	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	+2.046s	46
19	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+2.165s	43
20	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+2.287s	42
21	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.424s	21
22	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+2.687s	22

Free Practice 3 Classification

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 12 November 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:11.740	19
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.093s	21
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.219s	14
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.287s	16
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.337s	19
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.547s	21
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.874s	27
8	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+1.228s	19
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.250s	26
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.262s	12
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.463s	14
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.491s	19
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+1.515s	15
14	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.553s	20
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.604s	15
16	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+1.856s	16
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.869s	13
18	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.010s	9
19	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+2.232s	20
20	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.252s	14
21	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	+2.482s	21
22	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	No time	1

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg second and Kimi Räikkönen third.

Lewis Hamilton beat Nico Rosberg to pole, with Kimi Räikkönen third. Romain Grosjean qualified seventh for Haas, although his strong Saturday would not translate into a race start in Sunday’s conditions.

Qualifying Classification

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 November 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:11.511	1:11.238	1:10.736	12
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:11.815	1:11.373	1:10.838	12
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:12.100	1:12.301	1:11.404	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:11.957	1:11.834	1:11.485	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:12.159	1:12.010	1:11.495	13
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:12.409	1:12.047	1:11.540	12
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:12.893	1:12.343	1:11.937	18
8	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:12.428	1:12.360	1:12.104	20
9	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:12.684	1:12.331	1:12.165	21
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:12.700	1:12.312	1:12.266	17
11	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:12.680	1:12.420	—	10
12	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	1:13.052	1:12.431	—	14
13	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:12.432	1:12.521	—	11
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:13.071	1:12.726	—	15
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:12.950	1:12.920	—	15
16	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:13.259	1:13.258	—	11
17	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:13.276	—	—	10
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	1:13.410	—	—	6
19	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	1:13.427	—	—	8
20	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	1:13.432	—	—	8
21	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:13.623	—	—	8
22	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:13.681	—	—	8

Esteban Ocon received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Jolyon Palmer during Q1.

What happened in the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix?

The race began behind the safety car, with standing water making visibility and grip major concerns. Grosjean had already crashed on his way to the grid, and Marcus Ericsson‘s later accident brought another safety-car period.

Kimi Räikkönen crashed on the main straight immediately after a restart, prompting a red flag. Further heavy rain caused a second stoppage, and repeated interruptions stretched the afternoon well beyond a normal Grand Prix.

Hamilton kept control whenever racing resumed. Verstappen recovered from an unsuccessful switch to intermediates by making a series of striking passes on wet tyres, climbing back through the field to third.

Hamilton won ahead of Rosberg and Verstappen, while Sergio Pérez took fourth and Sebastian Vettel fifth. Felipe Nasr‘s ninth place earned crucial points for Sauber. Felipe Massa‘s crash led to an emotional walk back past applauding teams at what was then expected to be his final home race.

Further down the points places, Nico Hülkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Nasr and Fernando Alonso completed the scoring positions. Max Verstappen set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2016 rules.

After the race, Nico Rosberg headed the drivers’ standings with 367 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 355. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 722, with Red Bull Racing on 446.

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 13 November 2016, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	3:01:01.335	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	+11.455	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	+21.481	15
4	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	71	+25.346	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+26.334	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	71	+29.160	8
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	71	+29.827	6
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	71	+30.486	4
9	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	71	+42.620	2
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	71	+44.432	1
11	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	71	+45.292	0
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	71	+45.809	0
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	71	+51.192	0
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	71	+51.555	0
15	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	71	+1:00.498	0
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	71	+1:21.994	0
Ret	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	60	Electrical	0
Ret	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	46	Accident	0
Ret	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	20	Collision damage	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	19	Accident	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	11	Accident	0
DNS	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	0	Accident	0

Daniel Ricciardo received a 5-second penalty for entering the pit lane when the entry was closed. He served this penalty during a subsequent pit stop.

Felipe Massa received a 5-second penalty for overtaking before the safety car line. The penalty made no difference as he retired.

Romain Grosjean crashed on the way from the pit lane to the starting grid.

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	67	17:05:37	1:25.305	181.846
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	42	16:24:46	1:25.532	181.363
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	44	16:26:52	1:25.639	181.137
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	70	17:10:18	1:26.062	180.246
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	70	17:10:00	1:26.195	179.968
6	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	47	16:31:28	1:26.222	179.912
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	69	17:08:57	1:26.524	179.284
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	69	17:08:36	1:26.728	178.862
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	39	16:20:38	1:26.767	178.782
10	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	38	16:19:17	1:26.983	178.338
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	41	16:22:52	1:27.093	178.113
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	70	17:10:18	1:27.104	178.090
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	38	16:18:35	1:27.153	177.990
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	42	16:24:57	1:27.476	177.333
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	70	17:10:15	1:27.547	177.189
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	47	16:32:04	1:27.796	176.686
17	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	43	16:26:24	1:27.805	176.668
18	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	69	17:09:05	1:27.919	176.439
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	12	14:31:47	1:28.847	174.596
20	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	11	14:31:10	1:31.265	169.970
21	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	11	14:31:12	1:34.334	164.441

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded. Time of Day is local.

2016 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2016 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	367
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	355
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	246
4	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	197
5	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso / Red Bull Racing	192
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	178
7	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	97
8	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	85
9	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	66
10	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	53
11	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	51
12	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	46
13	Romain Grosjean	French	Haas	29
14	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing / Toro Rosso	25
15	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	21
16	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	Renault	7
17	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	2
18	Jolyon Palmer	British	Renault	1
19	Pascal Wehrlein	German	Manor Racing	1
20	Stoffel Vandoorne	Belgian	McLaren	1
21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Mexican	Haas	0
22	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	0
23	Esteban Ocon	French	Manor Racing	0
24	Rio Haryanto	Indonesian	Manor Racing	0

2016 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	722
2	Red Bull Racing	446
3	Ferrari	375
4	Force India	163
5	Williams	136
6	McLaren	75
7	Toro Rosso	63
8	Haas	29
9	Renault	8
10	Sauber	2
11	Manor Racing	1

2016 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2016 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	20 March
2	2016 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	3 April
3	2016 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2016 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	1 May
5	2016 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	15 May
6	2016 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2016 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2016 European Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	19 June
9	2016 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	3 July
10	2016 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
11	2016 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	24 July
12	2016 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	31 July
13	2016 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
14	2016 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	4 September
15	2016 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	18 September
16	2016 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	2 October
17	2016 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
18	2016 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	23 October
19	2016 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	30 October
20	2016 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	13 November
21	2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	27 November