2016 German Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton headed into the summer break with victory in Germany and a growing championship advantage. Red Bull claimed both remaining podium places after Nico Rosberg‘s home race slipped away at the start.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Pole time	1:14.363
Fastest lap	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:18.442 on lap 48
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Third	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 12 leading the 2016 F1 World Championship on 192 points, with Nico Rosberg on 186. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 378 points.

Race entries

The 11 teams kept the same race line-ups for the German Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Nico Rosberg set a strong FP1 benchmark as teams moved from soft tyres to supersofts. Mercedes opened a substantial gap to the chasing cars, then concentrated on longer runs using worn tyres. The session therefore provided both an early qualifying reference and a first look at durability around Hockenheim.

Nico Rosberg stayed ahead in FP2, although Ferrari reduced its deficit as track temperatures rose. Teams completed qualifying simulations before committing to longer supersoft runs. Understanding how that compound held up over a stint became the main focus of the second half, when headline lap times changed little.

Nico Rosberg completed a practice clean sweep in FP3 while Romain Grosjean spun at Turn 3. Daniel Ricciardo joined the quick running later and improved as Red Bull completed its qualifying work. Mercedes did not pursue identical final programmes: Nico Rosberg stayed in, while Lewis Hamilton continued on worn tyres before the decisive session.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2016 German Grand Prix FP1, 29 July 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:15.517	32
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.326s	30
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.150s	29
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.335s	23
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.410s	29
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.572s	30
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.666s	18
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.095s	15
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.491s	25
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.527s	22
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.681s	28
12	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+2.693s	37
13	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.805s	33
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+3.072s	20
15	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+3.074s	35
16	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.111s	29
17	50	Charles Leclerc	Haas	+3.365s	32
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+3.416s	35
19	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+3.444s	22
20	45	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+3.464s	30
21	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	+3.650s	34
22	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+4.458s	33

Free Practice 2 Classification

2016 German Grand Prix FP2, 29 July 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:15.614	43
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.394s	36
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.594s	39
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.842s	40
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.876s	38
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.898s	45
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.167s	43
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.473s	16
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.534s	44
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.611s	21
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.728s	32
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.753s	38
13	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.811s	44
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.988s	13
15	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.072s	40
16	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+2.391s	42
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+2.442s	46
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.516s	28
19	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+2.579s	42
20	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+2.699s	47
21	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	+2.977s	47
22	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+3.681s	41

Free Practice 3 Classification

2016 German Grand Prix FP3, 30 July 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:15.738	16
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.057s	19
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.099s	13
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.164s	16
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.366s	20
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.444s	23
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.662s	28
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.892s	26
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.178s	11
10	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.234s	16
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.290s	20
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.328s	10
13	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+1.422s	17
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.489s	19
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+1.613s	9
16	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+1.735s	23
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.947s	19
18	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.319s	24
19	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.355s	6
20	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+2.532s	24
21	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	+2.534s	18
22	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+9.422s	4

Qualifying

Nico Rosberg headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton second and Daniel Ricciardo third.

Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton to pole, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen on the second row. Nico Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Romain Grosjean received grid penalties, changing the order behind the leading contenders.

Qualifying Classification

2016 German Grand Prix Qualifying, 30 July 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:15.485	1:14.839	1:14.363	12
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:15.243	1:14.748	1:14.470	12
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:15.591	1:15.545	1:14.726	14
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:15.875	1:15.124	1:14.834	12
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:15.752	1:15.242	1:15.142	12
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:15.927	1:15.630	1:15.315	14
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:16.301	1:15.623	1:15.510	15
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:15.952	1:15.490	1:15.530	12
9	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:16.169	1:15.500	1:15.537	17
10	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:16.503	1:15.699	1:15.615	13
11	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	1:15.987	1:15.883	—	14
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:16.172	1:15.909	—	14
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:16.317	1:15.989	—	12
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:16.338	1:16.041	—	11
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:16.328	1:16.086	—	14
16	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:16.636	1:16.665	—	14
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	1:16.716	—	—	8
18	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	1:16.717	—	—	10
19	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:16.876	—	—	6
20	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	1:16.977	—	—	9
21	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:17.123	—	—	6
22	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:17.238	—	—	6

Nico Hülkenberg received a one-place grid penalty for incorrectly using his tyre allocation during the first part of qualifying.

Carlos Sainz received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Felipe Massa during qualifying.

Romain Grosjean received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

What happened in the 2016 German Grand Prix?

Hamilton made the stronger getaway and took the lead, while Rosberg fell behind both Red Bulls. Max Verstappen moved ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, leaving Mercedes‘ pole-sitter with several cars to overcome.

Hamilton established control as the strategies played out behind him. Rosberg attacked Verstappen at the hairpin, but forced the Red Bull wide and received a five-second penalty.

Daniel Ricciardo‘s pace carried him into second, ahead of Verstappen. Rosberg lost further time while serving his penalty and could not recover a podium position, leaving Hamilton free to complete his fourth consecutive victory.

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen followed Rosberg home in fifth and sixth. Nico Hülkenberg and Jenson Button gained places as Valtteri Bottas‘ tyres faded. Hamilton’s advantage over Rosberg reached 19 points before the summer pause.

Further down the points places, Nico Hülkenberg, Jenson Button, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez completed the scoring positions. Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2016 rules.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 217 points, followed by Nico Rosberg on 198. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 415, with Red Bull Racing on 256.

2016 German Grand Prix race results

The 2016 German Grand Prix was held on 31 July 2016, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	67	1:30:44.200	25
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	67	+6.996	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	67	+13.413	15
4	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	67	+15.845	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	67	+32.570	10
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	67	+37.023	8
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	67	+1:10.049	6
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	66	+1 Lap	4
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	66	+1 Lap	2
10	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	66	+1 Lap	1
11	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	66	+1 Lap	0
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	66	+1 Lap	0
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	66	+1 Lap	0
14	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	66	+1 Lap	0
15	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	66	+1 Lap	0
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	66	+1 Lap	0
17	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	65	+2 Laps	0
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	65	+2 Laps	0
19	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	65	+2 Laps	0
20	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	65	+2 Laps	0
Ret	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	57	Power unit	0
Ret	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	36	Suspension	0

2016 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	48	15:08:44	1:18.442	209.918
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	48	15:08:55	1:18.710	209.203
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	52	15:13:54	1:18.746	209.107
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	47	15:07:27	1:18.910	208.673
5	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	51	15:12:49	1:19.122	208.114
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	36	14:52:41	1:19.572	206.937
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	51	15:14:17	1:19.585	206.903
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	46	15:07:03	1:19.606	206.848
9	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	48	15:09:37	1:19.781	206.395
10	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	56	15:20:43	1:19.883	206.131
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	54	15:18:16	1:19.957	205.940
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	46	15:06:43	1:20.056	205.686
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	50	15:12:22	1:20.132	205.490
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	58	15:23:32	1:20.250	205.188
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	36	14:53:00	1:20.442	204.699
16	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	49	15:11:57	1:20.710	204.019
17	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	55	15:20:35	1:21.127	202.970
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	35	14:52:34	1:21.212	202.758
19	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	45	15:06:54	1:21.420	202.240
20	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	31	14:46:59	1:21.476	202.101
21	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	42	15:01:42	1:21.649	201.673
22	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	56	15:22:22	1:21.845	201.190

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 German Grand Prix.

2016 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	217
2	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	198
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	133
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	122
5	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	120
6	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso / Red Bull Racing	115
7	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	58
8	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	48
9	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	38
10	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	33
11	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	30
12	Romain Grosjean	French	Haas	28
13	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	24
14	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing / Toro Rosso	23
15	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	17
16	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	Renault	6
17	Pascal Wehrlein	German	Manor Racing	1
18	Stoffel Vandoorne	Belgian	McLaren	1
19	Esteban Gutiérrez	Mexican	Haas	0
20	Jolyon Palmer	British	Renault	0
21	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	0
22	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	0
23	Rio Haryanto	Indonesian	Manor Racing	0

2016 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	415
2	Red Bull Racing	256
3	Ferrari	242
4	Williams	96
5	Force India	81
6	Toro Rosso	45
7	McLaren	42
8	Haas	28
9	Renault	6
10	Manor Racing	1
11	Sauber	0

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