2016 Mexican Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton won in Mexico to keep the title contest alive, but the final podium order took longer to settle. Penalties for Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel eventually handed third place to Daniel Ricciardo behind the Mercedes pair.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Pole time	1:18.704
Fastest lap	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:21.134 on lap 53
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Third	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

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

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 19 leading the 2016 F1 World Championship on 331 points, with Lewis Hamilton on 305. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 636 points.

Race entries

The 11 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Mexican Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 on medium tyres as the dusty surface gradually improved. Felipe Nasr’s front wing broke apart after he crossed the kerbs, scattering debris and forcing a red flag. Different tyre choices and rapid track evolution complicated comparisons, with Force India and Ferrari also appearing strongly as grip increased.

Sebastian Vettel narrowly edged Lewis Hamilton in FP2, but the slippery surface continued to produce mistakes. Sergio Perez spun at Turn 5, while Marcus Ericsson and Fernando Alonso also ran wide. A busy final phase saw all the drivers sharing the track for longer runs, making traffic another factor in tyre evaluation.

Max Verstappen found clear space to lead FP3 while traffic spoiled several rivals’ supersoft attempts, including those of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Rosberg. Teams had initially waited for the green circuit to improve. The crowded final qualifying simulations therefore left some uncertainty over the true pace of the leading cars.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2016 Mexican Grand Prix FP1, 28 October 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:20.914	34
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.079s	23
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.158s	19
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+0.286s	23
5	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.495s	23
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.533s	34
7	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.759s	32
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.813s	27
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.922s	31
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.301s	29
11	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.586s	21
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.649s	32
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.809s	17
14	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.963s	10
15	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+1.996s	23
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.175s	25
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.175s	12
18	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.428s	24
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+2.642s	32
20	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	+3.169s	30
21	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+3.183s	35
22	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+3.436s	28

Free Practice 2 Classification

2016 Mexican Grand Prix FP2, 28 October 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:19.790	47
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.004s	37
3	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.435s	46
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.469s	37
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.658s	43
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.784s	43
7	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.829s	42
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.839s	41
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.184s	46
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.213s	25
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.403s	39
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.408s	39
13	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.536s	45
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+1.652s	39
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.789s	41
16	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+1.995s	44
17	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+2.190s	42
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.207s	42
19	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.247s	43
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.315s	14
21	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	+2.508s	44
22	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+2.618s	33

Free Practice 3 Classification

2016 Mexican Grand Prix FP3, 29 October 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:19.137	16
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.094s	23
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.233s	17
4	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.481s	27
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.674s	19
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.800s	16
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.857s	16
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.860s	22
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.118s	21
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.188s	22
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.335s	20
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.449s	20
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.463s	18
14	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+1.822s	18
15	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.015s	19
16	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.108s	21
17	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+2.201s	16
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+2.208s	17
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.464s	15
20	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+2.621s	23
21	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	+2.784s	22
22	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+3.217s	18

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg second and Max Verstappen third.

Lewis Hamilton took pole ahead of Nico Rosberg, with Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo behind them. Jolyon Palmer failed to set a time and required permission to race, while Romain Grosjean started from the pit lane after changes under parc fermé.

Qualifying Classification

2016 Mexican Grand Prix Qualifying, 29 October 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:19.447	1:19.137	1:18.704	18
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:19.996	1:19.761	1:18.958	22
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:19.874	1:18.972	1:19.054	14
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:19.713	1:19.553	1:19.133	15
5	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:20.599	1:19.769	1:19.330	22
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:19.554	1:19.936	1:19.376	21
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:19.865	1:19.385	1:19.381	17
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:20.338	1:19.958	1:19.551	20
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:20.423	1:20.151	1:20.032	19
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:20.457	1:20.169	1:20.378	24
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:20.552	1:20.282	—	12
12	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:20.308	1:20.287	—	14
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:21.333	1:20.673	—	17
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	1:21.254	1:21.131	—	18
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:21.062	1:21.536	—	15
16	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	1:21.363	1:21.785	—	17
17	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	1:21.401	—	—	9
18	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:21.454	—	—	4
19	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:21.692	—	—	9
20	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	1:21.881	—	—	10
21	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:21.916	—	—	10
—	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	No time	—	—	—

Jolyon Palmer did not set a lap time in qualifying. His participation in the race was permitted at the discretion of the stewards.

What happened in the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix?

Hamilton retained the lead through a difficult opening sequence and established control ahead of Rosberg. The Mercedes drivers ultimately secured the first two positions, leaving the fiercest late battle to the cars behind them.

Verstappen came under pressure from Vettel in the fight for third. An excursion beyond the track limits allowed the Red Bull to retain an advantage, leading to a five-second penalty that initially promoted Vettel onto the podium.

Vettel also had to defend against Ricciardo. The stewards judged that the Ferrari driver had moved under braking and imposed a ten-second penalty, changing the order again after the on-track celebrations.

Ricciardo was classified third, Verstappen fourth and Vettel fifth, followed by Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton’s second consecutive victory reduced Rosberg’s championship lead to 19 points, with Brazil and Abu Dhabi still to come.

Further down the points places, Nico Hülkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa 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, Nico Rosberg headed the drivers’ standings with 349 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 330. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 679, with Red Bull Racing on 427.

2016 Mexican Grand Prix race results

The 2016 Mexican Grand Prix was held on 30 October 2016, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	1:40:31.402	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	+8.354	18
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	71	+20.858	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	+21.323	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+27.313	10
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+49.376	8
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	71	+58.891	6
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	71	+1:05.612	4
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	71	+1:16.206	2
10	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	71	+1:16.798	1
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	0
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	70	+1 Lap	0
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	70	+1 Lap	0
14	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	70	+1 Lap	0
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	0
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	70	+1 Lap	0
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	70	+1 Lap	0
18	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	70	+1 Lap	0
19	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	70	+1 Lap	0
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	70	+1 Lap	0
21	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	69	+2 Laps	0
Ret	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	0	Collision	0

Max Verstappen was handed a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage while attempting to overtake Sebastian Vettel.

Sebastian Vettel received a ten-second penalty for moving under braking while defending against Daniel Ricciardo and two licence points penalty after the race.

Carlos Sainz was penalty five-second for pushing Fernando Alonso at the start, dropping him from 15th to 16th place.

Daniil Kvyat was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping from 17th to 18th place.

Romain Grosjean required to start from the pit lane due to car being modified whilst under Parc Ferme conditions.

2016 Mexican Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	53	14:19:15	1:21.134	190.972
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	61	14:30:04	1:22.497	187.817
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	47	14:11:01	1:22.512	187.783
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	66	14:36:43	1:22.596	187.592
5	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	43	14:04:55	1:22.792	187.148
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	66	14:36:57	1:22.887	186.934
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	53	14:21:02	1:23.146	186.351
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	53	14:21:12	1:23.278	186.056
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	50	14:15:07	1:23.288	186.034
10	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	63	14:35:02	1:23.456	185.659
11	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	65	14:36:20	1:23.540	185.472
12	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	64	14:35:08	1:23.576	185.392
13	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	62	14:32:22	1:23.607	185.324
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	59	14:29:10	1:23.618	185.299
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	58	14:27:39	1:23.657	185.213
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	69	14:43:04	1:23.668	185.189
17	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	70	14:44:21	1:23.777	184.948
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	65	14:37:10	1:24.340	183.713
19	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	52	14:19:02	1:24.467	183.437
20	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	64	14:36:00	1:24.574	183.205
21	31	Esteban Ocon	Manor Racing	43	14:06:52	1:24.964	182.364

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 Mexican Grand Prix.

2016 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	349
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	330
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	242
4	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	187
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	178
6	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso / Red Bull Racing	177
7	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	85
8	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	85
9	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	60
10	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	52
11	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	51
12	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	38
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	Jolyon Palmer	British	Renault	1
18	Pascal Wehrlein	German	Manor Racing	1
19	Stoffel Vandoorne	Belgian	McLaren	1
20	Esteban Gutiérrez	Mexican	Haas	0
21	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	0
22	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	0
23	Rio Haryanto	Indonesian	Manor Racing	0
24	Esteban Ocon	French	Manor Racing	0

2016 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	679
2	Red Bull Racing	427
3	Ferrari	365
4	Force India	145
5	Williams	136
6	McLaren	74
7	Toro Rosso	55
8	Haas	29
9	Renault	8
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