F1 2016: Nico Rosberg Wins World Championship, Force India Finish Fourth
Sameer Contractor
1 min read
Nov 28, 2016, 02:49 AM
Key Highlights
- Nico Rosberg secures his first F1 World Champion title
- Lewis Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi GP, but lost the world title by 5 points
- Sahara Force India secured fourth place in the constructors championship
Bringing an end to a unpredictable yet fantastic season, Nico Rosberg finally secured his first Formula One title as he finished on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, even as Lewis Hamilton won the final race of the 2016 season. A race that promised a duel in the desert between the Mercedes teammates lived up to it as the closing stages saw Hamilton do all in his power to push the German into the flock of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Max Verstappen of Red Bull who were gaining aggressively.
Rosberg finished the season with a total of 385 points, winning the championship with a lead of five points with Lewis Hamilton scoring 380 points. In third place is Daniel Ricciardo who finished with 256 points. The result also means Rosberg has become F1's 33rd title winner with a total of 9 race wins and 16 podiums from a 21 race season. Nico has emulated the result of his father Keke Rosberg after a span of 34 years, making him the second driver of the same family to win an F1 title, the first being Graham Hill and Damon Hill who were both world champions. As for Hamilton, the Briton's Abu Dhabi GP win is his tenth of the season, the most any driver has picked up in a single year without winning the world title.
The race started with Hamilton on the pole and the Brit managed to maintain his lead throughout the race. Rosberg followed at second while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen slotted into the third position, as Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Vettel pushed hard. Verstappen spun at the starting of the race, making his way all the way to the back, but managed to make a fabulous recovery as he finished forth at the end of the race.
As for constructors championship, Mercedes-AMG was the undisputed winner garnering 765 points, while Red Bull finished second with 468 and Ferrari third with 398 points. The only Indian origin team, Sahara Force India finished fourth with 173 points, beating Williams Racing. This is the best ever result from Force India in its short history in Formula 1 and we expect the team to see even better results in the years to come.
It was really disheartening to see Jenson Button's final race in all probability end at such a disappointing note. The Briton faced a suspension failure after hitting a kerb too hard, thereby retiring from the race as well as Formula One at Lap 13. The McLaren driver nevertheless, received a huge standing ovation as the curtains were drawn on his illustrious 17-year career. Apart from Button, it was also Felipe Massa's last race of his F1 career and while we did see an amazing farewell at the Brazilian GP for the Williams driver, the 35-year-old managed to finish ninth in his final race, passing McLaren's Fernando Alonso who got the final points scoring position.
It was a terrible end of race for Daniil Kvyat as well with the driver pulling to the pit straight on Lap 16, bringing out the yellow flags. The Russian's race was over then and added to the disappointing season, which saw him being demoted from Red Bull to Torro Rosso. The other two retirements were Valteri Bottas and Magnussen that suffered mechanical failure.
Mercedes F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Nico And Lewis at the Abu Dhabi GP
As for constructors championship, Mercedes-AMG was the undisputed winner garnering 765 points, while Red Bull finished second with 468 and Ferrari third with 398 points. The only Indian origin team, Sahara Force India finished fourth with 173 points, beating Williams Racing. This is the best ever result from Force India in its short history in Formula 1 and we expect the team to see even better results in the years to come.
Jenson Button Abu Dhabi GP
It was a terrible end of race for Daniil Kvyat as well with the driver pulling to the pit straight on Lap 16, bringing out the yellow flags. The Russian's race was over then and added to the disappointing season, which saw him being demoted from Red Bull to Torro Rosso. The other two retirements were Valteri Bottas and Magnussen that suffered mechanical failure.
Related News
Popular Ferrari Models
Latest Cars
Upcoming Cars
Latest News
car&bike Team | Mar 6, 2026QJ Motor SRK 421 RR Unveiled In EuropeThe SRK 421 RR is powered by a high-revving, liquid-cooled, 421 cc, inline-four engine which makes 76 bhp at 14,000 rpm and 39 Nm at 13,000 rpm.1 min read
Shams Raza Naqvi | Mar 6, 2026Batman Returns: Mahindra To Reopen Bookings For BE 6 Batman EditionMahindra had first launched the Batman in August 2025 when all 999 units got sold out in no time.2 mins read
car&bike Team | Mar 6, 2026JSW’s Creta Electric Rival Spotted: Chery Jaecoo J5 Undergoes Testing In PuneThe upcoming JSW Motors SUV will be based on the Jaecoo J5 that is built by China’s Chery Automobile.1 min read
car&bike Team | Mar 6, 2026Affordable New Honda Electric Motorcycle Revealed In PatentsPatent images reveal what appears to be Honda’s future strategy for the electric motorcycle segment – another low-cost electric motorcycle.3 mins read
Jaiveer Mehra | Mar 5, 2026Fourth-Gen Honda Insight Reborn As All-Electric CrossoverHonda claims the EV will offer a cruising range of over 500 km on the WLTC cycle.3 mins read
car&bike Team | Mar 5, 2026Hyundai Exter Facelift Spied Testing Ahead Of 2026 LaunchA partially disguised test mule of the facelifted Hyundai Exter has been spotted once again ahead of its expected launch later this year.2 mins read
Bilal Firfiray | Feb 28, 2026Tata Punch EV Facelift Review: More Range, More Sense, Less MoneyThe Tata Punch EV facelift gets a bigger 40 kWh battery, faster 60 kW DC charging, improved thermal management, and better real-world range, and all of that at a lower introductory price. But does it become a more complete package now?6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Feb 24, 2026Hero Destini 110 Review: Simplicity, RefinedThe Hero Destini 110 is a no-nonsense commuter that is simple, comfortable and above all, fuel efficient. In 2026, when buyers are spoilt for choice, is it good enough to consider?6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Feb 23, 2026TVS Apache RTX Road Test Review: Redefining the Entry-Level ADVAfter spending some time with the TVS Apache RTX in traffic, the daily commute, as well as on open highways, one thing becomes clear: the RTX is trying to redefine the entry-level ADV segment. But is it without fault?1 min read
Girish Karkera | Feb 20, 2026Road Test: 2025 VinFast VF7 AWD Sky InfinityFlagship all-electric SUV from the Vietnamese car maker gets most of the basics right.1 min read
Jaiveer Mehra | Feb 18, 2026New BMW X3 30 Vs Mercedes-Benz GLC 300: Midsize Luxury SUV FaceoffWith the new X3 30, BMW has a direct competitor to the petrol GLC 300, but which is the luxury SUV for you?1 min read