Sporting Moments of 2016

Unpredictability has perhaps been 2016 most consistent element and it has not been any different in the world of sports and athletics. Underdogs Leicester City won the English Premier League Football Championship in an astounding season. Serena Williams clinched 22 career Grand Slam singles to tie up for second on the all-time list with Steffi Graf. Nico Rosberg shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement from Formula One racing after his maiden Championship Triumph.

Serena Williams celebrates winning her women’s singles final match against Germany Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. Her total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles marks the joint record for the most Major wins by a tennis player in the Open Era. Portugal won the Euro 2016 Championship, their first major trophy.

Leicester City Premier League title dream became reality earlier this year as they completed one of the greatest ever sporting achievements. The Foxes Premier League campaign has captivated fans in the provincial English city as well as sports fans worldwide. Serbia Novak Djokovic won his first ever French Open title in 2016 after defeating Britain Andy Murray. Usain Bolt won Gold Medals in 100m, 200m and relay in his third consecutive Olympic appearance.

British Formula One driver Nico Rosberg who represented Mercedes stunned the sporting world when he announced his retirement on 2^nd December just five days after the 31 year old became the sport’s world Champion for the first time in his entire career.

Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Mercedes Nico Rosberg is the 2016 World Champion, emulating his father Nico’s achievement after a tense 2016 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he finished a pig in the middle second as winning team mate Lewis Hamilton attempted to back him up as much as possible into the clutches of Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Red Bulls Max Verstappen in an enforced but finely judged master class of race craft.

Less than two seconds covered the top four at the chequered flag as Hamilton ignored instructions from the Mercedes pit wall to up his pace in the closing laps. Daniel Ricciardo followed his Red Bull team mate home, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen taking sixth ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. Williams’ Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso completed the top ten.

The start saw the two Mercedes lead off the line, with Hamilton heading Rosberg, as Raikkonen passed Ricciardo for third. Things got worse for Red Bull as Verstappen, in sixth, ran out of room exiting Turn 1 and spun after making light contact with Hulkenberg. Hamilton and Rosberg moved clear until their first pit stops, respectively on the seventh and eighth laps, after which Hamilton led again but with Verstappen having risen to second ahead of Rosberg.

Hulkenberg took a fine seventh for Force India, and with team mate Sergio Perez eighth Force India easily secured their fourth position in the constructors’ stakes. But Perez only just got home ahead of the fighting Williams of Felipe Massa, who signed off on his F1 career by maintaining his record of scoring points in each Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he has competed, and Fernando Alonso, who took the final point for McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton wins Brazil Grand Prix

After two red flag stoppages and several safety car periods, it was Lewis Hamilton who rode out the Sao Paulo storm to win Formula 1 Grande Premio de Brazil 2016 from Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, thus taking their championship battle down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. The other star was Red Bull Max Verstappen, whose stunning late race charge hauled him onto the Interlagos podium in the dying laps.

Hamilton’s first victory in the home of hero Ayrton Senna came after he led all the way at a sodden Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in a race which was punctuated by big crashes for the likes of Sauber Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Williams’ Felipe Massa - and which witnessed some amazing racing in its closing stages, when conditions finally became truly drivable.

Force India’s Sergio Perez took fourth place ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, with Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz equaling his career-best finish in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh in the second Force India, followed by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Felipe Nasr finished ninth for Sauber first points of the year, lifting them above Manor at the bottom of the table, while Fernando Alonso completed the top ten for McLaren.

While Hamilton had to fight only the conditions for the bulk of the race, points leader Rosberg was at one stage overtaken by Verstappen, survived a near-spin in the very slippery final corner and his distant second place was enough to take him to the showdown in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead and the need if necessary just to follow Hamilton home again if the Silver Arrows continue their one-two domination. Besides Hamilton, Rosberg was upstaged by superb fighting performances by Verstappen, Nasr, Alonso and Manor’s Esteban Ocon.

Lewis Hamilton Wins Mexico Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton took another seven points out of Nico Rosberg’s championship lead with a superb win over his Mercedes team mate in the Formula 1 Gran Premio de Mexico 2016. Hamilton, who now trails by 19 points with two rounds remaining, was 8.3s clear at the chequered flag, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel completing the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez podium, despite finishing fourth on the road.

Vettel was eventually given third place after Verstappen was penalized post-race for an incident on the 68th lap when the Dutchman ran wide in Turn 1 and then over the grass in Turn 2 to stay ahead of the Ferrari - a move Hamilton had already performed there on his own while leading on the opening lap, thanks to a glazed brake. Verstappen was told by Red Bull to give up the place but chose not to, and his intransigence enabled Ricciardo to close on to Vettel’s tail.

Verstappen had always been in podium contention, but it was Vettel who took over the lead after Rosberg pitted to switch from softs to mediums on the 14th lap and Hamilton did likewise on the 17th. The Ferrari then ran another remarkable 15 laps before the former champion finally pitted for mediums on the 32nd. Verstappen himself had had an opportunistic go at Rosberg on the 49th lap when the German had lost time going over a kerb, and as the Red Bull got out of shape at the apex Rosberg got the place back, and the incident enabled a lapped Jenson Button in the McLaren to make his own opportunistic pass on Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso.

Renault’s Kevin Magnussen, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, Gutierrez, Haas’s Romain Grosjean and Manor’s Esteban Ocon completed the finishers. Both Toro Rosso drivers were given five-second penalties, Sainz for easing Alonso off track on lap one, Kvyat for going off-track to gain advantage over Grosjean. Hamilton’s 51st career victory thus saw him tie Alain Prost for second in the all-time stakes, but with two races left Rosberg’s 19-point standings lead means he is still on target for the crown even if he finishes second to his team mate in both of them.

Lewis Hamilton wins United States Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton stylishly won his fifth United States Grand Prix, as he comfortably headed Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg all the way through and led him home by 4.5s. It was also the 50^th victory of Hamilton F1 career, putting him one behind Alain Prost for second place in all-time list, and wiped seven points off Rosberg 33-point title lead with three races to go.

Daniel Ricciardo took the final podium place for Red Bull, with team mate Max Verstappen having retired mid-race with suspected transmission issues. Sebastian Vettel finished fourth for Ferrari, whose second car also failed to make the flag as Kimi Raikkonen was the victim of a botched pit stop. Fernando Alonso was a fighting fifth for McLaren, ahead of Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz and Williams’ Felipe Massa. Force India’s Sergio Perez, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Haas’s Romain Grosjean completed the top ten.

Ricciardo kept Hamilton honest in the early laps on his softer tyres, but stopped as early as the eighth lap for softs. Curiously Mercedes brought their drivers in on their softs on the 10th (Rosberg) and 11th (Hamilton) laps. That momentarily put Vettel supersoft-shod Ferrari into the lead as he ran the longest of all of the top runners on the red-banded rubber, but when he pitted for softs on the 14th lap he fell to sixth behind Hamilton, Ricciardo, Rosberg, Verstappen and Raikkonen.

Three-stopping Kevin Magnussen had a strong battle with two-stopping Renault team mate Jolyon Palmer and eventually finished 11th on the road for Renault, ahead of Kvyat. However, that became 12th - behind Kvyat - once stewards had decided post-race that the Dane had gained an advantage in running off track when passing the Toro Rosso and handed him a 5-second time penalty. Behind 13th placed Palmer, Marcus Ericsson raised Sauber hopes of a point as he ran 11th at one stage before his final pit stop but had to settle for 14th ahead of team mate Felipe Nasr who had a pass and repass fight with Bottas at the end. Behind them, Pascal Wehrlein led home Manor team mate Esteban Ocon.

Nico Rosberg wins Japanese Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg extended his championship lead to 33 points with victory in 2016 Formula 1 Emirates Japanese Grand Prix, as Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton recovered from a nightmare start to finish third, just behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The result gives Mercedes an unassailable lead in the constructor’s championship effectively securing them a third straight crown. Sebastian Vettel was Ferrari lead runner on a frustrating afternoon for the Scuderia, the German taking fourth place ahead of team mate Kimi Raikkonen. Also disappointed was Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in sixth, the Australian having started the race in front of both the Scarlet cars.

The Force India of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg were seventh and eighth, beating rivals Williams, who saw Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, complete the top ten, as all 22 drivers finished the race. Polesitter Nico Rosberg effectively had things won the moment Hamilton made a mistake and lagged so badly at the start that he plunged from second to eighth place.

Rosberg now has 313 points to his team mate’s 280, meaning he needs only three seconds and a third to clinch his first title over the remaining four races, even if Hamilton wins all of them. The final points went to the battling Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas who were separated by 0.5s at the flag and were only 0.9s ahead of Romain Grosjean Haas.

Daniel Ricciardo wins Malaysia Grand Prix

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo held off hard charging team mate Max Verstappen to win an incident filled 2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, after long time leader Lewis Hamilton retired following a fiery Mercedes engine failure. In the second Mercedes Nico Rosberg came through the pack after early drama to finish third and extend his championship lead over Hamilton to 23 points.

That was despite Rosberg picking up a 10-second time penalty for a mid-race clash with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who finished fourth. Williams’ Valtteri Bottas took fifth ahead of the Force India’s of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, split by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who came from the back row to take seventh. Team mate Jenson Button was ninth in his 300th Grand Prix, as fellow Briton Jolyon Palmer took his first F1 point with 10th for Renault.

Ricciardo finally got his payback for his Monaco loss earlier in the year, as he came through a brutal battle with Verstappen which became one for victory after Hamilton’s Mercedes had blown up when well ahead on the 41st lap. It was the fourth win of his F1 career. Bottas executed a fine one-stop strategy for Williams in a race in which his team mate Felipe Massa started from the pit lane and finished 13th after his car stalled at the start of the formation lap.

Carlos Sainz was 11th for Toro Rosso ahead of Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber, Massa, brake-troubled Daniil Kvyat in the second Toro Rosso, and the battling Manors of Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon, the latter having picked up not one, but two five-second time penalties for speeding in the pit lane. Romain Grosjean spun into the gravel and retirement on Lap 9 after a suspected brake failure on his Haas coming into the final turn, and team mate Esteban Gutierrez looked to have similar issues when the left-front wheel flew from the Mexican’s car at speed on lap 42. Renault’s Kevin Magnussen and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr were the other non-finishers.

Nico Rosberg wins Singapore Grand Prix

A superb drive saw Nico Rosberg win 2016 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix after holding off a late charge from Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo by just 0.4s. With Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton finishing third. Rosberg now heads his team mate in the standings by eight points.

Kimi Raikkonen narrowly missed out on a podium for Ferrari, while team mate Sebastian Vettel – voted Driver of the Day by Fans followed him home a strong fifth after starting from the back of the grid. Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull, ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, with Force India’s Sergio Perez, Toro Rosso Daniil Kvyat and Renault’s Kevin Magnussen completing the top ten. It was a race book-ended by drama.

As Rosberg headed Ricciardo, Hamilton and Raikkonen into the first corner, Max Verstappen made a slow start. And as Carlos Sainz took his Toro Rosso to the right of the Red Bull, he came into contract with Nico Hulkenberg Force India which was spun across the Dutchman bows and hard into the pit wall. Rosberg easily maintained an advantage over Ricciardo, to whom Hamilton could offer no challenge as he struggled throughout with brake temperatures.

Rosberg eighth victory of the season makes him the first non-champion to win in Singapore and puts him on 273 points, to Hamilton 265. The reigning champion was 7.5s second behind Ricciardo, but crucially 2.1s ahead of Raikkonen, whose ultrasofts were fading. Fernando Alonso brought his McLaren home seventh, having at one stage run as high as fifth, as Perez just held off Kvyat by four tenths for eighth. 

Nico Rosberg wins Italian Grand Prix

A poor getaway scuppered Lewis Hamilton chances of winning Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d’Italia 2016 and left the way clear for an untouchable Nico Rosberg to take victory and with it cut his title deficit to his Mercedes team mate to just two points. Sebastian Vettel consoled the tifosi with third place for Ferrari at their home race.

Hamilton fell to sixth by turn 1, but clawed his way back up the order to finish 15 seconds adrift of Rosberg, Kimi Raikkonen, meanwhile followed Ferrari team mate Vettel home in fourth, ahead of the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo. Valtteri Bottas was Williams lead runner in sixth, split from team mate Felipe Massa by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and the Force India of Sergio Perez, whose team mate Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.

Mercedes strategy of single-stopping both cars, starting them on softs and finishing them on mediums eventually paid out handsomely. Ferrari went for two-stoppers, running supersoft- supersoft-soft and though Vettel was catching up bit by bit at the end, it was never going to be enough to dislodge Hamilton as the Englishmen trailed home second, 15s down on his team mate.

Rosberg seventh of the year was perhaps his easiest since Baku, and brings him within two points of Hamilton 250 to 248. Mercedes remain well ahead in the constructor stake with 488 points, but Ferrari has edged closer to Red Bull with 279 to their 290. Williams move back to fourth on 111, with Force India on 108.

Nico Rosberg wins Belgian Grand Prix

A frenetic 2016 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix saw Mercedes Nico Rosberg take a commanding win from Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, with the second Silver Arrow of Lewis Hamilton a fighting third, having started from the back of the grid.

Force India Nico Hulkenberg again missed out on that elusive maiden podium, finishing fourth ahead of team mate Sergio Perez and the Ferrari Sebastian Vettel, while Fernando Alonso, last on the grid was a superb seventh for McLaren. The Williams of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas were eighth and tenth respectively, split by Kimi Raikkonen who completed the top ten in the second Ferrari.

For Rosberg it looked like a stroll in the Ardennes as he scored his sixth victory of the year, the 20^th of his career. Three cars were damaged; Verstappen lost a chunk of his front wing, Raikkonen sustained a puncture and front wing damage and limped to the pits, and Vettel also had resultant problems with his front wing. The incident compromised all of their races, through events on the sixth lap threw them a lifeline.

It was on the sixth lap that Kevin Magnussen lost the back end of his Renault, which was running in eighth place on team mate Jolyon Palmer tail, as he reached the top of Eau Rouge. Race was restarted 17 minutes later, after teams had had the chance to change to whatever tyres they wanted. World Champion Hamilton now has 232 points to Rosberg 223 and Ricciardo 151.

Lewis Hamilton wins Hungary Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton heads the driver standings for the first time this year after a controlled drive to victory in Sunday Budapest race. Hamilton has a six point advantage over Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, who finished second at the Hungaroring, as Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo joined them on the podium.

Hamilton got the jump on polesitter Rosberg at the start and from there only lost P1 during pit stops. Red Bull were able to push the Silver Arrows in the early stages, but their challenge faded and Ricciardo came home 25 seconds off the lead, with Ferrari Sebastian Vettel right on this tail.

In the second Red Bull Ferrari battle, Max Verstappen held on to win a tense and lengthy scrap for fifth with Kimi Raikkonen, while Fernando Alonso took a worthy if distant seventh for McLaren. His team mate Jenson Button was the race sole retirement. Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz, William’s Valtteri Bottas and Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten to take the remaining points.

The result gives Hamilton 192 points to Rosberg 186, as Ricciardo moves to third on 115 just ahead of Raikkonen on 114, Vettel is fifth with 110, as Verstappen close up with 110. In constructor stakes, Mercedes have 378 points; Ferrari 224 and Red Bull are closing still with 223. Button was the only retirement in Hungary.

Lewis Hamilton wins Austrian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won Grand Prix in Spielberg after passing Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg for the lead on the very first lap. The pair made contact in the move, leaving Rosberg to trail home fourth, as Red Bull Max Verstappen and Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium.

Behind Hamilton, Verstappen drove another superb race to take second 5.7s behind and only three tenths of a second ahead of a charging Raikkonen. The Finn’s partner Sebastian Vettel had looked comfortable in front after early leader Hamilton had stopped to switch his ultrasoft Pirelli tyres for softs, but the Ferrari suffered a violent right rear soft puncture on the 27^th lap and crashed into the pit wall. Pirelli attributed the failure to debris on the track.

Hamilton has led the start as McLaren’s Jenson Button kept fast starting Raikkonen at bay until the eighth lap. Rosberg was the first pit stopper, on lap 10, but Hamilton made his ultrasofts last until the 21^st lap. A delay with his left rear tyre enabled Rosberg, who had started sixth, to get ahead, however which set up their epic fight. Hamilton stop dropped him to fourth as Raikkonen led for a lap before his own stop, and that put Vettel ahead from Rosberg and Hamilton, as Raikkonen dropped behind the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

With Rosberg hobbled, Hamilton sped on to his 46^th career victory, as Verstappen just kept Raikkonen at bay and the second Mercedes limped home for fourth. He still holds the championship lead on 153 points, but Hamilton is now only 11 points behind on 142. Vettel and Raikkonen each have 96 with Ricciardo on 88 and Verstappen on 72. 

Nico Rosberg wins Europe Grand Prix

Mercedes Nico Rosberg dominated 2016 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe, beating Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Force India Sergio Perez to victory at the new Baku City Circuit. With Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth, Rosberg extended his championship lead over his team mate to 24 points.

Starting 10^th on the grid, Hamilton rose as high as fourth before his charge was halted by ERS problem on his F1 W07. After several laps down on power, the world champion eventually found the right settings on his steering wheel to resolve the issue, but by then it was too late to improve his position.

Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen took fourth, while Valtteri Bottas was the lead Williams in sixth, ahead of the two stopping Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Force India Nico Hulkenberg and Williams Felipe Massa completed the top ten. Rosberg was a superb redemptive victory, his fifth of the season, and the German never put a wheel wrong on a day when Mercedes crushed Ferrari.

Rosberg lead in the world championship jumps up from nine points after Canada to 24, with 141 Hamilton 117, and Vettel is closing on the reigning champion with 96. Raikkonen reclaims fourth from Ricciardo, with 81 to 78, as Verstappen overtakes Bottas, 54 to 52 and Perez passes Massa 39 to 38. In the constructor stakes, Mercedes have 258 to Ferrari 177, Red Bulls 140, Williams 90 and Force India 59.

Lewis Hamilton wins Canada Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton dedicating his win to Muhammad Ali was certainly a heartfelt tribute after he took his fifth victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. But there was greater resonance for the season as a whole as his performance here has brought to the Formula One World Championship all the hallmarks of the Champ climbing into the ring and positively his opponent step up to the fight.

A superb run to a win at Montreal in tense but ultimately perfectly judged race by both the driver and his team, makes it two victories on the bounce and having been 43 points in arrears two races ago, Hamilton now trails his team-mate Rosberg by only nine, a 34 point swing. It has almost reduced the opening races to mere sparring and now as the pair touch gloves almost at parity, their clash at a highly contested first corner in Canada is only likely to increase the needle.

Vettel early lead was ultimately not enough to secure the win when his team opted for a two stop strategy, gambling that Hamilton one stop would leave him vulnerable at the end. It was not to be the case, the circuit had rubbered in over the weekend and the world champion kept just enough between himself and Vettel, while maintaining his grip, an example of the race craft for which he deserves greater recognition.

Williams’s commitment to a design philosophy of maximizing their car for high speed circuits paid off with their first podium place this season as Valtteri Bottas took third but it remains Mercedes who have the complete package. Ferrari step forward will be welcomed by all who want a proper battle at the front but while their strategy precluded a climatic finish, Hamilton found the perfect impetus to focus everyone attention on the fight for the title.

Max Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix

Formula 1 Gran Premio de Espana Pirelli 2016 served up a battle royal between Red Bull and Ferrari, with Max Verstappen becoming the youngest F1 winner in history as he took an amazing victory from Kimi Raikkonen in his very first race with his new team.

It came after Mercedes Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton had dramatically collided into retirement on lap 1 in an incident which the stewards are investigating. Verstappen, aged just 18, held off relentless pressure from Raikkonen in the closing laps, while behind them Ferrari Sebastian Vettel did the same from the Sister Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo, until the Australian right rear tyre deflated just a lap from home.

Ricciardo came home fourth nonetheless, followed by William Valtteri Bottas, Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz and Force India Sergio Perez. Williams Felipe Massa, McLaren Jenson Button and Toro Rosso Daniil Kvyat completed the top ten. The Mercedes aside, there were just three other retirements. Nico Hulkenberg pulled off with flames licking from the rear of his Force India on lap 22, Fernando Alonso home race ended with power loss on his McLaren on lap 47, and Romain Grosjean brought his Haas into the Garage on lap 58.

Nico Rosberg wins Russia Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg dominated Sunday 2016 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix after a Sochi race in which his main rivals struck trouble. Team mate Lewis Hamilton fought his way up from 10^th on the grid to secure a Mercedes one-two, as Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium.

It was Rosberg fourth win of the season and his seventh in succession, and gives him a 43 point lead in the driver standings. Hamilton, meanwhile, believed he had the pace to win, but yet again saw his challenge compromised as falling water pressure obliged him to back off after he had reduced a 12.9s deficit to 7.5s between laps 23 and 36.

Where the World Champion at least finished second this time, however, it was another pure disaster for 2016 other unlucky man, Sebastian Vettel. He was hit from behind by Chinese nemesis Daniil Kvyat in Turn 2 on the opening lap as he pushed the Ferrari inside Daniel Ricciardo sister Red Bull. Then as Vettel appeared to slow slightly with a resulting rear puncture he was again hit from behind by Kvyat and sent spinning hard into the wall in Turn 3. The Russian was given a 10s stop-go-penalty and three penalty points, but Vettel was done.

Valtteri Bottas was strong initially despite losing second place on the opening lap to Raikkonen, the Williams driver got that back after a safety car intervention because of Vettel accident and a resultant Turn 2 clash further back between Haas Esteban, the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg, Marcus Ericsson Sauber and Rio Haryanto’s Manor, as racing resumed on the fourth lap.

Rosberg now has a lead of 43 points over Hamilton and joins Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Vettel as the only men ever to win seven Grand Prix in a row. As Raikkonen rises to third with 36 points, Vettel himself lies fourth on 33, one ahead of Massa.

Nico Rosberg wins China Grand Prix 2016

Nico Rosberg left the drama and chaos of the Chinese GP in his wake to claim a commanding sixth win in a row and open up a big lead at the top of the driver championship. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh after starting from the back of the grid, but his chances of a stronger result were compromised by a broken front wing on an accident filled opening lap.

Rosberg now leads his Mercedes team-mate by 36 points in the World Championship after three races. Sebastian Vettel finished second for Ferrari but a whopping 38 seconds behind Rosberg after being involved in the chaotic opening lap most controversial moment when he crashed into his team-mate Raikkonen. Vettel blamed the fast starting Daniil Kvyat for triggering the incident, with the pair later meeting on track as the Ferrari made his way back through the field after his own front wing change.

Vettel overtook the Red Bull, but Kvyat still claimed Red Bull first podium of the year in the third. Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth for the third consecutive race was left to rue what might have been after a puncture scuppered his podium hopes when leading from Rosberg in the early stages. Raikkonen dropped to the back of the field after his tangle with Vettel but fought back to fifth, ahead of Massa and a frustrated Hamilton.

However, that was as good as the race would get for the Woking team, as both the Spaniard and team-mate Jenson Button steadily dropped down the top 10 order and eventually out of the points. Toro Rosso pair Max Verstappen who finished right on Hamilton tail and Carlos Sainz along with the second Williams of Valtteri Bottas, rounded out the points finisher instead.

Nico Rosberg won Bahrain Grand Prix 2016

Mercedes Nico Rosberg made it five wins on the trot with a dominant victory in 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Rosberg took the flag 10 seconds clear of Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen after an incident filled Sakhir Race. Rosberg team mate Lewis Hamilton dropped to ninth on the opening lap after Turn 1 contact with William Valtteri Bottas but in a damaged car fought his way back to secure a lonely final podium place.

The second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel failed to start after a suspected engine failure on the formation lap. As Hamilton and Kimi made poor starts, he sped into a lead that was never seriously contested, thus increasing his championship lead. Kimi and Rosberg switched back to supersofts in their second stops, as did Hamilton, but it was clear the race lay between Kimi and Rosberg. They shadowed each other yet again in their final stops, back to softs, but in the end the Mercedes driver was 10.2s ahead.

Rosberg thus leads the world Championship with 50 points to his team mate 33, with fourth place Daniel Ricciardo, now third overall for Red Bull, on 24 after another fast and fighting race. Romain Grosjean and Haas again proved stars. As a result, he is ahead of Vettel in the championship, and equal with Kimi on 18 points. In 10^th place Stoffel Vandoorne fulfilled all his promise on a day when team mate Jenson Button McLaren let him down, to score the final point on his debut for the Working team after a swift and intelligent performance.

Felipe Nasr brought the second Sauber home 14^th as Force India had a horrible race which yielded only 16^th and 17^th places for Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, the latter making four stops and the former suffering debris damage early on. Rio Haryanto was the final finisher in the second manor, as Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz, Haas Esteban Gutierrez, Button and Renault Jolyon Palmer joined Vettel on the side lines.

Nico Rosberg won Australian Grand Prix 2016

Ferrari seized control at the start of Sunday 2016 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, but a mid-race stoppage after a huge accident involving Fernando Alonso turned the race on its head, helping Mercedes Nico Rosberg to what had looked an unlikely victory. Team mate Lewis Hamilton recovered from a nightmare start to finish second, while Sebastian Vettel who led into Turn 1 and looked very much in charge prior to the red flags had to settle for third after 57 laps of Albert Park.

Local hero Daniel Ricciardo took a popular fourth place for Red Bull, well clear of the Williams of Felipe Massa, while Romain Grosjean gave the all new Haas team points on their debut with sixth. Force India Nico Hulkenberg, Williams Valtteri Bottas, and the Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen completed the top ten, with Renault Jolyon Palmer narrowly missing out on a point in his Maiden Grand Prix.

McLaren Alonso and Haas Esteban Gutierrez meanwhile were thankfully able to walk away from a huge crash at Turn 3 which caused the red flags to fly on lap 19. Up until that moment it was Ferrari who held the cards, Vettel and Raikkonen having burst between the two Silver Arrows to snatch a one two away from the start.

Massa was an uneventful fifth, while behind Grosjean sprang a sensation in sixth, giving Haas points in their debut race. Sergio Perez was 13^th for Force India, while Jenson Button looked good early on but faded to 14^th for McLaren. Felipe Nasr could not repeat 2015 fifth place for Sauber and finished 15^th as team mate Marcus Ericsson retired with transmission problems. Red Bull Daniel Kvyat hit problems and retired even before getting to the grid. 

Nico Rosberg wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg defeated Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton for the third race in succession on Sunday, with a commanding drive in the 2015 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The World Champion put in a late charge, but it wasn’t enough to stop Rosberg prevailing by 8.2s to score his sixth win of the season.

Kimi Raikkonen was a distant third for Ferrari – his third podium of the season – with team mate Sebastian Vettel coming through from 15^th on the grid to take fourth, ahead of Force India Sergio Perez who held off Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo for fifth. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh in the second Force India, ahead of Williams Felipe Massa and Lotus Romain Grosjean with Red Bull Daniil Kvyat completing the top ten.

Lotus Pastor Maldonado was the only retirement of the afternoon after a first lap clash with Fernando Alonso McLaren on the run into Turn 1. Alonso, who had brushed the Sauber of Felipe Nasr before hitting Maldonado, continued after pitting for a new nose and tyres, but was given a drive through penalty for causing the incident. The Spaniard eventually came home 17^th ahead of Marussias of Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi.

Lewis Hamilton was handed the 2015 DHL Fastest Lap Award and Ferrari collected the 2015 DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. Valtteri Bottas was another driver to pick up a penalty after Williams released him into the path of Jenson Button McLaren during pit stops. Bottas, who finished 14^th just 0.4s behind the Englishman, had to complete a lap with a damaged front wing before returning for a new nose. This was the last race of the 2015 Formula 1 Season. New Season will begin in Race from Australia in January 2016.