The 2016 F1 Spanish Grand Prix is one particular race that the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team would not want to remember in the team’s highly decorated profile. This was an era where two team-mates in a dominant F1 car could not barely talk to each other, their rivalry had reached boiling point and yet these highly gifted drivers were given the freedom to race each. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went into the 2016 Spanish GP with Rosberg leading the driver standings from Hamilton by a massive 43 points. The German driver was the defending Spanish Grand Prix race winner having won it in the previous year. The race was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship and also marked the forty-six running of the Spanish Grand Prix
Count down to the event
Hot around the Formula One paddocks was the swapping of drivers between Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari Toro Rosso. Max Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing while Daiil Kvyat returned to Toro Rosso, a decision which did not go well to the latter. Red Bull Racing Pricipal Christian Horner echoed Verstappen’s talent stressing that the then 18-year old has the potential to become a future Formula One world champion.
Log standings
Leading into the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg led the drivers standings with 100 points having scooped all the maximum points for the first four races. Lewis Hamilton was second with 57 points while Kimi Räikkönen occupied the third spot with 43 points, Daniel Ricciardo was fourth and Sebastian Vettel concluded the top five driver standings. On the 2016 Constructors Championship, Mercedes AMG Petronas occupied the top spot with 157 points after four races into the season, second-placed Scuderia Ferrari was 81 points behind and Red Bull Racing occupied the third spot while Williams was fourth. The log standings, especially on the driver’s championship, suggested that a two-way horse race was rapidly evolving looking at the dominance of the car that Mercedes has developed during that season. This mounted a lot of pressure on Mercedes drivers who were both eyeing the championship title, so the stakes were very high and a lot was underway including the intermittent involvement of the Ferrari drivers.
Qualifying sessions
In Q3, which normally marks the top ten shoot out session, Rosberg once again put his mercedes on provisional pole position while Hamilton incurred a lock up while on his first flying lap. Max Verstappen managed to split the mercedes while the Ferrari drivers struggled with pace on their first attempt. On the second attempt after putting on new rubber, Hamilton managed to put together a flying lap which was enough to put his mercedes on pole position, three-tenths of second faster than Rosberg. The mercedes cars locked the front row of the grid, the two Red Bull cars of Ricciardo and Verstappen occupied third and fourth respectively while the Ferrari cars of Räikkönen and Vettel claimed fifth and sixth position respectively. This was Hamilton’s 52nd career pole position at the Circuit de Catelunya, Spain.
The race event
Conclusion
Having recorded a DNF (Did Not Finish) for both drivers, Mercedes summoned the drivers for a debrief. This was the first DNF for Mercedes since 2012 United States Grand Prix. The stewards looked at the incident between Rosberg and Hamilton but they classified it as a racing incident with no driver at fault. Both drivers denied any wrong doing but Hamilton apologized to the team and insisted that he was not to be blamed. The Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolf, emphasized that the drivers would continue to race each other freely, with no team orders. Meanwhile, Rosberg went on and beat Hamilton to the 2016 driver’s championship and retired immediately from the sport after being crowned champion. A reflection of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix is still fresh on the Mercedes F1 Team so a repeat is the last thing that the team would want at the upcoming 2020 Spanish Grand Prix. There is a saying that says “once beaten twice shy“, so who will come out victorious at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix?
Wow, I had not heard these details before. I am a long time fan of auto racing. While I’ve mostly followed Nascar, I also enjoy the other car types, too, including Grand Prix. I admit that I have not followed the Spanish Grand Prix, but it sounds like 2016 was an exciting year in that circuit!
Do you know if there are videos of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix races? Maybe on Youtube?
Hi Diane, you gotta know other championships in motorsport like F1, very exciting indeed! It was happening today as you replied back. Surely yes I can provide you with the youtube videos, please provide your email or subscribe on my website for regular updates.