Two years of Mercedes domination were set to continue into 2016, but thankfully, at long last, the fight between the two top drivers continued throughout the full season and was incredibly even to the end. Lewis Hamilton had superior speed but suffered from bad luck and poor race starts, whilst Nico Rosberg kept the pressure on and worked endlessly hard to eventually take his first Formula One world championship.

Season overview

2016 also saw the debut of new team Haas, with Romain Grosjean moving from Lotus to join the new US outfit. They impressed early on, but the pace soon dropped off and the team found themselves struggling to keep up. Renault’s return as a works outfit was moderately successful, but they only finished in the points a handful of times and ended up behind the new Haas team in the standings.

Out front, Red Bull improved their pace to finish a solid second in the championship, whilst Ferrari found themselves floundering as the season went on. Red Bull were the only team other than Mercedes to win a race, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen securing one win each. Verstappen ended up the star of the season, overshadowing each race with his overtaking antics and sometimes questionable aggression. However, he was voted driver of the day by fans at almost every opportunity proving that a bit of spice is exactly what the sport is crying out for.

With 21 races to complete, it was a long, long season featuring a new race in Azerbaijan. The Baku circuit played host to the return of the European Grand Prix, with a twisting track that proved a challenge for the drivers. Meanwhile, Pirelli increased the variety of strategies available to teams by introducing a new compound, the ultrasoft tyre denoted by a purple stripe on the sidewalls.