Rosberg ends longest-ever wait for championship

61 comments on “Rosberg ends longest-ever wait for championship”

1. 

   Ben Needham (@ben-n)
   28th November 2016, 11:53

   Is this the first time that successive Championships have seen the deciding race feature the same podium? (USA 2015/Abu Dhabi 2016) – Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel.

   Just something I noticed yesterday!
   1. 

      stefano (@alfa145)
      28th November 2016, 12:08

      nice one!
      1. 

         Jack Jeffreys (@jack1501)
         28th November 2016, 18:04

         Not the same order, but 2007 and 2008 (both in Brazil) had Raikkonen, Massa and Alonso on the podium
2. 

   krxx
   28th November 2016, 12:04

   Wow, that’s a lot of stats.
3. 

   McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
   28th November 2016, 12:15

   Hmm the closest one actually 2012, @keithcollantine with Vettel winning 3 points over Alonso. Also I think this is the first time Perez and Ricciardo classified in every single race in their careers.
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      28th November 2016, 12:29

      @deongunner Thanks, overlooked that one. Have revised accordingly.
4. 

   hollis257
   28th November 2016, 12:16

   Is this the first time a driver has won 4 consecutive races and still lost the title? If it is then that’s an amazing stat as Hamilton did it twice!
   1. 

      Jack Jeffreys (@jack1501)
      28th November 2016, 18:06

      Yes it is
   2. 

      Patrick (@paeschli)
      28th November 2016, 22:10

      the first time a driver has won 4 consecutive races and still lost the title

      Would have happened no matter who won, pretty funny
   3. 

      matt90 (@matt90)
      1st December 2016, 19:33

      Yeah, I spotted that this was guaranteed back when Hamilton completed his first 4-race streak.
5. 

   Selbbin (@selbbin)
   28th November 2016, 12:18

   Are there any more examples of a deciding race that crowned a new champion featuring both the previous successive champions on the podium?

   2016 – Rosberg with Hamilton and Vettel
   2010 – Vettel with Button and Hamilton
   1. 

      Selbbin (@selbbin)
      28th November 2016, 12:20

      On that note, both the last new champions had this happen, Vettel and Rosberg, so twice in a row the new champion had the previous two on the podium at the decider. Anyway…
   2. 

      Estesark (@estesark)
      28th November 2016, 12:46

      2008: The two previous champions were Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen, who finished second and third respectively in Brazil, where Lewis Hamilton won the championship. You didn’t say that the newly crowned champion had to be on the podium as well. :P
      1. 

         Selbbin (@selbbin)
         28th November 2016, 12:51

         Lol, technically not, but you know what I meant. :P
6. 

   Phylyp (@phylyp)
   28th November 2016, 12:33

   Pretty cool that all the 3 German champions have competed on the grid at the same time.
   1. 

      David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
      28th November 2016, 15:11

      @phylyp 2 of them team mates, even.
      1. 

         Phylyp (@phylyp)
         28th November 2016, 15:20

         @davidnotcoulthard – ooh, quite true. Excellent point! 👍
7. 

   Kotrba
   28th November 2016, 12:41

   From Hamilton point of view: he gave himself an unique opportunity – to beat third reigning world champion in the same car next year. I really hope he accepts that challenge. He is also incredibly close to beat in M. Schumacher and Senna in Poles record.

   Regulations change-wise I´m really eager to know whether the new cars will disadvantage some (lets say skinnier) drivers like Max Verstappen and how will the cars behave following each other. See you next season.
   1. 

      x303 (@x303)
      29th November 2016, 17:32

      Hamilton did it with Alonso in 2007, but I don’t see who’s the 2nd one.
      1. 

         Richard (@rick1984)
         29th November 2016, 22:18

         @x303 Jenson Button in 2010 by 36 points
         1. 

            x303 (@x303)
            30th November 2016, 10:53

            Oh yes, thank your @rick1984.
8. 

   Joao (@johnmilk)
   28th November 2016, 12:41

   Lewis equals Seb Vettel as the most winning driver in Abu Dabhi

   Also, every-time Lewis was on pole, Vettel did the fastest lap on the race (2009, 2012, 2016). Illuminati confirmed
9. 

   Sumedh
   28th November 2016, 12:45

   I am not sure but this was probably one of the oldest starting grid (in terms of age as well as previous races). We are unlikely to have such an experienced grid again given that two veterans are going and replaced with two rookies.
   1. 

      retak
      28th November 2016, 13:36

      I am not sure but this was probably one of the oldest starting grid (in terms of age as well as previous races)

      Don’t know for GP driven but in terms of age you couldn’t be further of the mark. 2016 had the fourth youngest grid in F1 history, beaten only by the three previous years, and Abu Dhabi was in the top 10% of the youngest Formula 1 grid.

      Source: http://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiques/pilote/gp/moyenne-age.aspx
      1. 

         James
         29th November 2016, 0:59

         Come back, 2009 grid!
10. 

    nase
    28th November 2016, 13:05

    Using the short-lived 2003-09 system Rosberg would have taken the title by a fractionally narrower margin of four points. As it is, this was the second-closest championship win since the current system was introduced in 2010, when Sebastian Vettel beat Fernando Alonso to the title by four.

    Sorry for nagging – my brain’s hard-wired to perceive the negatives before anything else:
    2012 was even closer with Vettel clinching the title with 281 points over Alonso’s 278 (3 points difference).
    1. 

       nase
       28th November 2016, 13:06

       And sorry again for making an unnecessary post. Turns out I had opened this page over an hour ago, before anyone else had commented.
11. 

    MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
    28th November 2016, 13:08

    Interesting thing I noticed looking back over previos WDC results:

    Until 1994 the WDC had never been won by a German. Of the 23 drivers’ championships since 1994, 12 of them have been won by Germans. Germany still can’t claim as many WDC titles as GB (16) but astonishingly those 12 WDCs have been won by just three people, whereas the 16 British WDCs have been shared by 10 people.

    Obviously some people may dispute Rosberg’s claim to race as a German, but he does race under that nationality whether people like it or not.

    While others have pointed out the fact that Rosberg was joined on the podium by the 2 previous WDCs, it’s interesting to note that between them they have won 7 consecutive championships, with a total of 8 between them. The only possible grouping of drivers with more championships would be Alonso, Hamilton, and Vettel, who would have 9 championships between them, but the chances of that combination appearing any time soon are fairly slim.
12. 

    Gigantor (@kbdavies)
    28th November 2016, 13:19

    “He won five races to Felipe Massa’s six”

    Sorry to be pedantic, Keith, but that statement is incorrect. This is not about what the record books show, but about English grammar and language. Lewis won 6 races, and had a win stripped and GIVEN to Massa. That is not the same as Massa “winning” it.

    DEFINITION OF “WIN”:
    – be successful or victorious in (a contest or conflict).
    – Synonyms: come first in, finish first in, be victorious in, triumph in, take first prize in, achieve success in, be successful in, prevail in;
    1. 

       Gigantor (@kbdavies)
       28th November 2016, 13:22

       I know the statement was further elucidated upon in the following sentence, but as i said, i am being pedantic. :-)
       1. 

          nase
          28th November 2016, 15:43

          @kbdavies
          I’m afraid that’s not pedantic, but simply wrong. You’re reading something into the definition that simply isn’t necessarily there. On top of that, the definition you’re quoting only represents the general meaning of “win” from which the more specialised meanings can be derived. “Win” or “winner” are polysemous even within the frame of F1’s sporting regulations.
          In some articles, “winner” or “winning driver” could be interpreted as “the driver who crossed the line first”, e.g. in 43.3.
          “Winning constructor” is used in a similar way in 46.1.
          There’s also the “Winner’s Press Conference” (Appendix 1 A. 7), the “winner’s dais” (Appendix 3 2. a), as well as “winning driver and winning team” (Appendix 3 3. a), etc.
          Crucially however, the Sporting Regulations mostly avoid using the term “winner” and favour the more periphrastic “winning driver”. When “winner” is used, the following 3 cases can be distinguished:
          1. Winner of a trophy/championship (can be nominated)
          Comment: We’ve never had a championship or trophy that was won by a driver who had to be nominated, but in this case it’s quite clear that there can be more to winning than just finishing first.
          2. The driver whose crossing the finish line defines the race distance of which 90% have to be completed in order to be classified (45.2 – 45.1 states that drivers are classified by the number of laps completed and the order in which they were completed, 45.3 adds that this classification can be amended)
          Comment: This is a potential loophole, as it doesn’t provide a clear solution for a scenario in which a lapped driver inherits the victory. What would’ve happened if Damon Hill had been disqualified after the race in Adelaide in 1995?
          3. The driver who crosses the finish line in first place (and isn’t demoted before the podium ceremony takes place)
          Comment: There’s one famous example for a winning driver who wasn’t a “winner” according to this definition: Ayrton Senna in Suzuka in 1989. After crossing the finish line in first position, he was disqualified before the podium ceremony.

          The upshot of it all is that the terms “winner” or “win” are never defined explicitly in the rules, so everybody can use them more or less as they please. You’re using them in the sense of “the driver who crosses the finish line first”, and that’s fine. But you should be aware that this definition is idiosyncratic and therefore isn’t necessarily valid for other people. For example, Keith is using the word “won” in the sense of “classified 1st in the official classification published by the FIA”, and that’s the definition used by pretty much everyone when it comes to F1 statistics.

          You wanted pedantry, I gave you pedantry. :)
          1. 

             Gigantor (@kbdavies)
             29th November 2016, 17:32

             I gave the dictionary meaning of an English word. You gave me the FIA interpretation. Who is wrong then? I’ll leave you to ponder that one.
             1. 

                nase
                2nd December 2016, 11:55

                @kbdavies
                Oh, come on! I gave you all the reasons why a dictionary meaning isn’t all there is in terms of semantics. I even explained why the FIA interpretation is compatible with the dictionary meaning you quoted. There is not much to ponder from my side, the case in point here is that you probably only skipped through what I’ve written.
       2. 

          Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
          28th November 2016, 21:20

          @kbdavies You certainly are :-)
    2. 

       Hyoko
       29th November 2016, 0:58

       Once we begin disputing who won or who didn’t win there’s no end to it. Try this one for size: Lewis did not win the last Mexican GP, it was GIVEN to him by the blatant leniency on his T1 illegal shortcut.

       You disagree with me? I’m not surprised. Well, I disagree with you on Spa 2008 too. Felipe won, period.
13. 

    Jon Thereyougo (@jon-thereyougo)
    28th November 2016, 14:11

    1997 is kind of a paradox with the title technically being decided at the final race, but if you look at the final standings, it wasn’t really, with Frentzen being a distant 2nd ;)
14. 

    Ben (@b3ndy)
    28th November 2016, 14:28

    I think its worth a big congratulations to Heikki Kovalainen who picks up an unwelcome record. Lewis Hamilton’s only teammate to have never been WDC.
15. 

    Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
    28th November 2016, 14:29

    Haas finished 11th in a race for the eighth time this year.

    Mercedes scored their 19th race win this season, and their 53rd win of this V6 era. They have more wins in this period than Red Bull have had since 2009. It was the 56th win of the Hamilton-Rosberg partnership, which is just two less than the Schumacher-Barrichello partnership.

    Jenson Button retired from what is expected to be his final Grand Prix. The last World Champion to retire from his final Grand Prix was Jacques Villeneuve in 2006. Felipe Massa finished ninth, having outqualfied his team mate for just the fourth time this year.

    Toro Rosso had a nightmare. Both cars were out in Q1 for the first time in over three years (Belgium 2013) and they had a double DNF for the second time this season.
16. 

    Diceman (@diceman)
    28th November 2016, 14:42

    At the age of 31, Nico Rosberg is the oldest champion since Schumacher in 2004, as well as the oldest new champion since Damon Hill in 96. In a way that sums up pretty well the way the sport has changed during this century.
17. 

    q85
    28th November 2016, 15:45

    There is 34 years between the 2 Hills first titles. And also 34 years between both rosbergs titles. What are the odds on that!
18. 

    PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
    28th November 2016, 18:45

    @keithcollantine Michael Schumacher won 11 races in 2002, and 13 in 2004, Vettel did the same in 2011 and 2013. However I think Hamilton is only the first driver ever to have won 10 or more races in three consecutive seasons.
    1. 

       OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
       28th November 2016, 19:50

       @xtwl that’s because seasons have become longer, and that Merc is so good, that they have racked up almost ALL the victories in the past 3 years, with the very few exceptions we know.
       3 victories for Ricciardo in 2014
       3 for Vettel in 2015
       1 for Max and 1 for Dan this year.

       In a way, I would prefer seasons to be shorter. Just because all the records are being smashed so fast, and in a way it’s becoming “easier” to beat Prost, Fangio, Schumacher. I remember how incredible the feature of Schum was considered when he equaled Fangio. But also Schum pointed out how risky and hard was to drive those 1950s cars, so his own record was “easier”.
19. 

    Strontium (@strontium)
    28th November 2016, 21:58

    This continues the trend since 2008 of the world championship being decided at the last race every other year (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016).
    1. 

       McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
       28th November 2016, 23:38

       @strontium actually since 2006.
       1. 

          Strontium (@strontium)
          1st December 2016, 0:38

          @deongunner 2007 was also decided at the final race. Although strictly speaking you are right as 2006 does fit the pattern
    2. 

       f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
       29th November 2016, 0:32

       Even numbered years.
20. 

    paulgilb (@paulgilb)
    28th November 2016, 22:31

    3rd Abu Dhabi pole for Hamilton, and his 3rd Abu Dhabi win, but the first time he has managed both in the same year.

    Hamilton’s points totals in the last 3 seasons: 384, 381, 380.

    First season since the current points system was introduced in which Massa has scored fewer than 100 points.

    First season since 2005 in which Massa has not led a lap.

    Toro Rosso became the only team to have 2 double DNF’s (neither car classified) in 2016 (both cars retired with suspension failures in Azerbaijan).

    Counting races where at least 1 of the 2 drivers finished, Gutierrez finished ahead of Grosjean more often than not in 2016, but Grosjean scored all 29 of the team’s points.

    3rd season in which Hamilton has managed the most (official) victories of any driver – equalling his number of championships.

    Under the 10-6-4-3-2-1 system, Hamilton would win the title on countback (both drivers would have 136 points), although Rosberg would not of course have been able to settle for 2nd in the final 4 races. Also, Verstappen would have beaten Vettel to 4th on countback (both having 55 points).

    The final standings would be identical under the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system.

    31st 1-2 finish for Hamilton & Rosberg (both aged 31).

    Second time Hamilton has managed 17 podiums in one season – M Schumacher (2002) and Vettel (2011) are the only other drivers even to have managed this once.

    First time since Alonso in 2006 that a driver has won 4 successive races from pole.

    No front-row start for Vettel this season – first full season in which this has happened.

    Thanks to magnetimarelli.com and statsf1.com for some of these.
21. 

    socksolid (@socksolid)
    28th November 2016, 22:43

    Championship winning is ALL about being in the right car at the right time. Had Button for example not lucked into that winning honda/brawn then he would not be a champion. In fact his career might have been over had brawn gp not been able to race that year. Had things went differently Barrichello could have won that championship. Had things gone differently Eddie Ervine could be a champion!

    If you get into wrong contract it is very much possible your true potential is never seen. Someone like hamilton could easily not be championship winner had he started in midfield or back of the grid team and spend couple of seasons there and then get into mclaren in 2009. His results in bad cars certainly don’t paint him as amazing driver. He could have then stayed at mclaren and I doubt many people would place him top of their lists had he driven mclaren for the last 4 seasons.

    Or if you can get into the right car then you are set for life. A mediocre driver in top team can have a long career whereas a good driver in midfield team generally doesn’t.

    99% of the time when the driver is not winning is because they are not in the right car. That 1% is when their team mate is better. F1 is all about the car. Being in a bad car can hide your skills from other people. No matter how well you drive the results are mediocre at best. But being in a good car does hide your skills as well. It makes it look easy and effortless when the car carries you to easy podiums. But there is no sport where results and your skill or performance correlate as little as in F1.
    1. 

       Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
       29th November 2016, 1:57

       @socksolid being in the right car at the right time is one thing but to imply Hamilton is a mediocre driver who happened to be in the right cars is a bit much.
       Teams sign drivers who they think can drive well in their car. But to get a contract you kind of need to prove your worth. No team would sign Hamilton nor pay him the amounts he is getting if he was mediocre.
       He has one a race in every season he has competed. He beat Alonso in his rookie season, he beat Button in 2 out of 3 seasons. This year is only the second time he has been beaten by at team mate.
       In F1 the cream typically rises to the top, some cream just rise a bit faster its nothing to do with luck
       1. 

          socksolid (@socksolid)
          29th November 2016, 13:07

          But you missed my point. There is the actual quality of the driver. How good he really is. Then the perceived quality. How good does he look. Just look at button and try to see how hus quality would be seen if he had not had that winner brawn car. I’m not saying the car makes a difference. But hamilton has always been in top team. The good cars he has driven has made him look good. I’m not saying he is mediocre driver at all. Clearly he has driven really well when in top teams.

          But the perception of quality comes from results. Had hamilton driven in midfield team and then in the worse mclarens his value would have changed. His perception of skill would be lower. Period.

          Also contracts are about two things. Results. And managers. Good managers tend to get you into better teams. Wages are not good indication either. Back when toyota was still in F1 they paid huge sums for trulli and ralf schumacher. Neither was top driver in f1. Good drivers sure but not top. Wages are more about what the team is willing to pay. Not so much about what you think your real monetary value is. Good manager will extract every last penny from the team. As is their job.

          Team mate comparisons are useful sure but largely ignored in f1. And even there it is not black white. Not all teams treat team mates equally.

          As for cream rising to the top. It is all about luck. How lucky do you need to be to get to start in winning and dwc winning car like hamilton? It is super super rare. Hamilton is super super lucky to get that chance. But there are lots of other drivers in f1 who could have shined in top teams if it was their first season. Schumacher, raikkonen, vettel, alonso, kubica, heidfeld, frentzen, webber… list goes on. It is possible to get stuck in the midfield. It is possible to get stuck in the back of the grid. Look at wehrlein.
          1. 

             Gigantor (@kbdavies)
             29th November 2016, 17:39

             “Hamilton is super super lucky to get that chance”

             Statements like this get n my last nerves and imply unbelievable ignorance. So you think Ron Dennis, a Team Principal who has employed the best drivers ever to grace the sport, overlooked ALL other drivers in the paddock, and went outside to pick a rookie kid who had never driven an F1 race in his life, based on “luck”? What kind of “luck”? Eenie meenie minny mo? Sigh….
    2. 

       Hyoko
       29th November 2016, 2:29

       The machinery is certainly very important but 99% seems a bit too much. I’d go for something like 80%. Often there are huge differences between teammates in results, if the machinery was everything they would be minimal. Ok, there may be team orders, misfortune or whatever but the difference between teammates is mostly a matter of skill.
       And there are of course different styles of driving, so it may happen that a driver’s peculiar skills are a great match to a peculiar car. In his RBR WDC years Seb trashed Mark, but would it have happened with any other car? I doubt it. Seb mastered the counterintuitive blown exhaust trick much better than Mark ever did; then in 2014 with no more blown exhaust Seb was out of his element and Dan easily outclassed him. Alonso made his WDCs on his mastery of the tremendous bite of those Michelins. Then in 2007 although the McL was a WCC worthy car he was out of his element with the bridgestones and lost on count back to a rookie who kept falling on gravel traps, getting crane lifts and messing up his gearbox settings. Watch the first few turns of the Brazilian 2007 GP to see how a WDC is lost for clumsy driving… and the slightest hint of a braketest applied with surgical precision. Something that Lewis wasn’t able to do in Abu Dhabi 2010.
    3. 

       Alex W
       29th November 2016, 6:05

       All true for the first few seasons but over longer time, the team mate comparisons help drivers…. Heidfeld is as good as Rosberg I am sure but never had a good car.
22. 

    Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
    29th November 2016, 2:03

    This is only the second time Hamilton has been beaten by a team mate.

    He is still the only driver with a pole and win in every season competed. Which would surely also have to be the longest streak of wins and poles in consecutive seasons.
    1. 

       Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
       29th November 2016, 2:18

       “Which would surely also have to be the longest streak of wins and poles in consecutive seasons”

       Turns out Schumacher had 12 years of consecutive poles and wins…. but thats because of the infamous 2005 US Grand Prix being his only pole and win that year.
       1. 

          Sumedh
          29th November 2016, 7:49

          No pole for Michael in US GP 2005
23. 

    Hyoko
    29th November 2016, 3:15

    In the 2012 season Nico did something I’m not sure if it had been done before, he trashed his WDC teammate (meaning he more than doubled his points over a full season). It is only fair mentioning that Schu was well past his sell-by date by then. Nico also beat Schu on 2010 and 2011 but not by that much.
    Lots of people predicted Kimi would slaughter Alonso when he signed up for a Ferrari drive… and it was just the other way around.
    Now in the 2016 season Alonso has thoroughly thrashed Jenson, something Lewis never was able to do when they were teammates. If Alonso seemed uncharacteristically demotivated last season, we have seen him this year fighting hard once and again, while Jenson hast mostly faded into the background.
    Not counting here Alonso’s customary trashing of Felipe, who was as close as can be to become the 2008 WDC (Timo, there’s no salvation for you in earth or heaven, your sin will know no forgiveness, no atonement, no redemption).

    Anyone else has doubled the score of a WDC along a season? Two WDCs? More?
    1. 

       Richard (@rick1984)
       29th November 2016, 22:31

       Gonna stick up for glock here. Staying on slicks actually paid off for him. He finished two posistions higher than he had been before the rain.
       Also had hamilton lost in 2008 it would have been down to getting mugged by seb in his toro rosso when they made the change to wet weather tyres, not glock gambling on staying on drys, had vettel not got past lewis would still have been running p5, and would have been p4 after getting past glock on the run up the hill
    2. 

       Richard (@rick1984)
       29th November 2016, 22:35

       And in 1999 Frentzen DESTROYED hill – 54 points to 7, according to my calculatop thats 7.7 times the points
       1. 

          Hyoko
          30th November 2016, 17:47

          Certainly!!!
24. 

    AndrewT (@andrewt)
    30th November 2016, 16:52

    If my calculations are correct, this was the 100th race in which Hamilton led at least a single lap.

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