Lewis Hamilton — 2016 season

Lewis Hamilton's 2016 Formula 1 season, while statistically strong with 10 wins and 17 podium finishes, was ultimately defined by the championship slipping away in the final race. Coming off two consecutive World Championships, Hamilton entered the season as the driver to beat in the dominant Mercedes W07, a car that continued to exemplify the turbo-hybrid era's technical prowess.

Going in

Hamilton, a three-time world champion by 2016, was the established benchmark at Mercedes. The team had secured both the Drivers' and Constructors' titles in 2014 and 2015, and the expectation was for this dominance to continue. His teammate, Nico Rosberg, had proven a formidable rival in previous years, but Hamilton had consistently found an edge. The season was set against the backdrop of the V6 turbo-hybrid power units, which Mercedes had mastered, leading to heavy cars and fuel-flow restrictions that favored reliability and efficient power delivery. The challenge for Hamilton was to maintain his competitive edge and manage any internal team dynamics, a factor that had become increasingly prominent in the preceding seasons.

How it played out

The season began with a challenging streak for Hamilton. While he secured second place in Australia and third in Bahrain, a grid penalty in China saw him start 22nd, recovering to seventh. Mechanical issues, including an ERS problem in China and a power unit issue in Russia that forced a grid drop to tenth, hampered his early points accumulation. The most significant early setback was the collision with Rosberg at the Spanish Grand Prix, resulting in a double DNF for Mercedes. This incident, just five rounds into the season, created a considerable points deficit. For context, other drivers like Carlos Sainz in 2015 faced their own challenges adapting to new machinery, but Hamilton's issues were often outside his immediate control. Hamilton then embarked on a remarkable run, winning six of the next seven races, from Monaco to Germany, including a dominant performance at his home British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This mid-season surge saw him erase Rosberg's lead and take command of the championship.

Defining moments

Beyond the early technical woes and the Barcelona collision, the Malaysian Grand Prix was arguably the most pivotal moment of Hamilton's 2016 campaign. Leading comfortably from pole position, his engine failed on lap 40, costing him a crucial 25 points and allowing Rosberg to extend his championship lead. This DNF, one of only two for Hamilton that year, came at a critical juncture. Despite winning the final four races of the season – the United States, Mexican, Brazilian, and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix – Hamilton's efforts were not enough to overcome the earlier deficit. This consistent late-season performance showcased his enduring speed and racecraft, a characteristic seen in other top drivers like when maximizing limited machinery.