2016 F1 Round 20 Brazilian GP Race, Hamilton Wins in the Rain as Rosberg Holds Second

The Brazilian Grand Prix ran for 71 laps in heavy rain, with two red flags caused by accidents and track conditions. Hamilton won ahead of Rosberg and Verstappen.

Archive image from the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix

Grosjean lost control in standing water and hit the barriers on his way to the grid, preventing him from starting. The race began behind the safety car, with racing only getting under way on lap eight. Hamilton kept the lead, while Verstappen passed Räikkönen through the Senna S to take third.

On lap 13, Ericsson lost control at the final corner as he headed for the pits, leaving his car near the pit entry. After the pit lane was closed, Ricciardo still followed Verstappen in to change to intermediate tyres. He subsequently received a five-second penalty as a result.

Räikkönen lost control on the main straight and hit the barriers on lap 20, bringing out the first red flag. The race restarted at 15:21, again behind the safety car. Worsening conditions led to a second red flag on lap 29, followed by a third start behind the safety car.

Verstappen switched to intermediate tyres during the race and dropped as low as 14th. After changing back to full wets, he overtook a succession of rivals from the back of the field to return to the podium. He also had a major slide on the main straight but kept the car going.

Massa crashed at the final corner on lap 47 and retired. The accident brought out the safety car again. Massa walked back to the garage to applause from the spectators and team personnel.

Before the second red flag, Hülkenberg suffered a puncture caused by debris, dropping from fourth to 15th. He recovered to seventh after the restart. The disruption also shaped the finishing positions behind Hamilton and Rosberg.

Hamilton crossed the line in 3:01:01.335. Rosberg finished 11.455 seconds behind, with Verstappen third, 21.481 seconds off the winner. Rosberg took a 12-point championship lead to Abu Dhabi, leaving the title to be decided at the final round.