Nico Rosberg started the Chinese Grand Prix at a strategic advantage as he was able to start the race on the preferred soft tyre while the rest of the top ten qualifiers were all on the super-softs.
However within a few laps of the race that advantage was partly negated by the Safety Car. That handed several of his closest rivals a ‘free’ pit stop, although it also dropped them behind some other cars.
Even though Rosberg wasn’t able to realise the full benefit of his strategy, he still won the race by a handsome margin of 37 seconds. He clearly wasn’t pushing the car to its limit either, indicating Mercedes still have plenty of performance in reserve.
Team mate Lewis Hamilton made five visits to the pits, although two of these were to fulfil the rules requirement to use a second set of tyres, which he got out of the way during the Safety Car period. Even so, he ended up switching to the medium compound at the end of the race.
2016 Chinese Grand Prix tyre strategies
The tyre strategies for each driver:
Stint 1 | Stint 2 | Stint 3 | Stint 4 | Stint 5 | Stint 6 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nico Rosberg | Soft (20) | Soft (16) | Medium (20) | |||
Sebastian Vettel | Super soft (4) | Super soft (13) | Soft (18) | Soft (21) | ||
Daniil Kvyat | Super soft (4) | Soft (15) | Soft (16) | Medium (21) | ||
Daniel Ricciardo | Super soft (3) | Soft (16) | Soft (18) | Medium (19) | ||
Kimi Raikkonen | Super soft (1) | Soft (13) | Medium (23) | Soft (19) | ||
Felipe Massa | Soft (19) | Soft (12) | Medium (25) | |||
Lewis Hamilton | Soft (1) | Soft (4) | Super soft (1) | Soft (15) | Soft (9) | Medium (26) |
Max Verstappen | Super soft (4) | Soft (16) | Medium (19) | Soft (17) | ||
Carlos Sainz Jnr | Super soft (4) | Soft (15) | Soft (14) | Medium (23) | ||
Valtteri Bottas | Super soft (4) | Soft (17) | Soft (9) | Medium (26) | ||
Sergio Perez | Super soft (4) | Soft (14) | Soft (10) | Medium (28) | ||
Fernando Alonso | Soft (16) | Medium (16) | Medium (24) | |||
Jenson Button | Super soft (4) | Medium (23) | Medium (17) | Super soft (12) | ||
Esteban Gutierrez | Soft (19) | Soft (15) | Super soft (9) | Super soft (12) | ||
Nico Hulkenberg | Super soft (4) | Soft (13) | Soft (9) | Medium (20) | Super soft (9) | |
Marcus Ericsson | Soft (4) | Medium (24) | Medium (27) | |||
Kevin Magnussen | Super soft (4) | Soft (16) | Soft (15) | Medium (20) | ||
Pascal Wehrlein | Soft (15) | Soft (12) | Soft (16) | Super soft (12) | ||
Romain Grosjean | Soft (1) | Soft (19) | Soft (13) | Super soft (11) | Super soft (11) | |
Felipe Nasr | Soft (1) | Medium (19) | Medium (20) | Soft (15) | ||
Rio Haryanto | Soft (18) | Soft (10) | Soft (12) | Medium (15) | ||
Jolyon Palmer | Soft (15) | Super soft (9) | Soft (14) | Medium (17) |
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2016 Chinese Grand Prix pit stop times
How long each driver’s pit stops took:
Driver | Team | Pit stop time | Gap | On lap | |
1 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 22.124 | 19 | |
2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 22.276 | 0.152 | 17 |
3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 22.301 | 0.177 | 6 |
4 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 22.350 | 0.226 | 35 |
5 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 22.351 | 0.227 | 28 |
6 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 22.426 | 0.302 | 37 |
7 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 22.461 | 0.337 | 19 |
8 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 22.485 | 0.361 | 18 |
9 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 22.510 | 0.386 | 44 |
10 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 22.607 | 0.483 | 19 |
11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 22.626 | 0.502 | 21 |
12 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 22.630 | 0.506 | 21 |
13 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 22.677 | 0.553 | 35 |
14 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 22.682 | 0.558 | 4 |
15 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 22.684 | 0.560 | 35 |
16 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 22.698 | 0.574 | 30 |
17 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 22.747 | 0.623 | 30 |
18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 22.790 | 0.666 | 46 |
19 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 22.799 | 0.675 | 15 |
20 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 22.831 | 0.707 | 20 |
21 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | 22.832 | 0.708 | 19 |
22 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 22.832 | 0.708 | 37 |
23 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 22.874 | 0.750 | 16 |
24 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 22.927 | 0.803 | 32 |
25 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas | 22.963 | 0.839 | 34 |
26 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 23.029 | 0.905 | 27 |
27 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas | 23.070 | 0.946 | 43 |
28 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 23.130 | 1.006 | 39 |
29 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 23.158 | 1.034 | 4 |
30 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | 23.183 | 1.059 | 18 |
31 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 23.215 | 1.091 | 4 |
32 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 23.257 | 1.133 | 20 |
33 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 23.280 | 1.156 | 24 |
34 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 23.284 | 1.160 | 44 |
35 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 23.296 | 1.172 | 14 |
36 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 23.342 | 1.218 | 33 |
37 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 23.349 | 1.225 | 31 |
38 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 23.559 | 1.435 | 36 |
39 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 23.563 | 1.439 | 28 |
40 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 23.735 | 1.611 | 20 |
41 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 23.744 | 1.620 | 20 |
42 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 23.867 | 1.743 | 17 |
43 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas | 23.878 | 1.754 | 19 |
44 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 23.955 | 1.831 | 4 |
45 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 24.072 | 1.948 | 4 |
46 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 24.084 | 1.960 | 4 |
47 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 24.099 | 1.975 | 38 |
48 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 24.104 | 1.980 | 27 |
49 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | 24.269 | 2.145 | 33 |
50 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 24.274 | 2.150 | 43 |
51 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | 24.369 | 2.245 | 40 |
52 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 24.392 | 2.268 | 3 |
53 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 24.615 | 2.491 | 20 |
54 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | 24.635 | 2.511 | 28 |
55 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 25.179 | 3.055 | 5 |
56 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 25.357 | 3.233 | 40 |
57 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | 25.754 | 3.630 | 4 |
58 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 26.969 | 4.845 | 15 |
59 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 27.683 | 5.559 | 4 |
60 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 29.322 | 7.198 | 1 |
61 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 29.570 | 7.446 | 26 |
62 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 30.034 | 7.910 | 4 |
63 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 30.115 | 7.991 | 4 |
64 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 31.134 | 9.010 | 1 |
65 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 36.854 | 14.730 | 1 |
66 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 58.563 | 36.439 | 1 |
2016 Chinese Grand Prix
- 2016 Chinese Grand Prix team radio transcript
- Ricciardo’s recovery drive earns fourth Driver of the Weekend win
- 2016 Chinese Grand Prix Rate the Race Result
- 2016 Chinese Grand Prix Predictions Championship results
- Top ten pictures from the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix
sato113 (@sato113)
17th April 2016, 18:50
Why did Hamilton do a penultimate 9 lap stint on the softs? seems like he could have stretched the one before out another 5 laps, and add another 4 on the mediums.
Mike Dee (@mike-dee)
17th April 2016, 20:00
Because he was stuck behind Raikkonen. In the end it was the wrong decision as he was able to undercut Raikkonen but was then passed later with ease.
Sven (@crammond)
17th April 2016, 22:14
@mike-dee
I initially thought the same as you (that it was a mistake), but thinking it through with the data available now, I don´t see a later pit-stop gaining him that position, be it late enough for a soft-stint at the end or simply shorter time on the medium. He could have had a bit of a safer margin to Verstappen, but would have probably ended in the same position he did. The main problem was not getting past Massa in the middle of the race.
Ian Stephens (@ians)
17th April 2016, 23:39
Hamilton’s aero was reduced by all the damage to the floor when his front wing was knocked under his car. That meant he was sliding around a lot more than the other cars, which in turn wore out the tyres much more quickly. Where Rosberg could get 20 laps out of the softs, Hamilton could only get 15. It was even less when he was following closely behind other cars.
miki
18th April 2016, 8:20
I disagree with that @ians
The strategy for Lewis is changed mid race i guess and they should have let him continued for say another 3-4 laps on softs which makes 12 to 13 instead of 9 laps. He can bolt a Medium like planned which will be better than either williams had or use a Fresh SS twice which he had and catch others and pass them or do a Soft stint until the end. Instead of running on Mediums for 26 laps which wasn’t good with that damage. Had he was ahead then it might be better for them to run Mediums and act like a road block yesterday he was catching up.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
17th April 2016, 18:51
That middle stint by Verstappen on mediums, so so good. Shows that good tyre management can make such a difference with these new rules and give such a big advantage.
Also because of these tyre rules there are constant battles, drivers close to each other on different strategies and with different tyres. Artificial, maybe, but the battles themselves are actually real (not DRS, for example) and really exciting. Today also showed that the faster tyre is by no means a guarantee of a pass on a slower tyre.
Big fan of the new tyre regulations and the effects they have had.
ColdFly F1 (@)
17th April 2016, 23:51
If you are looking for impressive it is probably Vettel; 13 laps on SS early on. And towards the end 21 in Softs. Longest stints of any driver.
@hahostolze
To the Max !
18th April 2016, 5:46
He wasn’t talking about the length of the stint, but the pace Verstappen did on the mediums.
Hotshot007
18th April 2016, 5:54
Vettel was impressive yes, but out of those 13 laps on SS, at least a couple were under the SC + fresh set of SS that he saved from qualy.
As for the last stint on Softs, I believe Rosberg’s stint at the start on heavy fuel with used Softs was even more impressive. Even if you consider the fact that .some were under the SC, it is neutralized by the fact that he was on much heavier fuel than Vettel’s stint, which was on pretty low fuel
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
18th April 2016, 7:09
Vettel was very impressive with his tyres, the Ferrari seems to be anyway (James Allison, I guess) but yes, as I To the Max! points out, I meant the pace Verstappen managed on the medium tyres. His stint wasn’t even particularly long for the mediums but the pace managed to keep him competitive so as to get him past Sainz, Bottas, Perez, Alonso and Button in the end.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
17th April 2016, 19:09
I’m surprised McLaren went that way with the Mediums. Couldn’t they make the soft last long enough? They were completely obliterated by the competition after a good first stint.
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
17th April 2016, 19:13
They probably sacrificed the strategy to undercut Räikkönen.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
17th April 2016, 19:56
With the exception of Kvyat, all potential challengers had problems. Kind of making Rosberg’s margin look a lot better than it was in reality.
Jules Winfield (@jules-winfield)
17th April 2016, 19:58
Team Willy in continued speedy pitstops shocker! A bit of a contrast from last year.
Evered7
17th April 2016, 20:44
@jules-winfield Either their car is fast or their pit crew is.
Ian Stephens (@ians)
17th April 2016, 23:44
Hamilton’s wing & wheels change on lap 1 was only 7.2 seconds slower than the fastest wheels-only stop in the race. That’s impressive, even given that he had no deflated tyres.
erix
18th April 2016, 7:26
Why its so difficult now for F1 team to decide this simple formula:
– When track temperature rise, use harder tires.
– When track temperature goes down, especially at night, use softer tires.
Change-change-change like Mercedes in China or not change like Williams in Bahrain, just use my simple formula and it will mostly work, no brainer.
Park
18th April 2016, 9:07
Medium and SuperSoft have lower working temp range than Soft.