June 19, 2016 – Nico Rosberg dominated the European Grand Prix as Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled to fifth place.
Rosberg led from the first corner and drove off into the distance as Hamilton struggled to make up ground in the inaugural race in Azerbaijan. The world champion started 10th and was hampered by a problem with an engine setting during the race, finishing fifth eventually.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took a comfortable second, a position he grabbed by passing Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo on lap six, while Force India’s Sergio Perez rounded out the podium by finishing third after a final-lap pass on Kimi Raikkonen, who settled for fourth place.
Hamilton dropped to 24 points adrift of Rosberg in the championship after the European Grand Prix.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1h32m52.366s |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 16.696s |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 25.241s |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 33.102s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 56.335s |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 1m00.886s |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m09.229s |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Renault | 1m10.696s |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India/Mercedes | 1m17.708s |
| 10 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m25.375s |
| 11 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 1m44.817s |
| 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 13 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1 Lap |
| 15 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1 Lap |
| 16 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 17 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1 Lap |
| 18 | Rio Haryanto | Manor/Mercedes | 2 Laps |
| – | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | Gearbox |
| – | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor/Mercedes | Brakes |
| – | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso/Ferrari | Suspension |
| – | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso/Ferrari | Suspension |
