Vote for your 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix

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Which F1 driver was the best performer during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend?

Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most during the last race weekend.

Driver performance summary

DriverStartedGap to team mate (Q)Laps leading team matePittedFinishedGap to team mate (R)
Lewis Hamilton1st-0.102s71/7121st-11.455s
Nico Rosberg2nd+0.102s0/7122nd+11.455s
Sebastian Vettel5th+0.091s0/1935th
Kimi Raikkonen3rd-0.091s19/190
Felipe Massa13th+0.101s9/464
Valtteri Bottas11th-0.101s37/46411th
Daniel Ricciardo6th+0.055s4/7158th+9.005s
Daniil Kvyat14th-0.194s8/71413th+22.032s
Nico Hulkenberg8th-0.061s21/7137th+4.481s
Sergio Perez9th+0.061s50/7124th-4.481s
Kevin Magnussen18th+0.151s11/20414th
Jolyon Palmer16th-0.151s9/202
Max Verstappen4th-0.055s67/7153rd-9.005s
Carlos Sainz Jnr15th+0.194s63/7126th-22.032s
Marcus Ericsson20th-0.058s6/111
Felipe Nasr21st+0.058s5/1129th
Fernando Alonso10th-0.576s69/71310th-37.562s
Jenson Button17th+0.576s2/71516th+37.562s
Pascal Wehrlein19th-0.005s7/71315th+14.689s
Esteban Ocon22nd+0.005s64/71212th-14.689s
Romain Grosjean7th-0.088s0/00
Esteban Gutierrez12th+0.088s0/03

    Vote for your driver of the weekend

    Which driver do you think did the best job throughout the race weekend?

    Who got the most out of their car in qualifying and the race? Who put their team mate in the shade?

    Cast your vote below and explain why you chose the driver you picked in the comments.

    Who was the best driver of the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend?

    • No opinion (0%)
    • Esteban Gutierrez (0%)
    • Romain Grosjean (0%)
    • Esteban Ocon (1%)
    • Pascal Wehrlein (0%)
    • Jenson Button (0%)
    • Fernando Alonso (1%)
    • Felipe Nasr (5%)
    • Marcus Ericsson (0%)
    • Carlos Sainz Jnr (2%)
    • Daniil Kvyat (0%)
    • Jolyon Palmer (0%)
    • Kevin Magnussen (0%)
    • Sergio Perez (3%)
    • Nico Hulkenberg (1%)
    • Max Verstappen (68%)
    • Daniel Ricciardo (0%)
    • Valtteri Bottas (0%)
    • Felipe Massa (1%)
    • Kimi Raikkonen (0%)
    • Sebastian Vettel (1%)
    • Nico Rosberg (0%)
    • Lewis Hamilton (16%)

    Total Voters: 525

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    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    124 comments on “Vote for your 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend”

    1. lol 4 votes 50/50 :) i think max is the ome!

    2. One …eeeh

    3. Vote Max for his last stint.
      Special mention to Sainz and Nasr.

    4. Lewis. Faultless.
      Max, Nars, Sainz were great also.

      1. @edmarques Really?

        No spray. No pressure from NR. Even Lewis himself said it was a “very easy” race.

        So you’re rewarding a coast to the finish over the drive of say MV or Nasr? Hilarious

        1. The vote is for the driver of the weekend. He was in that position thanks to the effort on saturday. Nonetheless even when the others where in clean air he was costantly one of the faster, when not the fastest, driver on track…
          Sure, MV and Nasr had great drives too, but the first also made an error that could have been race-ending and the latter was last in qualifying.

        2. geoffgroom44 (@)
          14th November 2016, 9:09

          Yeah, correct SaraJ. They swept the track in front of Lewis, vacuumed all the water out of his way…even laid a red carpet for him! R u serious? How about you just think about this: the first car makes the track for all the others to follow.The first car has the greater risk of aquaplaning as there is no ‘track’ prepared. This,of course, applies when it is continuous or near continuous rain. At one point Lewis was 24 seconds ahead of NR – do you think that was simply because all the other cars stopped? How many safety car events occurred and after each one Lewis had to start from scratch again after everyone bunched up behind him. Max was amazing, definite DOW, but it does this sport and yourself no service to downgrade the performance of others, simply because they, they, make it look so easy!

        3. It’s for driver of the weekend

        4. Hilarious it’s your hate towards a driver, which we can see on almost every post you do.
          Actually not hilarious, but pathetic.

        5. Nasr did nothing exept lucking into the winning strategy. It wasnt any more impressive than Rosberg. Sauber split the decision for the two cars and Nasr got the good one (Ericsson also crashed but thats another story).

          Hamilton was the only one who seemed untouchable by Verstappen and that no lift and coast.

      2. Lewis had to find the perfect line in treacherous conditions for 71 laps and not spin. That is why he is great. He may not have had spray in his face but he HAD to find the perfect line every lap. Brilliant.

    5. I’ll be amazed if Max doesn’t win this, if all you’d seen of this race was the footage involving him, you’d still rate it higher than almost any other race of the season. Outqualified his team mate, and drove a fantastic race to 3rd – even if the team made some questionable strategy calls that may have cost him 2nd place.
      Lewis was flawless, and couldn’t have done better all weekend, but the drama of Max’s race made him my DOTW.

    6. Has to be Max. It takes a very special driver to manage to climb ten places in twelve laps (I think that’s right). And, of course, Max is only 19 years old. Plus his recovery from that spin on the pit straight to somehow manage to hold onto second is one of the best moments of the season.

      1. When the SC needed he was 15th (I believe lap 56). He had 3rd on lap 70.

        It was a moment that people will be talking about for a long time. The way he could out brake and still accelerate was amazing. He is going to be a special driver.

        1. He came back with full wets on place 16

    7. Max, also Ocon.

    8. Perez. He did a great job. Also Hamilton, Nasr, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Vettel.

      1. Agreed, fourth fastest car beats a RBR and a Ferrari.

      2. Arnoud van Houwelingen
        15th November 2016, 0:34

        So you don’t put Max even in that list?

      3. Hulk was infront of Perez but made pitstop before the redflag, which put him at the back of the grid whilst perez and others made a free stop under red.

        Hulk then drove back from 15th to 7th which, in a FI is very impressive. Perez got to 4th mostly because of that free stop and then not spinning of (which is more than some others can say, so alll credit to all who finshed).

        To me Hulk was the better FI driver despite the finishing order.

    9. Max was the most interesting DOTW. Lewis was the most dominant and faultless DOTW.

      He didn’t have the drama of Max’s last stint in the race or of Max’s controversial pass of Vettel or of Max’s half spin on the main straight. And because he didn’t have any of them, he was close to perfection and he gets my vote.

      1. +1 It looks like people have gone crazy for Max but I don’t think he was DOTW. He couldn’t catch Hamilton and while trying to match his times he dropped it. He was way behind Hamilton after that and without all the drama he would have been a comfy 2nd. He was good in the final stint but the tyres for everyone else were completely dead. impressive to watch but I do think people are overdoing it a bit.

        1. overdoing it a bit ;)
          You watched history being written .

          Senna’s Donnington 1993 revistited.

          1. Not so fast, Sennas was difffernt, all had same tires as it was a start of the race. What did max do at the start? Nothing.

            As Tom mentioned, all other drivers had older tires then max, so he had much better tires. Yes great drive but I didnt witness the oceans parting and max walking on water, seriously!

            1. even Pirelli said that the difference in tire wear did not account for the difference in speed. See this: http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/346954/pirelli-gives-credit-to-magical-verstappen/

          2. Donington was something special. But it was not just Senna’s lap that was impressive, also Rubens Barrichello did an amazing first lap from 12 to 4. The reason why they were so succesful was because they did no laps behind the safety car. Both Senna and Barrichello had a natural feel for rain and adapting instant to the situation, where other drivers needed a few laps. That is pure talent.

            In 2016 F1, that is just not possible anymore. Due to the poor Pirelli full wets, everyone gets to adapt to the situation thanks to the safety car. That is why it was so impressive, after 75% of the race Verstappen still found ‘easy’ ways to overtake his opponents. Everyone knew what the best lines were, but only Verstappen could make them work.

            Verstappen did fit ‘new’ (they were used, no idea how many laps on those tyres) tyres, but I really don’t believe it had anything to do with his charge. Pirelli stated none of the used full wets had degradation. Hamilton’s and Rosbergs tyres looked like new after the race. Besides that, his teammate was in the same situation and finished 8th. Yes, the Red Bull is an amazing car, especially in these conditions, but you have to make it work. Verstappen did that.

            I think we saw in this race why Verstappen is probably the better of the 2 RBR drivers. Verstappen was having fun out there, totally within his element, pure driving. Even after his aquaplaning save, you could still here the joy in his voice. Ricciardo, a very talented driver who had amazing rain results in the past, had a different attitude. Much more careful and sounded even a bit scared. Max wasn’t scared, more ‘exited’. I really think we whitnessed why Verstappen is/can become one of the best racing car drivers in racing history. Not just his driving skill, but his mindset aswell, never giving up on anything, plus he actually has enough brainpower to enjoy the ride while in full concentration.

            Some people hate him for some reason, but he is the best thing that happened to F1 in ages. Where Max is, is exitement. I actually hope he will never drive the fastest car on the grid. I rather see him battle than win races as Mercedes does now.

            1. Great comment

            2. Wow, I just registered to say this. Great comment1

            3. Some people hate him for some reason, but he is the best thing that happened to F1 in ages. Where Max is, is exitement.

              Spot on.

              I cannot fault HAM’s race weekend, and he probably deserved DOTW due to his dominance throughout the whole weekend.

              But Max was exciting to watch all race, and I had to go with heart over head and give him this one.

              I, for one, hope he doesn’t change the way other drivers (VET especially) want him to. He is continuously finding new lines, new overtaking opportunities, new ways of driving. I love it, long may he continue to show the rest of the field how to put on a show!

        2. petebaldwin (@)
          14th November 2016, 12:15

          I think people are overdoing Hamilton’s drive a bit to be honest. No spray in the fastest car that is designed to lead from the front in clear air…… Hamilton himself said that it was easy and that his win in the wet at Silverstone previously was much, much harder.

          He did what he needed to which was to stay on the track. Many others managed that whilst not seeing wherethey are going with much less grip. He even said aquaplaning wasnt an issue whilst Verstappen lost time every lap on the home straight trying to keep it on the road.

          1. I wouldn’t believe everything Hamilton said, to be honest @petebaldwin . There’s no doubt he had an easier job up front but he still had to manage the re-starts and he was the first to hit the conditions each lap which can be a challenge too. I don’t doubt he found it easier than Silverstone, but I also think he was trying to show Rosberg up a bit too knowing he had found it tricky.

            @seth-space – Overdoing it would be saying Verstappen was anything close to Senna in 93. Just take a look at the tyres on every car he overtook in that final stint and there’s no comparison. He took some nice lines but his tyres allowed him to do so. Had that been at the start of the race or straight after a red flag with everyone on equal tyres there’s no chance he’d have made those overtakes as easy. No doubt it was impressive to watch, but I think people have been going over the top with their comments.

            1. Indeed Tom
              And at the comment of Arahones and the subsequently dutch replies: lol and welcome back from your montmelo-slumber.

          2. Well Peter you have clearly never driven a wet race at the front.

            You may have less spray (actually it hangs in the air) but you have no cleared track and are simply guessing what grip there will be at every point.

            Each little river is a nightmare as you are the first there.

            If, as the armchair racers suggest, racing at the front on a wet track was easy.

            Why then do we only ever see Hamilton vanishing at each and every race.

            Because he is better that’s why and anyone who watched Fuji 07 or was at Silverstone in 08 will know that.

            There is another in Max but let’s not forget it’s the second best car and according to Autosport the very best in the wet.

            Excellent drive but come back when it’s been done on equal tyres and he laps the entire field up to third to win by 68 seconds despite the crap strategy and flags.

            As a rookie with a two time champion as team mate who crashed…

            1. Drg, I’ve been thinking this too. Being in the leas while it is raining has its disadvantages too. Like you say, the racing line will have been covered for Hamilton at each of the restarts. The others behind him may have a lot of spray, but as the gap built up, they will have been able to follow the cleared path that Hamilton left that may have helped a little. I voted for Hamilton but it was a tough decision between Hamilton and Verstappen. Not helped by the fact I’m not a fan of either at all infact!

        3. Tom, I also have to agree with what @scalextric said.
          I don’t think Verstappen making mistakes and saving the car means he had a better race. Hamilton didn’t make any of these mistakes and had a smoother drive and a very good qualifying. It was though for me to decide between these 2 drivers but Verstappen had 2 occasions where he nearly lost control. One was only a minor wobble, the other was extremely close to a crash. It was both skill but mainly luck that saved him from a crash. Then he also overtook Rosberg during the safety car which I don’t know how he got away with. Other drivers don’t seem to get away with these sort of things at other races.

          As I said, Hamilton was faultless and also had a great qualifying. Verstappen however was surprisingly out qualified by Raikonnen and as it is driver of the weekend, overall, Verstappen with his minor mistakes added up, didn’t perform as well as Hamilton. But I must admit, his charge after his pit stop at the end was really impressive and that made it really hard to chose between them. But I’ve given my reasons why I voted for Hamilton and I’m a little surprised that there are such a huge amount more votes for Verstappen considering it is for driver of the weekend.

          1. I keep reading DOTD is based on speed and the lack of mistakes.

            Hamilton was fastest, but also had clean air, no spray…then I read he had no path to follow while others had.
            Donno but the cars wheren’t exactly driving a parade, there where cars all over the track and the path was there all along. To drive up front has multiple benifits… clean air is the first, nothing having to fight the second.
            Hamilton did not have to put up a fight, nothing was at risk and he clearly has the best car for the job… straight line speed at Brazil was still very important in the rain.

            Having said that, Lewis was flawless and could have been DTOW every race he won.

            DOTD should be about a remarkable, standing out performance… there’s now way around Verstappen this race, he wrote history regardless of any tyre choice. The last 15 laps where the encore, the race before was just as good making Raikkonen and Rosberg look like beginners. To catch Hamilton in a Mercedes simply is sheer impossible if you don’t have a Mercedes.

            1. In these conditions, the Red Bull is often considered the best car out there.

              Anyway, Verstappens mistakes and the fact that a Ferrari beat him in qualifying were the reasons I voted for Hamilton over him.

              I repeat again. He over took Rosberg under the safety car. He had 2 near misses, one extremely close to a crash that a mix of skill but mainly luck that avoided it from him being out of the race.
              If it wasn’t for these facts, I would easily have voted for him. But Hamilton kept his car under control all race and didn’t make any mistakes.

    10. Yes (@come-on-kubica)
      14th November 2016, 2:10

      I voted Hulkenburg. Would probably have his first and deserved podium in F1 if it wasn’t for some horrendous luck with a puncture. On the pace again in an inferior car. Here’s hoping Renault pull something out the bag next season.

      1. @come-on-kubica I’m voting for Max but I do agree with you there, Hulkenberg definitely deserved more from the race and more recognition for it

    11. In his recent book Total Competition, Ross Brawn quotes Sun Tzu’s Art of War, saying thay the greatest general is not the one who wins battles against terrible odds by the skin of his teeth, but the one who is so superior he doesn’t even have to fight. Well, Lewis didn’t have to fight this one.

      There’s a downside, Ross reckons. People do like wins aganst impossible odds, and gets bored by easy dominance. And Max did the impossible today.

      Who is my DOTW then. Max or Lewis? or Perez? FWIW I’ll vote for Sainz. but not really convinced. If he could have held Vettel a little longer and finish 4th I’d give him my vote wholeheartedly.

    12. Perez for me. Great final laps for Verstappen, but if Sainz wouldn’t let him pass so easily, he might not get the podium finish.

      1. Yeah, he makes it look easy, doesn’t he :D

        1. geoffgroom44 (@)
          14th November 2016, 9:11

          :-) that’s what champions do, huh?

      2. Agreed if only Perez had a top tier car like VES he would have never given up that podium finish. Perez is an amazing driver in ok equipment if you ask me.

    13. Max gets my vote
      1. Had good pace in practice sessions
      2. Saturday result better than teammate but not enough for third place
      3. On Sunday in a different class altogether.
      What I liked about his race on Sunday:
      a) When all the cars were lapping under safety car, he was constantly checking the grip levels and different lines. This is because he was looking to be on the offensive every time when the race started.
      b) Had a few moments like many other drivers but very good car control.
      c) The strategy on inters did not work. So when the final wet weather tyres were put, it was almost game over. Although safety cars kept the bunch close and new tyres gave better grip, but still the final overtakes for the podium place were mostly clean.

      Wet weather driving tells a lot about a driver’s ability. It was therefore significant, not just for RBR or Max, but for the entire paddock and F1 viewers.

    14. Oh I am NOT a fan of Max Verstappen but today he was twice as good as anybody else. The way he found different lines through corners (especially turn 3) made him unstoppable. He mastered Interlagos, he mastered the rain. Red Bull and Verstappen made some questionable calls but it didn’t matter for him. He was still best of the rest.

      Honorable mentions to Felipe Nasr and Carlos Sainz.

      1. Max for me too. He found places on the track to use that nobody else was using. Before he passed Rosberg on the restart you could see him exploring different lines all around the track to see where he could make his moves. He tested a few of them coming alongside Rosberg while they were still under safety car. You just knew he was going to get Rosberg and he did.

        Coming back from 16th to 3rd was amazing to watch. Even passing his team mate on tires that were nearly as fresh as his. A memorable drive.

        Honorable mention to Hamilton. He dominated and did everything right in a must do situation. Also honorable mentions to Perez, Sainz and Nasr.

      2. I’m not sure how dropping it makes him twice as good as a driver who was flawless from start to finish. When he was trying to catch Hamilton he dropped it and Hamilton set the fastest lap. He had him covered. Max had a good final stint but don’t forget he was on massively better tyres. A good drive but I can’t see how you can say he was twice as good as anyone else ?

        1. petebaldwin (@)
          14th November 2016, 12:17

          One was cruising – one was pushing the car to it’s limits.

          1. @petebaldwin

            So Hamilton Cruising was able to lap faster than Verstappen pushing ? Wow, that’s some impressive drive from Hamilton then.

            1. Yeah HAMs advantages like his car for example don’t count. All credits to the pilot. But VES had newer wets (not than RIC, whom he still completely destroyed and who wasn’t able to pass half of all those “easy targets” although he is a beast, the best of the grid and way ahead of Max), takes out any credit you could give Max for what he did.

      3. I agree. I’m not a fan of Verstappen and I think he’s a bit overrated. But his performance yesterday was in my opinion the best drive of the year. To be honest I can’t remember when was the last time a Formula One driver impressed me that much.

        This is a Driver of the Weekend vote and I think voters often put too much emphasis on race and ignore bad qualifying. But Max was very good in qualifying also as he splitted the Ferraris. Overall giving my vote to Verstappen is my easiest DotW decision ever.

      4. I agree. I’m not a fan of Verstappen and I think he’s a bit overrated. But his performance yesterday was in my opinion the best drive of the year. To be honest I can’t remember when was the last time a Formula One driver impressed me that much.

        This is a Driver of the Weekend vote and I think voters often put too much emphasis on race and ignore bad qualifying. But Max was very good in qualifying also as he splitted the Ferraris. Overall giving my vote to Verstappen is my easiest DotW decision ever.

        1. Last time a driver impressed me that much? Over a decade ago, Hungaroring 2006. The best first lap ever. After having the win close at hand, a bad pitstop caused a DNF instead of one of the most astonishing victories in F1 ever. And Jenson Button got lucky that day, with a gifted maiden win.

    15. I voted for Grosjean, for showing how poor the wet tyres were.

      Nah, just kidding, it was Max for me, all the way. His race performance on Sunday was indescribably good, and he backed it up with excellent free practice and qualifying performances too. Those who’ve been calling for real men in racing might have found their answer in a teenager 😊

      Shout out to Hamilton who also dominated the entire weekend, and for the confidence he showed on the track on Sunday, to Nasr for his good race at home and elevating Sauber to 10th in the WCC.

      Finally, a big shout out to all the drivers who took to the track on Sunday, and stayed on form through the various stoppages and safety cars.

    16. ColdFly F1 (@)
      14th November 2016, 6:12

      This was easy: Max.
      Without him it would have been a very boring GP dominated by SC’s and Red Flags with the occasional drivers parade in between. It was brilliant overtakes on RAI and ROS, and then the peeling off of all cars between 16th and 3rd.
      Max had a big moment, but from me he gets bonus points for that. Firstly, because it shows that he was really trying hard, and secondly for the way he saved the car.

      Special mention to Ocon (very solid but unfortunately no points), Nasr (solid and points/$$), and Hamilton (did what he could do).

      1. he said the save was 50/50 luck/skill so I wouldn’t say making a mistake and nearly crashing out of the race is a bonus. He also made the mistake while trying to catch Hamilton who was lapping faster than him at the time.

        1. But HAM drove in front: no spray
          HAM had no opposition.
          HAM did not do the fastest lap ( VES did)
          HAM cruised to the end ( own words, even watched tv;)

          1. But HAM drove in front – i.e. he was the fastest
            HAM had no opposition – So far did he stand above the rest
            HAM did not do the fastest lap – it’s about winning the race, not setting one fastest lap, on average Ham was the fastest, see point 1
            HAM cruised to the end – So far was he up in front

            Last note: stop riding MVer’s stick

        2. Verstappen SAID it was 50/50 luck/skill.
          He may think differently, but he does not want to sound cocky.
          50/50 was the perfect answer.

        3. he replied to the question on the podium with a false modesty by saying 50/50, but in the later interviews he said he’s pretty used to spins in the rain from go-karting in the (usually rainy) Holland.

    17. Verstappen. Honorable mentions: Nasr and Ocon.

      1. I’m surprised that ocon has only 1% votes. I thought his performance was up there with Max and Lewis.

    18. Hamilton 11%
      What for? Easiest drive of the season (his own words). Why someone puts him as DotW in Brazil is beyond me.

      Verstappen defenetly deserved it this time. Nasr was also amazing – bring arguably the slowest car to points in a home race is superb driving. Only 4% of votes for that is criminally low.

      1. If I’d been in one of those cars that would have been the hardest driving I’ve ever done, doesn’t mean I’m a better driver than Hamilton though. His talent made it easy for him, it was still exceptional driving.

        1. geoffgroom44 (@)
          14th November 2016, 9:17

          I think someone above needs to check out a bit: if HAM says that ,what does it do to NR who ‘struggled’ now and then? (Psy-ops).Also, as you say, because a highly talented driver makes it look easy, doesn’t mean it is. Max certainly made some things look easy compared with the struggles of some of ‘the grandees’.

        2. petebaldwin (@)
          14th November 2016, 12:20

          @philipgb – Typo in your last sentence. I think you meant to say “car” but it autocorrected to “talent.”

          Hamilton is a brilliant driver but he didn’t have to drive brilliantly yesterday.

          1. @petebaldwin

            There was another massively talented driver in the same car as him not finding it as easy and not achieving the same pace. Hamilton drove brilliantly.

      2. Hamilton came to a track he has never won at, with the pressure of knowing that in all likelihood he had to win to keep his championship fight alive and completely nailed the weekend. He was flawless in the race and handled each red flag and restarted perfectly. Even on 30 lap old tyres at the end of the race he was still pulling away from the field.

        Verstappen did a lot of overtaking in the final laps of the race and was impressive, but he did have a significant tyre and chassis advantage over everyone bar Ricciardo.

        Frankly I think both Ham and Ves are worthy winners this weekend.

      3. Verstappen 70%
        What for? In these polls I’ve seen people dismiss dotw-votes for drivers, who qualified a tenth behind their teammate or ran wide in a corner once, even if it didn’t cost them anything. Now we’re voting for a driver who made the same tactical mistake not once, but twice and had lady luck pulling all her strings to keep him out of the wall, when he was challenged to go a bit faster.

        Hamilton should win this vote by a landslide. He was head and shoulders above everyone else. By far the quickest driver in the race and with so much potential to spare, he could call it ‘an easy ride’. Didn’t make a single mistake all weekend.

        1. petebaldwin (@)
          14th November 2016, 12:22

          Just like Rosberg when he cruises to a win out front eh? Oh…..

          1. @petebaldwin

            Actually, when Rosberg has got pole and won the race in a fair fight, he has won DOTW 2/3 times:

            * Chinese – Hamilton back of the grid due to car failure.
            * Russian – Hamilton 10th due to car failure.
            * Belgian – Hamilton back of the grid due to car failure.
            * Baku – Fair fight, just that Perez was immense otherwise Rosberg was in with a shout.
            * Singapore – Fair fight, Rosberg wins DoTW.
            * Japanese – Fair fight, Rosberg wins DoTW.

            This assumes that Mercedes should be either 1 or 2 on the grid (I think a fair assumption).

        2. When you say things like this after watching a race like that, you are so biased, that nothing can change that. I guess the rest of the world must be out of their mind to talk only about Verstappen instead your hero HAM. Well, the rest of us have seen a race they will remember for many years and as we haven’t seen for so many years. Maybe we weren’t there, but we went trough that whole circus of emotions after the delayed start, the safety cars, the red flags, the feeling that the race would stop prematurely and of course the many crashes. And then after the disappointing tire choices of RB came that climax that nailed me and so many others on the edge of my chair and made my heart race as if I was racing. I’m so sorry for you that you can’t feel these tense emotions and enjoy that feeling for as long as possible….

          1. FYI, I’m not a Hamilton fan. In fact I haven’t had a favourite F1 driver since Juan Pablo left for NASCAR.

    19. Nico drove a masterful , calculated and conservative race to keep his dream alive. Well done even though he gets little respect.

      1. @bukester

        He had the chance here to wrap things up and secure the championship rather than being at the mercy of fortune in Abu Dhabi and he couldn’t match Hamilton, and couldn’t match the Red Bull. Strategy played out to give him 2nd back, not his driving.

        Compare that to USA 2015, Hamilton attacked that chaotic race to wrap things up. Strategy gifted him the chance, but he didn’t sit back and think ‘ah 2nd will do’ he hunted down 3rd. Rosbergs drive here was average.

        1. geoffgroom44 (@)
          14th November 2016, 9:18

          agreed.

    20. ILuvSoundtracks (@)
      14th November 2016, 7:00

      Verstappen. Stunning drive from this Dutchman.

    21. Not a Verstappen fan in the slightest but I have a lot of respect for him with drives like this. He did a great job.
      Honourable mentions to Hamilton, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Nasr for their good drives.

    22. It was a very exiting race under extremely difficult conditions. Especially RAI crash almost caused further crashes. It baffles me though how both Mercedes succeed to stay almost out of trouble, except ROS had a few moments and only RBR’s gamble to try to win by shifting to inters, saved ROS the 2. place. But both ROS and HAM kept their cool and the MERC team also didn’t let RBR’s tests with inters lure them into trying to defend, by going to inters as well. But many impressive drivers, even if MAX’s last stint gave him a well deserved Driver of the day.
      During yet another Red Flag session my wife asked if I wouldn’t feel disappointed if I had paid money to go to that Race: “No way, I would be wet, yes, but disappointed – by no means, it has more drama and excitement than any average race!” And after that it just got even better.

    23. Verstappen stole the show, without a doubt that was one of the most exciting drives I’ve watched since Button at Canada 2011. And he nailed it in qualifying as well ahead of both teammate and a Ferrari. I’m not voting against him deserving the vote, but you can only pick one driver and for me that was Hamilton.

      Solid qualifying, nailed the safety car restarts multiple times, had way more pace than his teammate and had Verstappen under control as well when he needed extra pace. It was a faultless drive without any moments, not featuring on the TV footage never helps with a driver of the week vote but I’m still giving it to Hamilton. Verstappen is still a worthy choice though.

      1. How can the front runner nail a safety car restart? Doesn’t he determine when to start? How exactly do those restarts work?

    24. I’d have to go with Max Verstappen, certainly for his unbelievable race performance, but also for his speed throughout the weekend. Friday he was right up there getting inbetween the Mercs in practice, was denied 3rd on the grid by a great Raikonnen lap, and drove arguably one of the finest wet-weather races since Senna at Donington Park in 1993. Without tyre gambling from his team, i believe there could have been a great scrap for the lead.
      Shout out to Lewis for driving immaculately in treacherous conditions though. No dramas whatsoever. Also a great performance from Nico Hulkenberg, who was unfortunate to have to pit under the safety car due to a puncture.
      Great Race.

    25. petebaldwin (@)
      14th November 2016, 10:16

      Who voted for Grosjean!? :D

    26. While not as spectacular as Verstappen, Hülkenberg yet again had a very strong weekend without the deserved rewards. He had the measure of Pérez, picked a puncture during a safety car which put him 15th, and then managed to recover back to 7th.

      He did that in a Force India which isn’t exactly a Red Bull. Considering that his pace seemed to be better than Pérez’s, its not a stretch that he might have beaten Verstappen to the podium.

    27. Hamilton and Verstappen are the two that stood out for me. The fact that Hamilton said it was an easy race for him says it all for the standard of his driving, and while I don’t consider Verstappen’s last stint to be the second-coming of Christ like some seem to (much fresher tyres, in a Red Bull…) it was still world class. Brilliant to watch, and bodes well for the future if he’s going to get even better than that…

      Almost a coin-toss between them, but went for Hamilton because, of the two, he was the one who didn’t make a big mistake. And I think, even without Red Bull screwing up, he always had the measure of Verstappen.

      Honourable mentions to Hulkenberg, Nasr, Ocon and Maylander.

    28. Lewis, although I’m sure Max will get the Vote. Not sure what Lewis has to do to win DOTW. Pulled out a massive gap at every re-start, make his soon to be world champion teammate (maybe) look very ordinary again.

      1. For example, start from last position in the grid (gearbox change or whatever) and force his way to the podium or win in a series of overtakes in the limit.

        The problem of sailing from lights to flag from P1 in a dominant car with no serious opposition is that you cannot shine no matter how good you are. Cruising effortlessly is all it takes. You may be godlike at that but people won’t notice. Seems way too easy.

    29. There are very strong cases for Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Nasr and Ocon.

      However, Verstappen displayed one of the finest pieces of driving I have ever witnessed. It just has to be him.

    30. Max Verstappen special mention to Bernd Maylander and his saftey car

      1. Brilliant comment Jamiejay!

    31. Lewis had near complete control of the weekend and an answer for everything thrown at him in the race, but for sheer entertainment value it goes to Max (we can only dream of what could have been had Red Bull not tried so hard to be clever).

      Special mentions should go to Nasr and Ocon, though disappointed Ocon didn’t get the points he deserved.

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        14th November 2016, 12:25

        @wildfire15 – What was really thrown at him though? Rosberg left a big gap at every restart and he was the only driver on the track who could see where he was going!

        1. The biggest thing thrown at Hamilton was Vestappen after the Dutchman overtook Rosberg, but he was able to get away from him. The conditions were thrown at him as much as they were thrown at anyone else and he didn’t have any moments or make major mistakes (Rosberg and Vestappen were largely on their own with minimal to no spray when they had their moments, which were both well held) and the safety cars and red flags always throw a spanner in the works and especially hurts when you lose a massive lead. I don’t think Rosberg intended to leave those gaps and he was closer on the last restart, but couldn’t quite stick with Hamilton’s pace.
          So yes, Hamilton answered everything thrown at him but that didn’t mean it was ‘much’, relatively speaking.

    32. It really couldn’t be anyone other than Verstappen really, he was just mega.

      Hulkenberg did great too, though was unlucky in the end.

    33. Well Max wasn’t Drive of the Weekend
      Driver of the Race yes.

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        14th November 2016, 12:28

        It’s always a difficult one, that. The whole weekend is important but in reality, the only session that matters is the race. Ask any driver if they’d rather be first in FP1, 2 & 3, qualify in pole and DNF in the race or crash in every session and finish the race in 10th.

        1. But if people want to vote for “Driver of the Race” then there are other sites to do that.

      2. He finished above his teammate and above one of the ferrari’s that were supposed to be quicker down here. Of course it was not Max’s best qualifying, but it was not bad either. So I see no reason why his qualifying should prevent him from being the driver of the weekend after his stellar drive on sunday.

        1. RB have been on top of Ferrari ever since about halfway season. Never heard anything about the ‘ferrari should be quicker’-thing, especially knowing it was a wet race. I also don’t follow the reasoning behind the ‘MVer wás driver of the race, yet not of the weekend’ – thing. How would have his qualifying comprimised his weekend? It would have the implication of assessing the quali of Ham (cuz usually it involves a trade off between him and MVer), in which he outqualified Ros with a tenth or so, higher than MVer outqualifying Ric by a couple of hundredths in such a degree that it would overcompensate the lesser race of Ham, according to these adherents, in comparison with MVer.
          So just go for Ham or for MVer all the way (or Per, or Hul, or Sai, or Oco, or Vet, or Alo) ;-))

    34. Verstappen was very lucky not to crash out after making the rookie mistake of touching a white line in the wet so I cannot vote for him. Pérez gets my vote, him and Hamilton are the only drivers that I can not remember making any errors in the race but, unlike Hamilton, he did not have the massive advantage of a clear track in front of him. He achieved a good result and would have been on the podium if it wasn’t for Verstappen’s drive on much fresher tyres in a much better car.

    35. Verstappen was a class of his own. It’s true that he didn’t make any impression on Hamilton, but when he was in traffic, he was irresistible. Overtaking cars left, right and centre, down the inside, around the outside, including his own team mate. I’m not quite sure if I like the guy, but what does it matter? It’s been a while since I last enjoyed a single driver’s performance as much as his.

    36. Lol, all these comments referring to the ‘It was easy’-line of LH. On one hand you got his kcidriding-for-live-fans who are so hang up on him, no matter what he says, does or whatever, that they always explain the things happening in such a way that ‘proves’ he’s the best of all drivers, past, current and indeed future, in every aspect at any time in driving or even anything else. On the other hand, you got the, much larger, mostly dutch group of kcidriding-for-live-fans of MV, who go like: see, see, LH had it easy, he said it HIMSELF. Wow, if that’s your criteria..
      So the race is over, LH crossed the finish line first in tough circumstances in the wet, but when he steps out of his car he finds himself not in the centre of attention, but ‘that new kid on the block’. Already in the pre-podium meeting between the top three you could see and hear an enthusiastic and still adrenalin-pumped MV elaborating all of his adventures he just had and that the Merc-pair, whose race was effectively over in terms of potential battles when the RB drivers pitted for the last time, were already much more calmed down and they both had their own, totally different, state of mind. Ros was like: Real nice for you Max, but I’m content with the outcome, a 3rd place will suffice. And Ham was like: whatever kid, I won this one, in the wet. But he and Ros both did sense MV had a ‘special drive’. So on the podium, with the interviews (and I think I heard a similar remark at the pre-podium meeting) Ros finely reminded Brundle of the spin of MV when he said something about the remarkable drive of MV or his overtaking of Ros. In that same testosterone-fuelled spirit, Ham made his comment about that it was easy peasy. It was just a case of not letting an other driver get away with too much props or props which are ‘rightfully yours’. Just a bit of bolstering, just in real life.

      DOTW? Hard, but when it comes to downright spectacle it’s quite obvious: MV.

    37. The McLaren garage were applauding Verstappen. Mercedes drivers were flabbergasted he was there. Pirelli just clarified he didn’t have much in terms of tire advantage. Everyone who’s anyone in Formula One is absolutely astounded by this performance. Even people who dislike him or his antics ate massive amounts of humble pie. But here on F1fanatic, it’s down to fresher tires and more downforce. Ok.
      I voted for him, as you might have guessed.

      1. Hahostolze,

        You can imagine that certain fans, just like their heroes, don’t like Verstappen who is turning F1 upside down and make their heroes look like less then average?

        Verstappen is the new Mega star in F1 for years to come. Never was there a talent like Verstappen since the days of Senna or Schumi. Even Lewis isn’t in the same bracket as this young man. 19 years young and making the “stars” of F1 look like they are rookies….I can imagine that it must hurt the fans ;)

    38. Lots of good drives…. But May was spectacular… Just looked like a Schumacher…

    39. It’s absolutely depressing to see how Nico Hulkenberg has 1% of the votes.

      If he hadn’t had his puncture, he would have fought for a podium.

      1. @paeschli

        You can only vote for one driver, people aren’t voting in opposition of Hulkenberg but so many drivers had standout performance in what was a bit of a lottery of a result.

        And that’s the crucial case for the two leaders in the poll, while other drivers nabbed a good result from the chaos of it all, Hamilton and Verstappen achieved theirs purely on merit.

        Hulkenberg had some good luck to find himself in that position, but then some bad luck to lose it.

    40. Has to be Grosjean. Did not see him make one mistake during the race. 😃

    41. Well, that’ll be a close contest…

      Not that I disagree. I can’t look past Max for DoTW. He was sublime. I criticize his on track behaviour a lot but here he was both sublime and clean. His pass on Vettel, that crybaby Seb was whining(after he did the same to Alonso that was a bit rich ) about was perfectly fine.

      Others with great performances: Hamilton, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Nasr, Ocon

    42. Clearly Verstappen. Despite a good car and luck not to hit the wall (skill too), the drive was really something else..

    43. DotD Max. DotW Lewis.

    44. For me, Hamilton was untouchable in the race, even from Verstappen, but I’ve gone for Verstappen from his audacious moves and confidence on the wet lines and wet kerbs, giving Vettel a taste of his own medicine and his save from THAT spin. Hamilton had a far easier afternoon in comparison, so its Verstappen for me. Perception is everything, and imho Verstappen has elevated himself from a young charger full of potential to a great of the sport this weekend.

      Many honourable performances for me from Perez (always finds his way near the front), Hulkenberg (always unlucky), Sainz, Nasr (did what was necessary under incredible pressure around many quicker cars) and Ocon (shame about that last lap). Alonso had a pretty good final stint too.

      In contrast, Button had a nightmare of a race when he is meant to have a great feel for changeable conditions.

      1. I’m inclined to believe his cries that something was wrong with the car. Like he said, he hasn’t suddenly forgot how to drive in the wet.

    45. Have to say congrats to Max and Lewis showing all the rest of the field how its done. No-one was going to get near Lewis and Max showing he’s going to be another great of the sport. Just don’t get a big head Max

    46. In 10 years we will still remember the 2016 Brazilian GP as Max´s wonder race.

    47. happy to go for the utterly predictable answer. Verstappen made the race worth watching (it’s the one and only time I’ve been glad it was a highlights race!); more than that he made it utterly thrilling. And in place of (well, alongside!) the usual feeling of inevitability about the outcome of the races, this time there was a feeling of inevitability every time Max closed on another car, regardless of who it was. You got that urge to shout out a pantomime “he’s behind you” at whichever hapless victim was next up the road. I don’t really care if this is about the whole weekend or not, his last stint and indeed his race as a whole outweighed anything you might care to mention about practice sessions and qualifying. Who cares?
      I watched the Formula E live from Marrakesh the day before. It’s still got some way to go but it’s getting there, and if they keep up the quality of coverage it’s still likely to be my replacement when F1 ends free-to-air coverage in the UK. But races like Brazil, and racers like Max Verstappen, are enough for me to overcome my loathing for highlights shows in the meantime and keep on watching F1 for one more year at least, whilst it’s still on C4. It was a truly inspiring drive.

      1. …but I should say I agree with @montreal95 (amongst others) in identifying Nasr, Sainz, Ocon, Hulkenberg and Hamilton as showing their tremendous skill in the wet. However no-one else flew past cars of similar calibre in the way MV did, and leading from the front – well, #44 did a champion’s job without a doubt, and if he’d had to work his way from the back most likely he would have, but he didn’t have to so I can’t give him the extra points!

    48. After qualifying I thought the best performance so far had come from Grosjean, but he went out of contention when he crashed on the way to the grid and so didn’t even make the start.

      As usual in wet races you can get some great performances, I thought the two main standout performances in the race came from Hamilton and Verstappen.

      While it seemed almost every other driver had a moment at some point during the race the TV footage never showed Hamilton making a mistake, while still being one of the fastest out there for most of the race.

      Verstappen once again proved his skill in the rain getting past Raikkonen and Rosberg to move up to second early on, he then made the save of the race when he lost control in the final sector. He and the team made a mistake by stopping for inters, which meant he had to change back to full wets during a safety car period dropping him right down the field.

      This set up a great finish to the race when he surged through the field to get back on the podium making his rivals look ordinary with the ease he got by them on the way, including highly rated drivers such as his own teammate Ricciardo and multiple World Champion Vettel.

      In the end I voted for Verstappen, the way he tore through the opposition to recover to third in the latter stages is what decided it in his favour for me.

      I feel Nasr also deserves a mention as he got Sauber’s first points of the season at his home Grand Prix, taking them off the bottom of the constructors table, how important and valuable could those points be.

    49. When i read the DOTW feature of this site, i am always struck by the dissonance displayed in most people’s reasoning, and reminded how dangerous it is to give most human beings the right to choose or vote for their leaders (as they rarely make the right choice). Reading the apparent illogic (not so apparent to the writer) in quite a few of the comments regarding why they chose driver X, always makes for quite an entertaining evening.

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