Chinese GP: Further points for Williams Martini

The grid for the fifty six 2016 Chinese Grand Prix would see the Williams Martini drivers lining up in fifth and tenth. Valtteri Bottas would lead his team-mate Felipe Massa in qualifying. Felipe would move ahead one place from eleventh to tenth after Hulkenberg was to receive a three place grid penalty. One pole was Rosberg from Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Vettel, Valtteri, Kvyat, Perez, Sainz, Verstappen, and Felipe. Felipe was able to start the race on the tyre of his choice, starting on new soft tyres. Also on the soft tyre was Rosberg on pole, Alonso, Grosjean, Ericsson, Nasr, Gutierrez, Palmer, Haryanto, Wehrlein, and Hamilton. Hamilton would start the race from last.

The drivers would complete their parade lap with Rosberg coming back to his pole spot. The field would form up and the lights would go off and it would be Ricciardo leading chaos starting as they all went through the first corner. Hamilton had lost his front wing while Vettel would say that he had hit Raikkonen. Kvyat was third and Perez fifth. Vettel's front wing was damaged while Hamilton and Nasr had made contact. Raikkonen would pit along with Grosjean and Hamilton. Valtteri had been squeezed by the Ferrari's and had dropped to tenth. Felipe would be passed by Vettel and Button dropping to ninth. Felipe and Valtteri were in ninth and tenth.

Rosberg would get past Ricciardo but Kvyat would also get past. Ricciardo would have a left rear puncture seeing him drop down the order and been forced to pit. Valtteri would use his supersoft tyre to get past the soft tyre shod Felipe. Perez and Hulkenberg were third and fourth. The Safety Car would be deployed to allow for the recovery of the tyre lost by Ricciardo. This would see a flood of drivers coming in all looking to change to the soft tyre. Button was now on the medium tyre. At the front Rosberg was still leading from Felipe, who had also started on the soft tyre, Alonso, Wehrlein, Gutierrez, and Kvyat. Hamilton would pit again taking on the supersoft tyre. Valtteri was now in tenth as the cars ran behind the Safety Car.

Hamilton would again pit taking on another set of soft tyres meaning that he had met his tyre requirements for the race. Vettel would report that Kvyat carried too much speed into the first corner causing the accident. "He was never going to make the corner with that much speed." The Safety Car would come in with eight laps completed. Kvyat would move up to fifth then fourth in the space of six corners. Valtteri was now up to ninth and then eighth. Kvyat would pass Alonso for third with Vettel now tenth. Felipe was 3.7 seconds behind Rosberg and Valtteri tried to pass Perez at the hairpin. Vettel would try to pass Valtteri using his supersoft tyres. Vettel would finally get past Valtteri at the hairpin. He would then get past Wehrlein for sixth while Perez was up to fifth.

Valtteri would get past Wehrlein for seventh while at the front Kvyat would get past Felipe for second. Hamilton was up to twelfth as Vettel would get past Perez for fifth as he continued his move forward. Vettel would pass Alonso for fourth while on lap sixteen Raikkonen would pit taking on the medium tyre. Rosberg was 8.9 seconds ahead of Kvyat, Felipe, Vettel, Perez, Alonso, Valtteri, Sainz, Ricciardo, and Button in tenth. Valtteri would pass Alonso for sixth with Alonso pitting on lap eighteen. Vettel was right behind Felipe but he would pit on lap nineteen taking on a set of soft tyres. This would see Valtteri move up to fifth. Vettel was back out and running in twelfth. Perez would pit on lap twenty coming out on a set of soft tyres.

Felipe and Valtteri were now running in third and fourth as Kvyat pitted on lap twenty one. Felipe would also come in. Felipe would return in tenth while Kvyat was in sixth but would pass fifth placed Verstappen. Rosberg would pit on lap twenty two retaining the race lead. Valtteri was now second with Hamilton third. Vettel would pass Button fof fifth with Perez seventh but under investigation for an unsafe release. Valtteri and Hamilton would both pit on lap twenty three. Valtteri would return on a news et of soft tyres running in eighth. Felipe was in sixth right behind Perez. Kvyat was now second followed by Vettel, Button, Perez, Felipe, Valtteri, Ericsson, Sainz, and Ricciardo in tenth.

Valtteri had been able to pass Ericsson who was still on the medium tyre. Rosberg was now leading Kvyat by 15.7 seconds while Felipe was able to move up to fourth ten seconds behind Vettel. Valtteri was seventh looking to get past Button and Perez. Valtteri would finally get past Button for sixth been passed going into the hairpin. Felipe and Valtteri were now running fourth and fifth. Ricciardo would get past Sainz for sixth with Rosberg now twenty three seconds ahead of Kvyat. Lap thirty two and Valtteri would pit joined by Hamilton. Valtteri would take on the medium types coming back out in eleventh. Hamilton was also on the medium tyre with both drivers looking to get to the end of the race without another pit stop. Felipe would also pit the following lap coming out in ninth also on the medium tyre. The top ten was now Rosberg, Kvyat, Vettel, Ricciardo, Sainz, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Felipe, Valtteri, and Perez tenth.

Hamilton would pass Gutierrez for eleventh as Sainz pitted from sixth on lap thirty five. The top four were all on the medium tyre with those following on the medium tyre. Vettel would pit on lap thirty seven taking on a set of soft tyres. He would come out behind Raikkonen but Raikkonen would let his team-mate past. Rosberg would pit on lap thirty eight coming out on the medium tyre. Vettel would pass Kvyat at the hairpin for third. Felipe was right behind Verstappen with the Torro Rosso on well used medium tyres. Ricciardo would pit from fourth on lap thirty nine with Raikkonen also coming in. Felipe and Valtteri were running in fifth and sixth with Valtteri under pressure from Hamilton. Verstappen would pit on lap forty one having been passed by Felipe at the hairpin.

Hamilton was able to get past Valtteri for fifth while Ricciardo would also get past Valtteri seeing Valtteri now seventh. Hamilton was now right behind Felipe but he also had Ricciardo right behind him looking to get past the Mercedes. And this is what he would do with Ricciardo getting past Hamilton then closing in onto Felipe. Ricciardo would pas Felipe at the hairpin seeing Felipe and Valtteri now fifth and seventh. But Valtteri would get passed by Raikkonen who was considerably quicker running on the soft tyre. Felipe was driving well keeping Hamilton behind but Raikkonen had closed onto the pair. Raikkonen would pass Hamilton at the hairpin seeing Raikkonen sixth and Hamilton seventh. Raikkonen would get past Felipe again at the hairpin seeing Felipe and Valtteri sixth and eighth.

The closing stages of the race would see Felipe and Valtteri maintain their sixth and eighth places but Valtteri had Verstappen right behind as the Williams drivers started the last couple of laps. But Valtteri would make a mistake at the hairpin as he tried to defend his position from Verstappen. Valtteri would drop to ninth with Sainz all over him. Rosberg would complete his final lap and would take victory in the 2016 Chinese GP. Vettel was second with Kvyat third. Ricciardo was fourth followed by Raikkonen, Felipe, Hamilton, Verstappen, Sainz, and Valtteri. Valtteri would lose his ninth on the last lap seeing him score just the single point. But his race was ruined with the first corner incidents that saw him forced down the order. Felipe would come onto his radio and say to the team: "Thank you guys, we did a good race. I'm happy with that."