Formula 1 2016 results: Nico Rosberg wins Italian Grand Prix, plus full finishing order

Nico Rosberg of Mercedes went from second on the grid to race winner on Sunday at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. Rosberg edged out teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished in second after starting from pole. Hamilton fell several places at the start of the race and could not catch his teammate by the time he regained second place.

With Rosberg earning 25 points for first place, he moved within two points of Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship, as Hamilton earned 18. It’s basically a reset of the season, though Hamilton still has had the more recent success overall.

Finishing just behind the Mercedes drivers were the two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, respectively. Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull overtook Valtteri Bottas of Williams in the final five laps to take fourth place, just outside the podium finishes.

Rosberg had a great start, immediately passing his teammate, but both Ferrari cars also passed Hamilton on the very first turn. Hamilton’s reaction to the lights going out was good, but he simply did not have the power for some reason. Hamilton was eventually passed by Ricciardo and Bottas as well, though by the end of the first lap Hamilton had overtaken Ricciardo around Curva Grande.

Verstappen had perhaps the worst start of all, quickly dropping down into 12th place, out of the points. By lap seven, Verstappen had recovered slightly and passed a couple other drivers to get himself back in the points.

Another bad start came from Esteban Gutiérrez, who surprised all by giving Haas its first ever appearance in the third qualifying session. He ultimately started in 10th, but was quickly near the back of the pack, and was scrapping away for 18th place by the seventh lap. He had made it all the way to the very back of the grid before he started climbing back up.

There were no crashes around the first turn, but the Sauber of Felipe Nasr eventually crashed out after clipping Jolyon Palmer’s front wing. Palmer’s Renault required a new front wing and he had to pit in just before the third lap. By the ninth lap, Palmer had to come in and retire the car.

Hamilton stayed in fifth for quite some time, though as he was on the soft tires he was at an initial disadvantage to those in front of him, who were all using the faster super soft tires.

The first batch of pit stops started on lap eight, when Bottas came in to fit the soft compound tires. But the soft tires of Rosberg and Hamilton held out a long time, with Rosberg coming in on lap 25 and Hamilton coming in the following lap. They both fit the medium tires and at that point were locked into a one-stop strategy.

Pascal Wehrlein had some trouble with his car and had to stop, a disappointing end for the Manor driver who has a single point on the season. His exit came just before lap 30. Daniil Kvyat was the next to retire on lap 39.

At that point of the race, Rosberg and Hamilton were in front with Vettel and Räikkönen well behind, with all of the front-runners having completed their pit stops. Hamilton was well clear of the Ferrari drivers, while Rosberg was well clear of Hamilton. At that point the only big move to be made was Ricciardo over Bottas, and he did make the move with the assistance of the faster and better tires with just a handful of laps to go.

Below is the full finishing order for Sunday’s race: