2016 Formula 1 Drivers- Where are they now?

This article covers who was on the F1 grid in 2016 and what those drivers have since gone on to achieve. 

The 2016 Formula 1 season was a great one, with a great title fight between 2 teammates (Mercedes’s Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton) fighting until the final race at Abu Dhabi with Rosberg winning the title and Mercedes securing the Constructors' title. But what are those two, and all the other drivers from that season, do now? 

Starting with:

Mercedes: 

Nico Rosberg: After winning the title, Nico decided to retire from F1. He began publishing videos on YouTube and currently commentates for Sky Sports F1, doing occasional promotional driving content. 

Lewis Hamilton: The other Mercedes driver in 2016 was Lewis Hamilton. He’s one of the few who are still racing in F1 in 2026, however, he now drives for Ferrari. He has since taken 4 more Driver Championship trophies home and is one of the most decorated Formula 1 drivers to date.

Red Bull: 

Max Verstappen: Similar to Hamilton, Verstappen still races in F1 with Red Bull. He has matured greatly since his second season in 2016, having now won the driver's titles from 2021 to 2024 and playing a massive part in Red Bull securing the Constructors championships in 2022 and 2023. 

Daniel Ricciardo: Ricciardo continued to race in F1 under Renault and McLaren before spending a year in a third-driver position with Red Bull. He returned to the F1 grid in 2023-24 and later announced he was stepping back from racing after a decrease in performance following a broken wrist caused in a racing incident. Off track, he keeps busy with his clothing brand Enchanté and his wine brand DR3.

Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel: Vettel retired from F1 in 2022 after racing for Aston Martin for two seasons and is no longer racing. He spends his time being a father and focusing on his family along with his other sustainability-based business ventures and interests outside of F1. 

Kimi Räikkönen: Kimi announced his departure from the F1 world and even stepped back from competitive racing. He retired in 2021 and since then, has put efforts into part-time racing adventures such as in NASCAR (Project 91) and being a team principal for the Kawasaki Racing Team in the Motocross World Championship. He’s also helping his 10-year-old son Robin with his karting career, which has been very successful. 

Williams:

Valtteri Bottas: After 2016, Valtteri transferred teams to Mercedes to race alongside Hamilton in a championship-winning duo. After five years at Mercedes, he once again moved to Alpha Romeo who transitioned into Kick Sauber during his stint with them. After performing his duties as a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2025 when he found himself without a seat, Valtteri is returning to F1 in 2026, joining the new team Cadillac with his teammate Sergio Perez.

Felipe Massa: After retiring the following season (in 2017), the Brazilian joined Venturi in Formula E. He then joined the Brazilian stock car series in 2021 and has competed since. Alongside these racing endeavours, Massa has also served as President of the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) from 2017 to 2022 and the President of the FIA Drivers' Commission.

McLaren: 

Fernando Alonso: Fernando is currently the oldest driver on the F1 grid. After sticking with McLaren the following two seasons after 2016, he took a two-year hiatus from Formula 1before rejoining the grid in 2021 with Alpine. In 2023, he switched teams once again to Aston Martin which is where he remains this upcoming season. During his brief hiatus from F1, he competed in IndyCar and the 2020 Dakar Rally.

Jenson Button: The Brit made the move to Endurance racing after his contract ended in 2017, driving until the end of last season (2025). Since then, he has fully retired from racing but remains involved in motorsport by being a tv presenter with different shows like Sky Sports, offering his insider knowledge and expertise to help a wider audience understand the sport. He was also an ambassador for Williams racing in 2021-2025 where he assisted with their racing academy. Recently, it was announced that he would be stepping away from this role after accepting a team ambassador position at Aston Martin. Away from motorsports, he spends his time being a committed father and husband.

Force India: 

Sergio ‘Checho’ Perez: Checo is returning to F1 in 2026, joining Cadillac alongside former Williams rival Valtteri Bottas. He and Red Bull parted ways in the 2024 season after a prolonged run of poor results leaving him without a seat. He made the switch from Force India (who changed their name to Racing Point) to Red Bull in 2021.

Nico Hülkenberg: Nico is still driving in F1, driving for Audi (formerly known as Sauber). Nico got his first podium in the 2025 season at Silverstone, placing 3rd. After 2016, he joined Renault for few seasons before finding himself in a reserve driver roll for Racing Point/Aston Martin for the 2020-2022 seasons. After this, he partnered with Kevin Magnussen as a Haas Formula 1 driver, using his experience to help propel the new team before returning to Sauber/Audi for the foreseeable future.

Toro Rosso: 

Carlos Sainz: Carlos also still drives in F1, having joined Williams Racing last season. Off the back of 2016, he joined Renault in 2017, then McLaren in 2019 with his teammate being Lando Norris. He then moved to Ferrari in 2021 where his skills grew and he achieved his first win before announcing his leave and new seat at Williams in 2025. 

Daniil Kvyat: The Russian-Italian now drives in endurance racing. From 2022 until 2024, he competed in WEC but has since transferred to IMSA. He was left without an F1 seat in 2018 but quickly made his way back, returning to the Red Bull family for 2019 and 2020. The following season was spent in a reserve driver for Alpine before he took up the opportunities in endurance. He also took part in the 2023 and 2025 Formula E Rookie Tests. Off the track, he also in a parent to a six-year-old daughter.

Renault: 

Kevin Magnussen: Magnussen raced in F1 until 2024, but now he’s racing in IMSA alongside Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor. After the 2016 season, he joined Haas on their new project in F1, staying until 2020 when they brought on new talent Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. After a decrease in performance, he rejoined the F1 grid with Haas in 2022-2024. He currently mentors F1 Academy and British F4 driver and Alba Larsen, helping her grow her skills and develop on the track.

Jolyon Palmer: Palmer raced until 2017, where his focus changed to his media career after being left without a contract mid-season and he became a sports reporter and broadcaster. He works for F1 TV, the BBC Sport and Channel 4. Has his own F1 TV channel called Jolyon Palmer’s analysis.

Sauber:

Marcus Ericsson: Marcus moved to IndyCar in 2019, winning the Indy 500 in 2022 and is racing full-time now. He’s scheduled to race in endurance events such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Marcus has been involved in simulation work with the Cadillac Formula 1 team. 

Felipe Nasr: After being left without a season in 2017, Nasr also made the move to endurance racing and Formula E. He joined the Formula E grid in 2019 for a brief 3-race stint, having his season impacted by his endurance commitments in IMSA. He then went on to compete in WEC, where in January 2026, he helped his team win the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Haas:

Romain Grosjean: Romain made the move to IndyCar in 2021, driving there until 2024. He took part in a special Formula 1 test with his former team Haas after his crash in Bahrain 2020 made him retire from Formula 1 prematurely.

Esteban Gutiérrez: Esteban remained in F1 until 2020, being a test driver for Mercedes. He is the founder of an online motorsport merchandise business. Since F1, he has also competed in sports cars and other events including the World Endurance Championship.

Manor: 

Pascal Wehrlein: The DTM champion from 2015 stayed in F1 until 2017. After that, he now races in Formula E, driving for Porsche and winning the championship in season 10 (2023/2024) over Jaguar drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy.

Esteban Ocon: Esteban still races in F1, driving for 2016’s new team Haas in 2025. In 2021 to 2024, he raced with Alpine alongside Pierre Gasly. Esteban had only had four podiums in his career, one being in Brazil 24 and Hungary in 21.

(Rio Haryanto): The Indonesian driver got replaced by Ocon after just 12 races. After that, he focused more on business. But he didn’t leave motorsport behind; instead, he raced in the Asian Le Mans series in 2019-2020. 

Article made by Philipp Gappmayr, Poppie Kimberley and Olivia Myers