The 2016 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma was the 16th and final round of the 2016 IndyCar Series season. The race was contested on September 18, 2016, on the IndyCar layout of Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. It marked the 12th time that the series had visited the circuit. For the second year in a row, the event served as the season finale for the IndyCar Series.

Background

For the second year in a row, Sonoma Raceway served as the IndyCar Series Finale. As such, the event was one of two during the 2016 season worth double points (the other being the Indianapolis 500).

Entering the race weekend, the battle for the championship had been reduced to only two drivers: Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. Pagenaud held a 43-point advantage over Power, meaning that any finish of fourth or higher for Pagenaud would automatically secure his championship victory.

Report

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, August 17. Simon Pagenaud led a Team Penske 1-2-3-4, setting a time of 1:16.2565 to best his teammate Hélio Castroneves. It marked the seventh time on the season that Pagenaud had qualified on pole. Pagenaud's pole also gave him one bonus point, thus extending the gap between him and Power to 44 points. Power qualified in fourth. Graham Rahal was the best amongst non-Penske drivers, taking fifth place on the grid.

Race

The start of the race saw Simon Pagenaud jump ahead of Hélio Castroneves, while Will Power was able to pass Juan Pablo Montoya to move into third place. Graham Rahal rounded out the top five. Further back in the field, contact occurred between Tony Kanaan and Mikhail Aleshin in turn seven, sending Aleshin into a spin and causing Kanaan to stall. However, both drivers were able to get going again before the field came back around, so no full course caution was necessary. Up front, though, Pagenaud steadily increased his lead over the field.

The first round of pit stops ranged from roughly laps 10-15. While Pagenaud easily held his lead, Power was able to leapfrog Castroneves during the sequence, putting him second place on the track. However, the gained position did not help Power make up ground, as Pagenaud continued to increase his lead. On lap 29, Castroneves returned to the pit lane in an attempt to go on an alternate pit stop strategy.

On lap 36, the most dramatic moment of the race came when Power's car suddenly ground to a halt on the course just before the pit entrance. A malfunctioning clutch control unit prevented Power from shifting gears and eventually forced him into neutral, causing his car to grind to a halt. While he would eventually be able to continue, it would not be until he had already lost 8 laps, thus ending any chance Power still had at winning the championship. The lone caution of the race flew for this incident. Both Pagenaud and Montoya were able to make it into the pits prior to the caution flying, though, allowing Pagenaud to maintain his lead, while Montoya managed to come back out in sixth. After pit stops were done, the running order was Pagenaud, Castroneves, Charlie Kimball, and Graham Rahal.

Racing resumed on lap 41, where Rahal was able to quickly dispatch Kimball in turn seven. Up front, Pagenaud continued to lead, but Castroneves was able to stay with him much better than earlier in the race. However, due to his alternate strategy, he came into the pits again on lap 50, leaving Pagenaud ahead of Rahal. Kimball was also on an alternate pit strategy and pitted just before Castroneves.

For those on the normal strategy, the final pit stops came around lap 60. Pagenaud's final stop came on lap 61. Rahal pitted a lap later, moving Pagenaud back in front of him. Their pit stops allowed Castroneves to take the lead of the race, though Castroneves still needed one more pit stop to make it to the end of the race. The race would not automatically go to Pagenaud after Castroneves' stop, though, as Graham Rahal began to close the gap. By lap 67, the gap had shrunk to just over half a second.

On lap 69, Castroneves came in for his final stop, making the battle between Pagenaud and Rahal officially the battle for the lead. Montoya moved up to third, while the Andretti Autosport teammates of Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay moved into the top five as other alternate-strategy drivers ducked into the pits. At the lead of the race, Pagenaud was once again able to pull his lead out again. While Rahal would make another attempt at catching him, Pagenaud's pace combined with his saved up push-to-pass presses proved too much. Pagenaud held on to win his fifth race of the season and, more importantly, the IndyCar Series championship title. Rahal came across the line second, while Montoya rounded out the podium. Hunter-Reay snatched fourth place away from Rossi at the last moment after Rossi ran out of fuel coming out of turn 11. However, Rossi would still manage fifth, making him the highest finishing rookie in the race.

Pagenaud's dominant performance secured his first IndyCar Series title in his second year of driving for Team Penske. The finish of the race also allowed Penske a sweep of the top three positions in the championship, with Power finishing second and Castroneves finishing third. Josef Newgarden, who came across the line sixth in the race, took fourth in the championship, while Graham Rahal's second-place finish boosted him into the top five and made him the highest finishing Honda driver in the championship. In the Rookie of the Year competition, Alexander Rossi's fifth-place easily secured his spot as the 2016 Rookie of the Year. His chief rival, Conor Daly, was one of two drivers who failed to finish the races after mechanical issues struck his car.

Results

Key Meaning R Rookie W Past winner

Qualifying Pos No. Name Grp. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3122 Simon Pagenaud11:16.25301:16.26871:16.256523 Hélio Castroneves W21:16.53161:16.51341:16.413432 Juan Pablo Montoya11:16.30921:16.55451:16.5400412 Will Power W11:16.82521:16.54721:16.6659515 Graham Rahal21:16.80881:16.28281:16.7149628 Ryan Hunter-Reay21:16.49931:16.56681:16.913279 Scott Dixon W21:16.87001:16.5700898 Alexander Rossi R21:16.81741:16.5840911 Sébastien Bourdais11:16.66151:16.61151021 Josef Newgarden11:16.69431:16.8142117 Mikhail Aleshin21:16.70361:16.89091283 Charlie Kimball11:16.84911:16.96271310 Tony Kanaan W11:16.94811427 Marco Andretti W21:16.92881514 Takuma Sato11:16.96611626 Carlos Muñoz21:17.03141741 Jack Hawksworth11:17.0823188 Max Chilton R21:17.13101920 Spencer Pigot R11:17.3052205 James Hinchcliffe21:17.19262118 Conor Daly R11:17.67712219 RC Enerson R21:17.3264OFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Source for individual rounds:

Race

Driver Team Engine Laps Time/Retired Pit Stops Grid Laps Led 122 Simon PagenaudTeam PenskeChevrolet852:00:12.94243176104215 Graham RahalRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda85 +3.25233528132 Juan Pablo MontoyaTeam PenskeChevrolet85 +18.01573370428 Ryan Hunter-ReayAndretti AutosportHonda85 +29.72243664598 Alexander Rossi RAndretti Herta AutosportHonda85 +30.66493860621 Josef NewgardenEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet85 +32.27543105673 Hélio Castroneves WTeam PenskeChevrolet85 +32.849042753827 Marco Andretti WAndretti AutosportHonda85 +34.300231448983 Charlie KimballChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet85 +34.9353412441011 Sébastien BourdaisKVSH RacingChevrolet85 +43.89653940117 Mikhail AleshinSchmidt Peterson MotorsportsHonda85 +49.324241138125 James HinchcliffeSchmidt Peterson MotorsportsHonda85 +51.1304320361310 Tony Kanaan WChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet85 +52.1792413341414 Takuma SatoA. J. Foyt EnterprisesHonda85 +52.6331415321526 Carlos MuñozAndretti AutosportHonda85 +56.675641630168 Max Chilton RChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet85 +1:09.258151828179 Scott Dixon WChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet85 +1:21.111257261841 Jack HawksworthA. J. Foyt EnterprisesHonda84 +1 Lap617241919 RC Enerson RDale Coyne RacingHonda84 +1 Lap522222012 Will Power WTeam PenskeChevrolet77 +8 Laps24202118 Conor Daly RDale Coyne RacingHonda36Mechanical421182220 Spencer Pigot REd Carpenter RacingChevrolet35Mechanical21916OFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Points include 1 point for leading at least 1 lap during a race, an additional 2 points for leading the most race laps, and 1 point for Pole Position.

Double points awarded for season finale.

Source for time gaps:

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Simon Pagenaud 659 2 Will Power 532 1 3 Hélio Castroneves 504 1 4 Josef Newgarden 502 2 5 Graham Rahal 484

Note: Only the top five positions are included.

External links Official Pit Stop Data Official Race Broadcast

References