2016 Food City 500, Qualifying
Carl Edwards scored the pole for the race with a time of 14.991 and a speed of 127.997 mph (205.991 km/h). He said afterwards that winning the pole was "just awesome. This place is really complicated and my guys did a good job making the car drive well on all different segments.” Matt Kenseth, who qualified second, said that he was "just a little off. These guys did a great job with our Dollar General Camry today.


2016 Food City 500, Qualifying
Obviously, all of the JGR cars were fast again so thanks to everyone who’s building these things and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) with the engines. In the first round we were pretty good we thought and then the second round we tried something and we were too tight and then the third round we were a little too loose really.


2016 Food City 500, Qualifying
We were just that much off, but overall it was a great day and we’ll still get a good pit stop and a good place to start and hopefully we’ll get it driving good tomorrow and we can race them on Sunday.” During round 1, Ty Dillon got loose exiting turn 3 and slammed into the back of Landon Cassill.


2016 Food City 500, Practice (post-qualifying), Second practice
Kyle Busch was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 15.184 and a speed of 126.370 mph (203.373 km/h).


2016 Food City 500, Practice (post-qualifying), Final practice
Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 15.213 and a speed of 126.129 mph (202.985 km/h).


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Start
Under clear blue Tennessee skies, Carl Edwards led the field to the green flag at 1:19 p.m. Dale Earnhardt Jr. made an unscheduled stop on the first lap after reporting he had no power. “Yeah, we got the Roush system on our cars for the stuck throttle issue, and just warming the brakes up I engaged that system to kill the throttle,” Earnhardt said. “I was warming the brakes up like I always do, and apparently I applied too much pressure and it killed the motor.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Start
If your throttle is stuck and you mash the brake, you’re going to mash the [expletive] out of that brake when the throttle sticks. It will shut the motor off.” He rejoined the race in 40th two laps down. It only took 25 laps for Edwards to run into lapped traffic. This allowed Joey Logano to pull up to him and make a run on him. He was unable to pass him on the bottom and fell back. Logano caught Edwards behind a lapped car and passed him for the lead on lap 39.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Start
Matt Kenseth passed Logano to take the lead on lap 45. The first caution of the race flew on lap 52 for a single-car wreck in turn 2. Rounding the turn, Kyle Busch suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall. Kenseth and Logano swapped the lead on pit road, but Kenseth exited with the lead. Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski were tagged for speeding and David Ragan was tagged for crew over the wall too soon. All three restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Start
The race restarted on lap 59. The second caution of the race flew on lap 70 for a single-car wreck on the backstretch. Exiting turn 2, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got loose and spun out.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Start
The race restarted on lap 78. Logano made an unscheduled stop for a vibration on lap 109. To add insult to injury, he was tagged for an uncontrolled tire and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty. The third caution of the race flew for a single-car spin in turn 2. Busch got turned by Chris Buescher. Kenseth and Edwards traded the lead on pit road, but Kenseth exited with the lead. Ragan was tagged for having too many men over the wall and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Second quarter
The race restarted on lap 122. The fourth caution of the race flew on lap 147 for a single-car wreck involving Kyle Larson.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Second quarter
The race restarted on lap 155. The fifth caution of the race flew on lap 187 for a single-car wreck in turn 2 involving race leader Kenseth who suffered a tire blowout and slammed the wall. This handed the lead back to Edwards.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Second quarter
The race restarted on lap 195. The sixth caution of the race flew on lap 219 after Ragan lost an engine in turn 4. Greg Biffle and Austin Dillon were tagged for speeding and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.


2016 Food City 500, Race, First half, Second quarter
The race restarted on lap 227. The seventh caution of the race flew on lap 259 for a single-car wreck in turn 2. Rounding the turn, Busch slammed the wall for the third time. Landon Cassill opted not to pit and assumed the lead.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Halfway
The race restarted on lap 274. Edwards got under Cassill and retook the lead on lap 282. Johnson was running third when he made and unscheduled stop on lap 302. He rejoined the race in 31st two laps down. Kevin Harvick took the lead from Edwards on lap 320. The eighth caution of the race flew on lap 331 for a single-car wreck in turn 1 involving Josh Wise. Harvick swapped the lead with Edwards on pit road and Edwards exited in the lead.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Halfway
The race restarted on lap 338. The ninth caution of the race flew for a single-car spin in turn 2. Entering turn 1, Casey Mears got tapped in the side by A. J. Allmendinger and sent him spinning.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Halfway
The race restarted on lap 345. The tenth caution of the race flew on lap 349 for a single-car wreck in turn 2 involving Brian Scott.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Halfway
The race restarted on lap 356. Kurt Busch cleared Edwards exiting turn 4 to take the lead on lap 357. Keselowski was running fourth when he made an unscheduled stop on lap 389. He rejoined the race in 27th two laps down. Edwards passed Busch in turn 2 to retake the lead on lap 399. The 11th caution of the race flew with 90 laps to go after Hamlin slammed the wall exiting turn 2. Larson was tagged for speeding and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Fourth quarter
The race restarted with 84 laps to go. The 12th caution of the race flew with 63 laps to go for a single-car wreck in turn 4. Rounding turn 3, Martin Truex Jr. got into the side of Aric Almirola and sent him spinning into the wall.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Fourth quarter
The race restarted with 52 laps to go. The 13th caution of the race flew with 40 laps to go for a two-car wreck in turn 2 involving Cassill and Ty Dillon.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Fourth quarter
The race restarted with 34 laps to go. The 14th caution of the race flew with 15 laps to go for a single-car spin on the backstretch involving Michael Annett.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Fourth quarter
The race restarted with 10 laps to go. The 15th caution of the race flew with eight laps to go for a single-car spin on the backstretch involving Regan Smith.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Second half, Fourth quarter
The race restarted with five laps to go and Edwards drove on to score the victory.


2016 Food City 500, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
“There were so many different things happening out there,” Edwards said. “Different guys were fast at different times. I have to work on my drag racing stuff, Kurt (Busch) has those restarts figured out. He was tough. Just awesome. This is a real testament to my team. The guys have been working really hard. We’ve got Comcast Business folks here and they helped put this whole thing together with ARRIS and Toyota, TRD, Stanley – all the folks that made this 19 team happen. Just great and so awesome. Thanks to Sprint and Cessna and all the folks that make this happen. Now we’re in the Chase and we can go have some fun. Just so cool, awesome to be here.”


2016 Food City 500, Media, Television
Fox Sports covered their sixteenth race at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Mike Joy, five-time Bristol winner Jeff Gordon and 12-time Bristol winner – and all-time Bristol race winner – Darrell Waltrip will have the call in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum will handle the pit road duties for the television side.


2016 Food City 500, Media, Radio
PRN had the radio call for the race which will also be simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini will call the race in the booth when the field is racing down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop the turn 3 suites when the field raced down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett Mcmillan, Jim Noble, and Steve Richards covered the action on pit lane.


2016 Football Division 3
The 2016 Football Division 3  is the 1st season of the League competition since its establishment in 2016. It is in the fourth tier of the Thai football league system.


2016 Football Division 3, Northern Region, Format
Group stage: A total 13 clubs will be divided into four groups of three clubs except group 4 which has four clubs to play round-robin matches at a neutral venue. The best two clubs of each group will qualify to the knock-out stage.


2016 Football Division 3, Northern Region, Format
Knock-out stage: A total of 8 clubs which has qualified from the group stage will play single-elimination stage until there are only two finalists of the tournament.


2016 Football Division 3, North Eastern Region, Format
Group stage: A total 10 clubs will be divided into four groups of three clubs except group 3 which has four clubs to play round-robin matches at a neutral venue. The best two clubs of group A and B, The best three clubs of group C and The best points of 3rd position in group A and B will qualify to the knock-out stage.


2016 Football Division 3, North Eastern Region, Format
Knock-out stage: A total of 8 clubs which has qualified from the group stage will play single-elimination stage until there are only two finalists of the tournament.


2016 Football Division 3, Eastern Region, Format
Group stage: A total 21 clubs will be divided into four groups of three clubs except group 7 which has four clubs to play round-robin matches at a neutral venue. The best clubs of group A and G qualify to Quarter-finals round of the knock-out stage. The best two clubs of group B, C, D, E, F and runner-up of group A and G will qualify to Second round of the knock-out stage.


2016 Football Division 3, Eastern Region, Format
Knock-out stage: A total of 14 clubs which has qualified from the group stage will play single-elimination stage until there are only two finalists of the tournament.


2016 Football Division 3, Central Region, Format
Group stage: A total 54 clubs will be divided into four groups of three clubs except group 18 which has four clubs to play round-robin matches at a neutral venue. The best clubs of group A and G qualify to Quarter-finals round of the knock-out stage. The best clubs of group B, C, E, F, G and H, The best two clubs of group A, D, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q and R will qualify to third round of the knock-out stage. Runner-up of group E, F, G and H will qualify to second round of the knock-out stage.


2016 Football Division 3, Central Region, Format
Knock-out stage: A total of 18 clubs which has qualified from the group stage will play single-elimination stage until there are only two finalists of the tournament.


2016 Football Division 3, Southern Region, Qualification format
All four teams played a one-legged round-robin match. The best two teams advanced to the final round, and the winner of the final round was promoted to 2017 Thai Division 2 League.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season
The Football Federation Tasmania 2016 season was the fourth season under the new competition format in Tasmania. The competition consisted of three major divisions across the State of Tasmania, created from the teams in the previous structure. The overall premier for the new structure qualified for the National Premier Leagues finals series, competing with the other state federation champions in a final knock-out tournament to decide the National Premier Leagues Champion for 2016.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 NPL Tasmania
The 2016 NPL Tasmania season was played as a triple round-robin over 21 rounds.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 NPL Tasmania, League Cup
The end of season finals series for the League Cup was held using the same format as the previous year, which included the top six teams from the NPL Tasmania as well as the premiers from the Northern Championship (Somerset) and Southern Championship (Glenorchy Knights). The quarter-final and semi-final matches were decided by random draw. The competition was formerly known as the Victory Cup, but was renamed due to lapsing sponsorship arrangements.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 Tasmanian Championships, 2016 Northern Championship
The 2016 Northern Championship was the third edition of the Northern Championship as the second level domestic association football competition in Tasmania (third level overall in Australia). The league was played as a triple round-robin over 21 rounds. The highest placed team - other than those that also play in the NPL - qualified for the League Cup finals series.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 Tasmanian Championships, 2016 Southern Championship
The 2016 Southern Championship was the third edition of the Southern Championship as the second level domestic association football competition in Tasmania (third level overall in Australia). The league was played as a double round-robin over 16 rounds. The highest placed team - other than those that also play in the NPL - qualified for the League Cup finals series.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 Tasmanian Championship One, 2016 Northern Championship One
The 2016 Northern Championship One was the third edition of the Northern Championship One as the third level domestic association football competition in Tasmania (fourth level overall in Australia). The league was played as a triple round-robin over 21 rounds.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 Tasmanian Championship One, 2016 Southern Championship One
The 2016 Southern Championship One was the third edition of the Southern Championship One as the third level domestic association football competition in Tasmania (fourth level overall in Australia). The league was played as a double round-robin over 18 rounds.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Men's Competitions, 2016 Tasmanian League Two, 2016 Northern League Two
The 2016 Northern League Two was the third edition of the Northern League Two as the Fourth level domestic association football competition in Tasmania (fifth level overall in Australia). The league was played as a quintuple round-robin over 20 rounds.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Women's Competitions, 2016 Women's Super League
The 2016 Women's Super League season was the first edition of a state wide Tasmanian women's association football league. The league was played as a double round-robin over 14 rounds.


2016 Football Federation Tasmania season, Cup Competitions
The Milan Lakoseljac Cup competition also served as the Tasmanian Preliminary Rounds for the 2016 FFA Cup. Devonport City entered at the Round of 32, and were eliminated in the Round of 16.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season
The 2016 Football Federation Victoria season was the third season under the new competition format for state-level football (soccer) in Victoria. The competition consisted of seven divisions across the state of Victoria.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier Leagues Victoria
The 2016 National Premier Leagues Victoria season was played over 26 rounds. The overall premier of this division qualified for the 2016 National Premier Leagues finals series, and competed with the other state federation champions in a final knockout tournament to decide the National Premier Leagues champion for 2016.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, West
The 2016 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 West was played over 28 rounds, with each team playing the teams in their conference twice and the other conference once. The top team at the end of the season was promoted to National Premier Leagues Victoria, and the second placed team entered the promotion play-off.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, East
The 2015 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 East was played over 28 rounds, with each team playing the teams in their conference twice and the other conference once. The top team at the end of the season was promoted to National Premier Leagues Victoria, and the second placed team entered the promotion play-off.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, Grand Final
The NPL2 Season concluded with a single match between the winners of the leagues in the West and East sections, to determine the NPL2 Champion.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, League Tables, 2016 Women's National Premier League
The highest tier domestic football competition in Victoria for women is known for sponsorship reasons as the PS4 Women's National Premier League. This was the inaugural season of the NPL Women's format, replacing the previous Women's Premier League format. Only 8 of the 22 applicants were granted licences for the 2016 season, plus the Victorian women's team of the NTC. The 9 teams played a 24-round league competition.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, Cup Competitions, 2016 Dockerty Cup
Football Victoria soccer clubs competed in 2016 for the Dockerty Cup. The tournament doubled as the Victorian qualifiers for the 2016 FFA Cup, with the top four clubs progressing to the Round of 32. A total of 202 clubs entered the qualifying phase, with the clubs entering in a staggered format.


2016 Football Federation Victoria season, Cup Competitions, 2016 Dockerty Cup
In addition to the two A-League clubs (Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City), the four semi-finalists (Bentleigh Greens, Green Gully, Hume City and Melbourne Knights) competed in the final rounds of the 2016 FFA Cup.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final
The 2016 Football League Championship play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 28 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the  Premier League.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final
The top two teams of the 2015–16 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals;  Hull City ended the season in fourth position while Sheffield Wednesday finished sixth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2016–17 season in the Premier League. Winning the game was estimated to be worth up to £200 million to the successful team.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final
The 2016 final, refereed by Bobby Madley, was watched by a crowd of more than 70,000 people in sunny conditions. Hull City won 1–0, the only goal of the game being scored by the man of the match Mohamed Diamé in the 72nd minute. It was Hull's their first game at Wembley since losing the 2014 FA Cup Final and marked their return to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in the 2014–15 season.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final
Hull were relegated back to the Championship the following season, as they finished 18th in the 2016–17 Premier League. Sheffield Wednesday finished the following season in fourth place but were knocked out in the play-offs by Huddersfield Town on penalties.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Hull City finished the regular 2015–16 season in fourth place in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, two places ahead of Sheffield Wednesday. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Hull finished six points behind Middlesbrough (who were promoted in second place) and ten behind league winners Burnley. Sheffield Wednesday ended the season nine points behind Hull.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Sheffield Wednesday faced Brighton & Hove Albion in their play-off semi-final and the first leg was played at Hillsborough. A goal from Brighton's Fernando Forestieri was ruled out for offside before Wednesday's Ross Wallace scored from 25 yards just before half time. Connor Goldson and Tomer Hemed were both substituted for Brighton through injury in the first half, and with Steve Sidwell and Anthony Knockaert leaving the field in the second half, the visitors were forced to play the final 30 minutes with ten men. Kieran Lee doubled Wednesday's advantage in the 73rd minute and the tie ended 2–0.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Brighton's Lewis Dunk, back from suspension, scored the opening goal in the second leg, at Falmer Stadium. Less than ten minutes later, Wallace's cross drifted into the goal to equalise the tie. Brighton barely threatened Wednesday in the second half and the semi-final ended 3–1 on aggregate; the south coast club lost their third play-off semi-final in four years.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Hull City's semi-final was against Derby County and the first leg was held at Pride Park Stadium. Abel Hernández put the visitors into the lead with a 25-yard shot on the half-hour mark, before an own goal from Jason Shackell doubled Hull's lead before the break. Derby's first shot on target, a weak effort from Jacob Butterfield, came in the 80th minute. Andrew Robertson scored late in stoppage time to end the match 3–0. The second leg was played at the KCOM Stadium and Derby took an early lead with a Johnny Russell goal in the 7th minute.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
An own goal from Robertson ten minutes before the break made the score 2–0 to Derby while a save from Hull's goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović denied Chris Martin and Derby an equaliser. Despite having almost two-thirds of the possession and 16 shots, Derby were unable to restore parity as the semi-final ended 3–2 on aggregate to Hull.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
This was Hull's second play-off final, having defeated Bristol City 1–0 in the 2008 final. They had also played at Wembley in the 2014 FA Cup Final where they lost 3–2 to Arsenal in extra time. Hull had been relegated from the Premier League in the 2014–15 season and were aiming to return to the top tier of English football at the first attempt.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
Sheffield Wednesday had experienced play-off final success at the Millennium Stadium when they defeated Hartlepool United to win the 2005 Football League One play-off Final, but had not featured in any play-off finals for promotion to the top tier of English football. During the regular season, the clubs had drawn in both meetings, 1–1 at Hillsborough in October 2015 and 0–0 at the KCOM Stadium the following February. Forestieri  was Sheffield Wednesday's top scorer with 15 league goals, while Hernández was joint second top scorer in the division with 21.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
Hull City's starting eleven was unchanged from the second semi-final leg defeat to Derby County. Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal made one change, bringing in Sam Hutchinson to replace Álex López in midfield. The final was refereed by Bobby Madley, with assistant referees Simon Bennett and Peter Kirkup, while Phil Gibbs acted as the fourth official. It was reported in the media and press that the game was worth between £110 million and £200 million over three years to the winners through sponsorship and television deals. Hull were considered favourites by bookmakers to win the match which was broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports 1.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
Hull City were allocated 38,956 tickets for the final, but failed to sell them all due to supporter segregation and an ongoing boycott against the Allam family ownership from many fans. Sheffield Wednesday sold out their full allocation of 38,889 tickets.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
Hull kicked the match off at around 5 p.m. in sunny conditions in front of a crowd of 70,189. The first shot on goal came in the 4th minute from Hull's Tom Huddlestone whose strike was saved by the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood. After an even ten minutes, Michael Dawson drew the first booking of the match. After a late challenge on Forestieri, the Wednesday striker took the free kick himself, Jakupović punched it over the bar, which the former Leicester City player Steve Claridge described as "awful, dreadful".


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
Another free kick to Wednesday in the 15th minute was also punched clear. In the 29th minute, Westwood conceded a corner to Hull and from the set piece, Hernández's header was cleared off the line by Wednesday's Lee. A Forestieri shot two minutes later went wide before Hernández went through on goal, one-on-one with Westwood, who made an excellent save to deny the opening goal. Hull's challenge continued with a shot off target from Moses Odubajo in the 35th minute.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
With five minutes of the half remaining, Hull's Mohamed Diamé beat three defenders but his shot from seven yards ricocheted off the post. In the last moment of the half, Hull had two chances: Westwood saved a low Odubajo effort while Hernández's overhead kick which was blocked, and the half ended 0–0.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
Neither team made any changes at half-time, and the second half was kicked off by Sheffield Wednesday. In the 51st minute, Forestieri was denied a shooting opportunity by Hull's Curtis Davies. A 54th minute close-range shot from Dawson was saved by Westwood. Four minutes later, Hull made a quick break only for Robertson to head the ball over the bar from an accurate Odubajo pass. Wednesday's Hutchinson then shot from distance but his strike also went over the bar. Forestieri's 62nd minute shot was deflected for a corner which was subsequently cleared by the Hull goalkeeper Jakupović.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
A minute later Sheffield Wednesday made the first substitution of the game with Jérémy Hélan coming on for Wallace. In the 72nd minute, the deadlock was broken – Hull's Diamé struck the ball from outside the Wednesday penalty area, past Westwood, to take a 1–0 lead. Claridge remarked that it was a "wonderful, brilliant, fantastic strike". Wednesday made their second substitution immediately afterwards, as Atdhe Nuhiu replaced Hutchinson.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
In the 79th minute, Odubajo shot wide, and with eight minutes of normal time remaining, Hull made their first substitution, bringing off the Scottish winger Robert Snodgrass and replacing him with the midfielder Sam Clucas. A minute later Hernández's shot was blocked by Glenn Loovens, conceding a corner, which Davies headed waywardly. A chance for Sheffield Wednesday was missed after Forestieri's pass failed to find a teammate, and Hull's striker Hernández was then replaced by the Irish midfielder David Meyler.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
A foul from Wednesday's defender Daniel Pudil was his last contribution to the match as he was substituted in the 87th minute for the Portuguese striker Lucas João. With a minute of regular time remaining, Hull made their final change with the goalscorer Diamé substituted for Harry Maguire. Four minutes of additional time were indicated by the fourth official, and despite a chance for João to equalise, the match ended 1–0, ensuring Hull's return to the Premier League.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Post-match
The Hull manager Steve Bruce remarked: "The goal was a wonder goal that would have graced any cup final ... Overall, I think we've deserved to win from the chances we've created." Carvalhal was gracious in defeat, noting: "I think Hull deserved to win the game, they were better than us ... we didn't create too many problems defensively for Hull."


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Post-match
Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, reporting for BBC Radio 5 Live, stated: "it's the right result, there was a definite gulf in class between the two teams on the day ... credit to Hull – they played the game brilliantly and deserved the win". Hull's Diamé was named man of the match.


2016 Football League Championship play-off Final, Post-match
Hull ended the next season in 18th position in the 2016–17 Premier League, and were relegated back to the Championship. Sheffield Wednesday finished the following season in fourth place and qualified for the play-offs where they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Huddersfield Town on penalties.


2016 Football League Cup Final
The 2016 Football League Cup Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 28 February 2016 to determine the winner of the 2015–16 Football League Cup, the 56th edition of the Football League Cup, a competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and Football League. It was contested by Liverpool and Manchester City, with Manchester City winning 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had finished 1–1 after extra time. They would have qualified for the Third Qualifying Round of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, but they already qualified for the season's UEFA Champions League via their league position.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Background
Liverpool were participating in a record 12th League Cup Final, having previously won a record eight, most recently in 2012 against Cardiff City. Their last loss was in 2005 to Chelsea.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Background
Manchester City made their fifth appearance in the final, having won three previous times, the last of which as recently as 2014 against Sunderland.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
Liverpool, as a Premier League team involved in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, started the competition in the third round. In this they were drawn against Football League Two team Carlisle United, at their home ground, Anfield. After extra time the score was 1–1 but Liverpool advanced after a 3–2 penalty shoot out win. In the fourth round they were drawn at home again, this time against fellow Premier League team AFC Bournemouth; they won the game 1–0 after Nathaniel Clyne's debut goal for Liverpool.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
In the quarter finals, they were drawn away to fellow Premier League team Southampton. At St. Mary's Stadium, Liverpool won 6–1 with a hat-trick from Divock Origi, two goals from Daniel Sturridge and one from Jordon Ibe. In the two-legged semi-final, Liverpool were drawn against Stoke City. At the Britannia Stadium, Liverpool won the first leg 1–0 due to a goal from Ibe. However, they lost the second leg 1–0 at Anfield, their first home loss in a League Cup semi-final, necessitating a penalty shoot out which Liverpool won 6–5; goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved from Peter Crouch and Marc Muniesa with Joe Allen scoring the winner.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester City
Manchester City, as a Premier League team involved in the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League, started in the third round, in which they were drawn away against Sunderland. At the Stadium of Light, Manchester City won 4–1 with goals from Sergio Agüero, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and an own goal from Vito Mannone. In the next round they were drawn at home against Crystal Palace. At the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City won 5–1 with goals from Wilfried Bony, De Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Yaya Touré and Manu García.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester City
In the quarter-finals, they were drawn against Hull City at home, where they won 4–1 with goals from Bony, Iheanacho and two from De Bruyne. In the semi-finals, they were drawn against Everton where despite losing 2–1 at Goodison Park, Manchester City won 3–1 at the City of Manchester Stadium thus reaching the final 4–3 on aggregate and also preventing a Merseyside derby final.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
In the 49th minute Fernandinho opened the scoring for Man City with a low shot from a tight angle on the right of the box that went into the far corner under Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. In the 60th minute Raheem Sterling had a chance to make it 2-0 but he passed the ball wide of the near post from six yards out.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
In the 83rd minute, Daniel Sturridge drilled the ball in from the right beyond the far post, the ball came to Adam Lallana whose shot hit the face of the near post with the ball coming back to Philippe Coutinho, who scored with a low right foot shot from 12 yards out. There were no more goals in the 90 minutes or in the 30 minutes of extra-time with the match going to a penalty shoot-out. Emre Can scored the first penalty of the shoot-out for Liverpool before Fernandinho missed the first spot-kick for Man City, hitting the post.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
Lucas Leiva then missed the next kick for Liverpool, with Willy Caballero diving to his left to save. Jesús Navas then scored with his kick before Philippe Coutinho missed with the next kick for Liverpool, Caballero saving again to his left. Sergio Agüero then scored before Caballero dived to his right to save from Adam Lallana. Yaya Touré scored with a low shot to the left to win the game for Man City 3-1 on penalties.


2016 Football League Cup Final, Post-match
In winning, Manchester City qualified for the Third Qualifying Round of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League; however, they subsequently qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League via their league position. The vacant UEFA Europa League berth was instead allocated to the club ranked highest in the 2015–16 Premier League that had not already qualified for Europe, which was seventh-placed West Ham United.


2016 Football League One play-off Final
The 2016 EFL League One play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 29 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Barnsley and Millwall to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from EFL League One to the EFL Championship. The top two teams of the 2015–16 Football League One season gained automatic promotion to the Championship, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2016–17 season in the Championship.


2016 Football League One play-off Final
Both Barnsley and Millwall had won one and lost one of their previous play-off finals going into the match. A Wembley Stadium crowd of more than 51,000 people watched the game which was refereed by Stuart Attwell. Ashley Fletcher opened the scoring for Barnsley after two minutes, and seventeen minutes later Adam Hammill doubled the lead. Eleven minutes before half-time, Millwall's Mark Beevers halved the deficit, but a goal on seventy-four minutes from Lloyd Isgrove restored Barnsley's two-goal advantage which they maintained to the final whistle, winning 3–1 and earning promotion to the Championship. Violence at the Millwall end of the stadium disrupted the latter stages of the match.


2016 Football League One play-off Final
Millwall ended the following season in sixth place in League One and were promoted to the Championship after winning the 2017 EFL Championship play-off Final 1–0 against Bradford City. Barnsley's following season saw them finish in fourteenth place in the EFL Championship, seven points above the relegation zone and twenty-two points below the play-offs.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Millwall finished the regular 2015–16 season in fourth place in Football League One, the third tier of the English football league system, two places ahead of Barnsley. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the EFL Championship and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Millwall finished four points behind Burton Albion (who were promoted in second place) and six behind league winners Wigan Athletic. Barnsley ended the season seven points behind Millwall.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Barnsley's opposition in their play-off semi-final was Walsall. The first leg was played at Barnsley's home ground, Oakwell. Jason Demetriou scored an own goal after he deflected Adam Hammill's shot into the Walsall net just before half-time. Sam Winnall then scored two second-half goals in two minutes to secure a 3–0 victory for Barnsley. The second leg, played at Walsall's  Bescot Stadium, took place five days later. Hammill scored his third semi-final goal in the 18th minute before Ashley Fletcher's second half strike extended Barnsley's aggregate lead to 5–0. Jordan Cook scored a late consolation for Walsall but Josh Brownhill scored Barnsley's third of the game in the final minute to end the tie 6–1 on aggregate to Barnsley.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Millwall faced Bradford City in their play-off semi-final. The first leg was played at Bradford's home stadium, Valley Parade. Tony McMahon put the home team in the lead with a penalty early in the first half but Lee Gregory equalised two minutes later. Two further first-half goals, a header from Steve Morison and a free kick from Joe Martin, made the score 3–1 to Millwall. Despite Bradford having the majority of the possession, no further goals were scored in the second half. The second leg took place five days later at Millwall's home stadium, The Den.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Gregory's 34th minute strike gave Millwall the lead, but Bradford's Jamie Proctor scored on his second attempt to bring the leg level. Bradford once again dominated possession but could not convert their limited chances and the match ended 1–1, ensuring Millwall of a 4–2 win on aggregate and progress to the play-off final.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Millwall had featured in two play-off finals prior to this game. They lost the 2009 Football League One play-off Final 3–2 to Scunthorpe United but triumphed the following season in the 2010 Football League One play-off Final defeating Swindon Town 1–0. They had also played at Wembley in the 2012–13 FA Cup semi-final, losing to Wigan Athletic. Barnsley had also appeared in two play-off finals before this match.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Background
They lost 4–2 to Ipswich Town in the 2000 Football League First Division play-off Final at the old Wembley Stadium and beat Swansea City in a penalty shootout to secure promotion in the 2006 Football League One play-off Final at the Millennium Stadium. Barnsley had also already visited Wembley earlier in the season, with a 3–2 victory over Oxford United in the 2016 Football League Trophy Final. During the regular season, Barnsley won both matches against Millwall, 3–2 at The Den in August 2015 and 2–1 at Oakwell the following January.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Winnall was Barnsley's highest scorer with 21 goals while Millwall's top marksman was Gregory, who was named in the League One team of the season, with 18. Millwall last played in the Championship during the previous season when they were relegated to League One after finishing in 22nd position. Barnsley had been relegated from the Championship in the 2013–14 season, ending their campaign in 23rd place. Bookmakers were divided as to who was considered the favourites to win the match.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Background
The referee for this season's play-off final was Stuart Attwell, with assistants Nigel Lugg and Rob Jones, while Stephen Martin acted as the fourth official. Attwell had previously officiated at the 2008 Football League Two play-off Final and had refereed the 2016 FA Vase Final at  Wembley the previous weekend. Millwall supporters were seated in the West End of Wembley, while Barnsley fans were allocated the East End. The match was broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports with highlights being shown on Channel 5. Both teams named an unchanged starting line-up from their semi-final second leg matches, but Millwall's Byron Webster did not complete the warm-up and was replaced by Tony Craig. The weather conditions for the match were mild and overcast.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, First half
Millwall kicked the match off around 3 p.m. in front of a Wembley crowd of 51,277. Shane Ferguson was fouled by Barnsley's Josh Scowen but Mark Beevers headed the resulting free kick from Taylor wide of the post. From the goal kick, Winnall's headed flick-on fell to Fletcher who ran into the box before shooting low past Archer to open the scoring. Hammill's fifth minute strike was too high and wide before Fletcher's shot was blocked by Archer. Conor Hourihane's subsequent low corner found Winnall whose attempt from 15 yards (14 m) was also blocked.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, First half
On 19 minutes, Hammill doubled Barnsley's lead with a curling shot into the top corner of Millwall's goal from 25 yards (23 m). George Williams was shown the first yellow card of the match on 28 minutes when he fouled Millwall's Chris Taylor. The resulting free kick from Carlos Edwards was cleared by Winnall. Scowen then made two clearances in quick succession, first from Taylor and then Edwards.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, First half
In the 34th minute, Millwall scored through Lee Beevers: a corner from Ferguson was kept in play at the near post by Morison, and Beevers held off Craig to strike the ball into Barnsley's net. In the 43rd minute, Martin became the first substitution of the game after sustaining a calf injury, and was replaced by the forward Aiden O'Brien. Brownhill's free kick in the last minute of the first half was off-target, and after three minutes of additional time, the referee brought the first half to a close with Barnsley leading 2–1.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
No changes were made by either side during the break and Barnsley kicked off the second half. Millwall dominated the early stages of the second half but in the 56th minute, Hamill's double-chance was saved by Archer. Three minutes later, Gregory's chance was collected by Adam Davies before Hammill's 63rd minute strike was easily saved by Archer. Marc Roberts was then booked in the 63rd minute for a challenge on Gregory. Morison then went round the Barnsley goalkeeper and although his cross found O'Brien, the resulting shot was saved by Davies. In the 74th minute, Lloyd Isgrove extended Barnsley's lead.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
A corner from Hourihane was missed by Archer and Isgrove headed into the Millwall goal. Two minutes later, Fred Onyedinma was brought on for Ben Thompson, and in the 82nd minute, Edwards was replaced by Shaun Williams. Isgrove was then substituted by Marley Watkins before O'Brien's pass to Taylor ended in the latter's shot being saved by Davies. Four minutes of additional time were played but the score remained unchanged, with the match ending 3–1 in Barnsley's favour.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Post-match
Barnsley interim manager Paul Heckingbottom said: "I couldn't be any prouder. Every single thing we've asked them to do, they've tried to do it. The players deserve every little bit of the celebrations." Millwall's manager Neil Harris suggested that the loss of Webster in the warm-up was a contributing factor to their defeat: "it affected us mentally before the game. You try to paper over it but we worked all work on our gameplan and it all sort of goes out of the way in the warm-up." Barnsley's Hammill was named man of the match.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Post-match
Towards the end of the game, with Barnsley winning 3–1, a group of Millwall supporters broke through a security barrier and attacked Barnsley supporters some of whom were forced to leave the stadium to avoid the violence. The fighting was condemned by the Football Association. Objects were also thrown on Barnsley supporters occupying a lower tier and were aimed at Barnsley players on the pitch.


2016 Football League One play-off Final, Post-match
Millwall ended the following season in sixth place in League One, thirteen points outside the two automatic promotion places, and were promoted to the Championship after winning the 2017 EFL Championship play-off Final 1–0 against Bradford City. Barnsley's next season saw them finish in fourteenth place in the EFL Championship, seven points above the relegation zone and twenty-two points below the play-offs.


2016 Football League Trophy Final
The 2016 Football League Trophy Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 3 April 2016 to decide the winners of the 2015–16 Football League Trophy, the 32nd edition of the Football League Trophy, a knock-out tournament for the 48 teams in League One and League Two.


2016 Football League Trophy Final
It was played between Barnsley of League One and Oxford United of League Two, neither of whom had played in a League Trophy final before. Barnsley won 3–2. United led 1–0 at half-time through a goal from Callum O'Dowda. An own-goal by Chey Dunkley early in the second half was followed by goals from Ashley Fletcher and Adam Hammill to give Barnsley a two-goal cushion. A header from Danny Hylton in the 76th minute reduced the deficit, but United were unable to find an equaliser in the remaining minutes and suffered defeat at Wembley for the first time in their history.


2016 Football League Trophy Final, Post-match
Both Barnsley and Oxford United were promoted from their respective leagues at the end of the 2015–16 season. Winners Barnsley were promoted  to the Championship, after beating Millwall 3–1 in the League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium on 29 May 2016. Runners-up Oxford United were promoted to League One, after finishing second in League Two, on 7 May 2016.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final
The 2016 Football League Two play-off Final was an association football match played on 30 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two, English football's fourth tier, to Football League One. The top three teams of the 2015–16 Football League Two season gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2016–17 season in League One. Plymouth Argyle finished in fifth place while Wimbledon ended the season in seventh position. Accrington Stanley and Portsmouth were the losing semi-finalists.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final
The final was played in front of 57,956 spectators and was refereed by Iain Williamson. The first half ended goalless, but in the 77th minute, substitute Adebayo Akinfenwa's first action was to help win a corner for Wimbledon, from which Lyle Taylor scored with a low shot past Luke McCormick. Ten minutes into stoppage time, Ade Azeez won a penalty which was scored by Akinfenwa to make it 2–0 which was the final score. It was Wimbledon's sixth promotion since the club's formation in 2002.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final
Wimbledon ended their following season in fifteenth place in the League One table, while Plymouth finished the next season in second position to gain automatic promotion to League One for the 2017–18 season.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Plymouth Argyle finished the regular 2015–16 season in fifth place in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, two positions ahead of AFC Wimbledon. Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to Football League One and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Plymouth Argyle finished four points behind Bristol Rovers (who were promoted in third place), five behind Oxford United (promoted in second) and eighteen behind league winners Northampton Town. Wimbledon ended the season two places and six points behind Plymouth Argyle.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Wimbledon's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Accrington Stanley with the first match of the two-legged tie being played on 14 May 2016 at Kingsmeadow in Greater London. After a goalless first half in which no shots on target were made by either side, Tom Beere's low shot three minutes into injury time beat Neil Etheridge in the Accrington goal to ensure the match ended 1–0. The second leg of the semi-final play-off took place four days later at the Crown Ground in Accrington.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Josh Windass levelled the tie with a penalty six minutes before half-time after Scott Brown was fouled. Piero Mingoia then put Accrington ahead on aggregate with a strike in the 59th minute. Midway through the second half, a header from Adebayo Akinfenwa made it 2–1 and with no further change to the scoreline, the game went into extra time. Lyle Taylor then scored after Etheridge had saved an effort from Jake Reeves, and Wimbledon progressed to the final with a 3–2 aggregate victory.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
In the second play-off semi-final, Plymouth Argyle faced Portsmouth and the first leg was played at Fratton Park in Portsmouth on 12 May 2016. A strike from the edge of Plymouth's penalty area from Marc McNulty gave the home side a third-minute lead but Jamille Matt equalised six minutes later with a header. On 19 minutes, Matt put Plymouth ahead with an overhead kick. Six minutes after half-time, Peter Hartley fouled McNulty in the box, and Gary Roberts converted the subsequent penalty to make it 2–2. The second leg was held at Home Park in Plymouth three days later. The home side dominated the game but did not score until injury time in the second half when Hartley converted Graham Carey's corner. The match ended 1–0 giving Plymouth a 3–2 aggregate win and progression to the play-off final at Wembley.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
Prior to the final, the teams had faced each other three times during the season. Plymouth had won the league match at Kingsmeadow in August 2015, followed by victory there in the EFL Trophy the following month. Wimbledon won the other league fixture between the sides, with a 2–1 victory in April 2016. AFC Wimbledon fans were allocated the West End of Wembley, while Plymouth Argyle supporters were seated in the East End. The referee for the match was Iain Williamson, assisted by Ron Ganfield and Paul Marsden. Tim Robinson was the fourth official and the reserve assistant referee was Tom Bramall. The live match was broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, with highlights of the match shown later on Channel 5.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
Wimbledon wore all-blue kit with yellow trim while Plymouth played in green-and-white striped shirts, green shorts and green-and-white socks.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Plymouth Argyle kicked off the match at around 3 p.m. in front of 57,956 spectators. In the seventh minute, a header from a deep free-kick was flicked on by Taylor but his shot was saved, and soon after Carey's shot flew over the Wimbledon crossbar. Six minutes later, a Taylor shot was deflected out for a corner  which was cleared to Reeves whose volley went wide of the Plymouth goal. In the 25th minute, Kelvin Mellor almost scored an own goal after deflecting a Wimbledon cross but the ball went wide, and Plymouth cleared the subsequent corner. Five minutes before half-time, a long-range strike from Callum Kennedy was saved by Luke McCormick in the Plymouth goal. After a minute of injury time, the referee blew the whistle to bring the half to an end with the score goalless.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
The second half was kicked off by Wimbledon but the first chance fell to Plymouth on 47 minutes: a high cross intended for Jake Jervis was punched clear by Kelle Roos, the Wimbledon goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Carl McHugh's mis-hit pass almost beat his own goalkeeper but went wide for a corner. In the 56th minute, a shot from Andy Barcham was blocked before Tom Elliott headed over the bar from a Taylor cross. Gregg Wylde became the first player to be booked after being shown the yellow card for a foul on Wimbledon's Barry Fuller in the 63rd minute.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Two minutes later, Carey's curling free kick from around 30 yards (27 m) was saved by Roos, then Darius Charles was booked for a foul on Matt. On 68 minutes, Plymouth made their first substitution of the afternoon with Jervis being replaced by Craig Tanner. Soon after, Jonathan Meades came on to replace Connor Smith for Wimbledon. In the 77th minute, Elliott left the pitch to be replaced by Akinfenwa whose first action a minute later was to help win a corner for Wimbledon, from which Taylor scored with a low shot past McCormick.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
The Plymouth goalkeeper made another save four minutes later before Reid came on to replace Wylde in the 83rd minute. Hartley was then injured in a clash with Akinfenwa and was stretchered off the pitch, and replaced by Jordon Forster. In the 90th minute, McCormick tipped away Akinfenwa's header to keep the score at 1–0, and the game went into seven minutes of injury time. Tanner was brought down in the 95th minute but the referee ignored appeals for a penalty from Plymouth before Taylor's weak shot after a one-on-one with McCormick was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Taylor was then replaced by Ade Azeez in Wimbledon's third substitution of the match. Ten minutes into stoppage time, Azeez won a penalty which was scored by Akinfenwa to make it 2–0 which was the final score.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Post match
The scorer of Wimbledon's second goal, Akinfenwa revealed shortly after the end of the game that he had been released and that he was looking for a new club. It was Wimbledon's sixth promotion since the club's formation in 2002.


2016 Football League Two play-off Final, Post match
Wimbledon ended their following season in fifteenth place in the League One table. Plymouth finished the next season in second position in League Two to gain automatic promotion to League One for the 2017–18 season.


2016 Football League play-offs
The Football League play-offs for the 2015–16 season were held in May 2016 with all finals being staged at Wembley Stadium in London.


2016 Football League play-offs
The play-offs begin at the semi-final stage with all semi-finals being played over two legs, contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th-placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals then advance to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.


2016 Football League play-offs, Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.


2016 Football NSW season
The Football NSW 2016 season was the fourth season of football in New South Wales under the banner of the National Premier Leagues. The competition consisted of four divisions across the state of New South Wales. The Premiers of the NPL NSW Men's 1 qualified for the national finals, playing-off to decide the champion of the 2016 National Premier Leagues.


2016 Football NSW season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier League NSW Men's 1
The National Premier League New South Wales 2016 season was played over 22 rounds, from March to August 2016.


2016 Football NSW season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier League NSW Men's 2
The 2016 National Premier League NSW Men's 2 was the fourth edition of the NPL NSW 2 as the second level domestic association football competition in New South Wales. 14 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 26 rounds, with the top team at the end of the year promoted to the NPL NSW Men's 1 competition. The league began on March 6 with the regular season concluding on August 28. The top 6 teams competed in the finals series.


2016 Football NSW season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier League NSW Men's 3
The 2016 National Premier League NSW Men's 3 was the fourth edition of the newly renamed NPL NSW Men's 3 to be incorporated under the National Premier Leagues banner. 12 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 22 rounds.


2016 Football NSW season, League Tables, 2016 NSW State League
The 2016 NSW State League was the fourth edition of the newly renamed State League to be incorporated under the National Premier Leagues banner. 12 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 22 matches.


2016 Football NSW season, League Tables, 2016 National Premier League NSW Women's 1
The 2016 National Premier League NSW Women's 1 was the third edition of the NPL NSW Women's competition to be incorporated under the National Premier Leagues banner. 10 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 18 rounds.


2016 Football NSW season, 2016 Waratah Cup
Football NSW soccer clubs competed in 2016 for the Waratah Cup. The tournament doubled as the NSW qualifier for the 2016 FFA Cup, with the top five clubs progressing to the Round of 32, as well as the reigning National Premier Leagues champion (Blacktown City FC). 130 clubs entered the qualifying phase, with the clubs entering in a staggered format.


2016 Football NSW season, 2016 Waratah Cup
The competition was won by defending champions Sydney United 58, their 6th title, defeating Manly United.


2016 Football NSW season, 2016 Waratah Cup
In addition to the three A-League clubs (Central Coast Mariners, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers), the six qualifiers (Blacktown City, Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Manly United, Marconi Stallions, Sydney United 58 and Wollongong Wolves) competed in the final rounds of the 2016 FFA Cup. Of these qualifying clubs, Blacktown City progressed to the quarter-finals stage.


2016 Football West season
The 2016 Football West season was the third season under the new competition format in Western Australia. The overall premier for the new structure – Perth – qualified for the National Premier Leagues finals series, competing with the other Federation champions in a final knockout tournament to decide the National Premier Leagues Champion for 2016.


2016 Football West season, League tables, 2016 National Premier Leagues WA
The 2016 National Premier Leagues WA season was played over 22 rounds commencing 19 March 2016, followed by the return of a Top 4 Finals series. Despite the flagged return of a Promotion/Relegation system for the bottom team, it was determined after the season ended that no State League Division One club met all the criteria for promotion, and that the teams in the 2017 season would remain unchanged. This decision was changed 3 weeks later, with Football West stating that both Joondalup United and Mandurah City would be promoted, and their overall promotion criteria would be reviewed.


2016 Football West season, League tables, 2016 WA State League Division 1
The 2016 WA State League Division 1 Season was the second tier domestic football competition in Western Australia. It was decided after the season ended that  no club met all the criteria for promotion to the NPL for the following season, but that decision was reversed three weeks later.


2016 Football West season, League tables, 2016 WA State League Division 1, Promotion/Relegation Play-off
Dianella wins 4–2 on aggregate, and stays in Division 1 in 2017.


2016 Football West season, League tables, 2016 WA State League Division 2
The 2016 WA State League Division 2 Season was the third tier domestic football competition in Western Australia. The top team at the end of the year is promoted to the 2017 WA State League Division 1, with the second team qualifying to a promotion/relegation playoff.


2016 Football West season, League tables, 2016 Women's State League Premier Division
The highest tier domestic football competition in Western Australia is known as the BankWest Women's State League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons. The 8 teams play each other three times, for a total of 21 rounds, and with a promotion/relegation system for the bottom team with the State League Division 1.


2016 Football West season, 2016 Cool Ridge Cup
Western Australian soccer clubs competed in 2016 for the Football West State Cup, known that year as the Cool Ridge Cup for sponsorship reasons. Clubs entered from the National Premier Leagues WA, the two divisions of the State League, a limited number of teams from various divisions of the 2016 Sunday League competition, and from regional teams invited from the South West, Goldfields, Great Southern and Midwest regions.


2016 Football West season, 2016 Cool Ridge Cup
This knockout competition was won by Floreat Athena, their 6th title.


2016 Football West season, 2016 Cool Ridge Cup
The competition also served as the Western Australian Preliminary Rounds for the 2016 FFA Cup. In addition to the A-League club Perth Glory, the two finalists – Cockburn City and Floreat Athena – qualified for the final rounds of the 2016 FFA Cup, entering at the Round of 32.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400
The 2016 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on November 20, 2016, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 268 laps – extended from 267 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson won the race, and with it his seventh career Cup championship, tying him with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for most Cup championships of all time.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400
It also marked the final race for Sprint as the series sponsor, having been the Cup Series’ title sponsor since 2008, after buying out Nextel in late 2005. Monster Energy replaced Sprint as title sponsor for the series for 2017.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400
This was the final race for three-time champion and Hall of Fame inductee Tony Stewart. It was also the final race for Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Tony Stewart's final race
The race marked the final start of three-time Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart after a farewell tour (of which he missed the first nine races due to a Non-NASCAR racing accident), which took place a year after that of Jeff Gordon. Despite missing the first nine races due to a non-NASCAR racing accident, Stewart made the Chase with a win at Sonoma, but was eliminated in the first round. He started this race 11th, but finished 22nd.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Background
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Background
Since 2002, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsors all three of the season-ending races; the races have the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300 and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively, and the weekend is marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) has held its season-ending races at Homestead since 1995.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Background, Championship drivers
Jimmie Johnson was the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Background, Championship drivers
Carl Edwards clinched the second spot in the Championship 4, winning the second race of the Round of 8 at Texas.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Background, Championship drivers
Joey Logano clinched the third spot in the Championship 4, winning the third and final race of the Round of 8 at Phoenix.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Report, Background, Championship drivers
Kyle Busch, the defending Cup champion, clinched the final spot, finishing second behind Logano at Phoenix to clinch his spot in the championship race.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, First practice
Ryan Newman was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 30.789 and a speed of 175.387 mph (282.258 km/h).


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Qualifying
Kevin Harvick scored the pole for the race with a time of 30.399 and a speed of 177.737 mph (286.040 km/h). He said he was "just so proud of everybody on this Jimmy John’s Chevrolet team. They want to come to the race track and bring good race cars and perform well. Just real proud of that. That’s awesome. I didn’t know if we had a chance at the pole with as fast as the No. 24 (Chase Elliott) had been.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Qualifying
But I knew if we could just run the same speed every round, that is half the battle because you never know how much it is going to slow down for everybody else, and it doesn’t take much to make a mistake. Really proud of everybody on our Jimmy John’s team.”


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Practice (post-qualifying), Second practice
Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 30.973 and a speed of 174.345 mph (280.581 km/h).


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Practice (post-qualifying), Final practice
Martin Truex, Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 30.983 and a speed of 174.289 mph (280.491 km/h).


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, First half
Under mostly sunny Florida skies, Kevin Harvick led the field to the green flag at 3:24 p.m. The first caution of the race flew on lap 27 for Ryan Blaney crashing hard into the outside wall in turn 1. Denny Hamlin led a lap under the caution after missing the entrance to pit road. He pitted the next time by and handed the lead back to Harvick.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, First half
The race restarted on lap 32. Carl Edwards nudged Harvick in turn 4 to take the lead on lap 33. Harvick took it back on lap 35. A cycle of green flag stops started on lap 68. Harvick pitted from the lead the following lap and handed it to Edwards. He pitted on lap 72 and the lead cycled back to Harvick.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, First half
The second caution flew on lap 80 after Jeffrey Earnhardt spun out in turn 4.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, First half
The race restarted on lap 86 and Joey Logano beat Harvick to take over the lead. Edwards took the lead on lap 92. Kyle Larson worked his way through the field, catching Carl Edwards and passing him on the outside in turn 4 to take the lead on lap 119 just as another cycle of green flag stops started. Following the cycle, Edwards returned to the lead. A. J. Allmendinger was given a drive-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
Larson retook the lead on lap 126. Kyle Busch made an unscheduled stop for what he thought was a flat right-front tire on lap 137, only to find out a few laps later the tire wasn't flat. Another round of green flag stops commenced on lap 153 and Larson retained the lead through the cycle.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
Debris in turn 1 brought out the third caution on lap 171.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
The race restarted on lap 171. The fourth caution flew with 61 laps to go for Blaney again crashing hard in turn 1


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
The race restarted with 55 to go. The fifth caution flew with 15 to go for Dylan Lupton spinning in turn 2.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
The race restarted with 10 to go and the sixth caution flew right away for a multi-car wreck in turn 1. On the restart, Edwards went low to block Logano's advance. But in doing so, he came across Logano's nose and got spun into the inside wall. His now destroyed car continued up the track and was lifted into the air after being rear-ended by Kasey Kahne's car. Regan Smith was also collected by the wreck. Edwards walked from his wrecked car to the pit box of the 22 team to explain to Todd Gordon (Logano's crew chief) what happened.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
He said what happened "was just good hard racing, and it was my deal, I own it. I had to block Joey to have any chance at winning the championship. I couldn’t have gone to bed tonight if I had given up that lane to him.” Logano's car continued, got tapped by Edwards's car and sent into his teammate, Brad Keselowski's car. This sent Brad into the wall along with Ryan Newman. Martin Truex Jr. was also collected and his car burst into flames. It brought out the red flag for 31 minutes and nine seconds.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half
The race restarted with five to go and the seventh caution flew for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. getting loose, spinning out in turn 2, turning down the track and hitting the inside wall on the backstretch.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Second half, Overtime
The race restarted in overtime with two laps to go. Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Larson coming to the white flag and drove on to score the victory and his seventh Sprint Cup Series championship.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
After the race, an overwhelmed Johnson said "my gosh, there is no, no way on earth. Just beyond words. Just didn't think the race was unfolding for us like we needed to do to be the champs, but we just kept our heads in the game. Chad called a great strategy, made some great adjustments for the short runs. Luck came our way and we were able to win the race and win the championship. I wouldn't be here without so many people believing in me and giving me this chance.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
From my dirt days - my parents first and foremost. My brothers. My wife and family today. Car owners, sponsors, Chevrolet, Lowe's, so many amazing people along the way that believed in me to give me this chance. Jeff Gordon, Rick Hendrick, all the men and women at Hendrick Motorsports for working so hard to get these cars fast and giving me an awesome 15 years with the company. Just thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you. So thrilled to be in this moment., So grateful for the opportunity and so thankful and blessed.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
I am at a loss for words.” He also wasn't shy about wanting to go for an eighth championship, saying he didn't "know what the chances [were], but let's go. I'm so excited to put that in front of myself and the team as a hurdle to get over and an accomplishment to achieve."


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
Mentor and former teammate Jeff Gordon said he was "just in disbelief the way this race unfolded.…Jimmie wanted that thing. He wanted that seventh championship and he got that seventh championship done. He deserves it. Just an amazing experience."


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., gauging from the largely supportive fan reaction, said he thought "people are coming around [to liking Johnson]. He's always had a great understanding with his people, his fans. Now others are realizing how great he is. I can tell you this. I have no doubt that you can take Jimmie, my dad and Richard Petty and they would have won championships races whenever and wherever they raced. If Jimmie had raced against Dad, Dad wouldn't have won seven championships; and if Dad had raced against Jimmie, he wouldn't have won seven championships. Again, I think people are coming around. I hope so."


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
Michael McDowell, who earned his fourth career top-10 finish, said "it’s good momentum. Everybody at Circle Sport Leavine Family Racing we’ve been making great progress. Todd Parrott and all the guys at [CSLFR] gave me a great car today. We were up in the top 16-17. A little attrition there at the end, it got crazy. Great restart that last restart, my lane went and snuck out a top-10 pretty cool."


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Race, Post-race, Driver comments
Tony Stewart came home 22nd in his final Sprint Cup Series race. He was as fiery and temperamental as ever in his final start while cursing on his radio channel over a NASCAR-mandated lineup change, saying he "raced. I did what I do every time I get in the car. I didn’t think of anything else other than just racing the race. We got behind there and we tried something to make ground and got caught out and had to run 60 laps on a set of tires. At the end, the line-up there was ... let’s say confusing. I was still screaming about that just like I would on any other race. I was true to my form all the way to the end." Johnson gave Stewart his "Chasing 7" helmet he wore during the race as a parting gift.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Media, Television
NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled pit road on the television side. While the race itself aired on NBC, NBCSN aired NBCSN NASCAR Hot Pass, a simultaneous live feed dedicated to each of the Chase drivers, with commentary by Leigh Diffey and Parker Kligerman. Also, three different angles from in-car cameras and a track map tracked the driver's position and changes throughout the field.


2016 Ford EcoBoost 400, Media, Radio
MRN handled the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.


2016 Fordham Rams football team
The 2016 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Andrew Breiner and played their home games at Coffey Field. They were a member of the Patriot League. They finished the season 8–3, 5–1 in Patriot League play to finish in second place.


2016 Formula 3 Brasil season
The 2016 Fórmula 3 Brasil season is the tenth Fórmula 3 Brasil season and the second since 1995, replacing the Formula 3 Sudamericana series as the highest-profile single-seater championship on the continent.


2016 Formula 3 Brasil season, Drivers and teams
All cars are powered by Berta engines and run on Pirelli tyres.


2016 Formula 3 Brasil season, Race calendar and results
The calendar for the 2016 season was released on 17 December 2015, with the category being part of the Stock Car Brasil package. All races are supporting this championship and are held in Brazil.


2016 Formula 3 Brasil season, Championship standings
Bold – Pole positionItalics – Fastest lap† – Retired, but classified


2016 Formula 4 Sudamericana season
The 2016 Fórmula 4 Sudamericana Championship season is the third season of the Formula 4 Sudamericana. It began on 3 April at the Autódromo Victor Borrat Fabini "El Pinar" in Uruguay, and finished on 4 December at the same venue, after ten rounds at three venues in Uruguay.


2016 Formula 4 Sudamericana season, Race calendar and results
The calendar was made public on 21 March. As opposed to the previous season, where races were held in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, the 2016 season will consist of ten races held solely in Uruguay to reduce costs. The grid for race 2 is determined by the finishing order of race 1, but with the top 6 reversed. Double points were awarded for both round 10 races.


2016 Formula 4 United States Championship
The 2016 Formula 4 United States Championship season was the inaugural season of the United States Formula 4 Championship, a motor racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, the professional racing division of the Sports Car Club of America. It began on 2 July at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finished on 10 October at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, after five triple header rounds.


2016 Formula 4 United States Championship, Race calendar
The calendar was unveiled on 12 November 2015. On 4 May 2016, it was announced the first round at Lime Rock Park, to be held on 27-28 May, would be rescheduled to give drivers and teams more time to prepare themselves for the season. On 25 May it was announced the first round at the New Jersey Motorsports Park would be rescheduled, while the opening round was replaced by a second round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. All rounds were held on circuits on the East Coast of the United States. One round was part of the NASCAR Xfinity Series weekend.


2016 Formula 4 United States Championship, Championship standings
Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers in each race.


2016 Formula D season
The 2016 Formula D season is the thirteenth season of the Formula D Pro Championship series and third season of the Pro2 series. The Pro Championship series began on April 8 at Long Beach and ended on October 8 at Irwindale Speedway with Chris Forsberg winning his third Pro Championship. The Pro2 series began on May 5 at Road Atlanta and ended on October 1 at Wild Horse Motorsports Park with Marc Landreville winning the series.


2016 Formula Masters China
The 2016 Formula Masters China season is the sixth season of the Formula Pilota China series, and the third under the Formula Masters China branding. The championship began on 21 May at Shanghai in China and will finish on 16 October at Penbay in Taiwan after fifteen races held at five meetings.


2016 Formula Masters China, Race calendar and results
A provisional race calendar was released on 3 March 2016. An updated race calendar was released on 1 June 2016, which cancelled the round at Kuala Lumpur City Grand Prix. It was announced on 22 July that the Kuala Lumpur round will be replaced by a round at Sepang for the same weekend. After that round in Korea International Circuit was also changed by Sepang Circuit.


2016 Formula Masters China, Championship standings, Drivers' championship
Bold – PoleItalics – Fastest Lap† – Retired, but classified


2016 Formula One World Championship
The 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 70th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s Formula One motor racing. It featured the 67th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which is recognised by the sport's governing body, the FIA, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Teams and drivers took part in twenty-one Grands Prix—making for the longest season in the sport's history—starting in Australia on 20 March and finishing in Abu Dhabi on 27 November as they competed for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships.


2016 Formula One World Championship
The 2016 season saw the grid expand to twenty-two cars with the addition of the Haas F1 Team entry. Renault returned to the sport as a constructor after a four-year absence following their takeover of Lotus prior to the start of the season. The calendar similarly expanded, with the return of the German Grand Prix. The European Grand Prix was also revived, with the event visiting a new circuit in Azerbaijan's capital city, Baku.


2016 Formula One World Championship
Nico Rosberg won his only World Drivers' Championship title in the final race of the season. With nine wins and seven other podiums, Rosberg beat teammate and defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton by five points. In doing so, Rosberg followed the success of his father in 1982 and became the second son of a champion to become champion himself, a feat previously achieved by Damon Hill in 1996. Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport shortly after winning the title.


2016 Formula One World Championship
In the World Constructors' Championship, Mercedes successfully defended their title for the second consecutive year, beating Red Bull Racing by 297 points. Ferrari finished third overall, a further seventy points behind.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers took part in the 2016 Formula One World Championship. Teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Team changes
Several team changes took place before the season began. Haas F1 Team, a team formed by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Gene Haas, joined the Formula One grid, becoming the first American team to compete since the unrelated Haas Lola team competed in 1986. The team used power units supplied by Ferrari and a chassis developed by Dallara. Dallara had last participated in Formula One as the chassis manufacturer for HRT in 2010.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Team changes
Renault returned to Formula One as a full factory-supported team after they purchased Lotus from Genii Capital, the venture capital firm they had originally sold the same team to in 2010, and supplied engines to up until the end of 2014. Lotus's participation in the 2016 season was in question pending the resolution of a High Court case brought against the team by HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid PAYE tax.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Team changes
Both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso underwent changes regarding their power unit supply. The former formally ended their nine-year partnership with engine supplier Renault at the end of the 2015 season, with the team citing the lack of performance from the Renault Energy-F1 2015 engine as a leading factor in the change. The team continued using Renault engines, but they were rebadged as TAG Heuer. Team principal Christian Horner named Renault's partnership with Mario Illien and his company Ilmor as a reason for staying with the manufacturer.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Team changes
Meanwhile, Scuderia Toro Rosso returned to using Ferrari power units, as they had done prior to the start of 2014, after Renault announced that they would no longer supply customer engines. The team used the type 060 power unit used by Ferrari teams in 2015 after Ferrari received approval from the World Motor Sport Council to supply year-old engines.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Team changes
Marussia applied for their team name to be changed to Manor Racing, a request granted in January 2016. The team adopted the formal name of "Manor Racing MRT" and switched from Ferrari to Mercedes power, with the team upgrading to a 2016-specification engine after having used a year-old Ferrari engine in 2015. The team underwent a management reshuffle following the resignation of team principal John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Team changes
Sauber underwent a change in ownership in the week prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the team being purchased by Longbow Finance. Despite the acquisition and the retirement of team founder Peter Sauber, the team continued to use the Sauber identity.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Driver changes
The driver line-ups saw a couple of changes prior to the 2016 season and three more while the season was underway. Romain Grosjean left Lotus at the end of the 2015 season. He signed with the newly formed Haas F1 Team for 2016, where he was joined by former Sauber driver Esteban Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez returned to competition after spending a season as Ferrari's test and reserve driver.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Driver changes
After having taken over the Lotus team, Renault introduced a new driver-line up. Jolyon Palmer, the 2014 GP2 Series champion, made his race debut in Melbourne. Palmer had previously made regular free practice appearances with the team when it was known as Lotus in 2015. Despite originally having signed a contract with Lotus for 2016, Pastor Maldonado announced he would not be driving for Renault after his sponsors were unable to fulfil their contractual obligations to the team. He was replaced by Kevin Magnussen, who was released by McLaren when they chose not to renew his contract after he entered a single race for the team in 2015.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Driver changes
Manor did not retain their 2015 drivers either, opting to sign two rookies for its 2016 campaign: reigning Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 Series regular Rio Haryanto, who became the first Indonesian driver to race in the championship. Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi—who drove for the team when it competed as Marussia—were not retained by the team. Both moved to the FIA World Endurance Championship with Manor Motorsport, while Alexander Rossi, who also raced for the team in 2015, was moved to a test and reserve role while he joined the IndyCar Series.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Mid-season changes
After suffering broken ribs and a pneumothorax injury as a result of an accident during the Australian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso was ruled out of the Bahrain Grand Prix as a precaution after medical exams. McLaren reserve driver and reigning GP2 Series champion Stoffel Vandoorne made his Formula One debut, replacing Alonso. Alonso returned to his seat for the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks later. Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen traded places ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, with Verstappen promoted to Red Bull Racing and Kvyat returning to Scuderia Toro Rosso.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Mid-season changes
Red Bull explained the decision to swap their drivers as being made to relieve pressure on Kvyat following criticism for his role in a first-lap accident in the Russian Grand Prix, and to ease ongoing tension between Verstappen and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. at Toro Rosso. Rio Haryanto lost his race seat after the German Grand Prix, when his sponsors were unable to meet their financial obligations to the team. He stayed with the team, filling a testing and reserve role. His race seat was filled by 2015 GP3 Series champion and Renault test driver Esteban Ocon, who made his Formula One debut with MRT at the Belgian Grand Prix.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar, Calendar changes
There were a few revisions to the calendar from the previous season. The European Grand Prix returned to the calendar after a four-year absence. The race was moved from its previous home in Valencia to a brand-new street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. It was the first Grand Prix held in Azerbaijan. The German Grand Prix returned to the calendar as well, taking place at the Hockenheimring. The event had been cancelled in 2015 when a venue could not be secured. The circuit had previously hosted the race in 2014 as part of their agreement with the Nürburgring to alternate between venues, with the Hockenheimring hosting the race every even-numbered year.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar, Calendar changes
The Malaysian and Russian Grands Prix were subjected to date changes. The former was paired up with the Japanese Grand Prix in October, reverting to the time of year it was held in 1999–2000, while the latter was brought forward from its October date to May, becoming the fourth round of the season.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar, Calendar changes
Three races were contracted for 2016 but did not feature on the calendar. The Grand Prix of America was set to be held for the first time at the Port Imperial Street Circuit in New Jersey, in accordance with a fifteen-year contract. The race was originally scheduled to debut in 2013, but was delayed for the fourth consecutive year. The Indian Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after the 2013 race, following a dispute over taxation.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar, Calendar changes
After several failed attempts at reviving the race in 2014 and 2015, the event's return was deferred until the 2016 season; however, it was once again left off the final calendar for the season. In 2006, Formula One Management had signed a seven-year contract to run the Korean Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit beginning in 2010. However, the event was discontinued in 2014, and was omitted from the calendar for the third consecutive season in 2016.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, General changes
The FIA and Formula One Management were granted greater power to change the Sporting and Technical regulations and to make decisions affecting the governance of the sport. From the Monaco race weekend onwards, the FIA allowed drivers to choose alternative helmet designs for one race weekend per season, a practice previously prohibited as drivers were required to wear the same design to make them more recognisable to spectators and television audiences.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Technical
Cars were required to be designed with a separate wastegate for exhaust gases to pass through in a bid to increase the noise of the cars following criticism since the introduction of the 2014 generation of engines. The FIA also opted to increase the number of tokens available for power unit development starting in 2016. While the initial plans would have given manufacturers fifteen tokens for the season, the number was raised to thirty-two, the same number as 2014, in order to allow struggling manufacturers such as Renault and Honda to improve their development. This decision also allowed further development on parts that were initially planned to be closed off, including the upper and lower crankcase, valve drive, crankshaft, air-valve system and ancillaries drive.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Schedule
Starting in 2016, the number of pre-season tests were reduced from three to two. The FIA formally increased the maximum events allowed in a season from 20 to 21 to accommodate the calendar's approval.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Tyres
Tyre supplier Pirelli introduced a fifth dry tyre compound known as "ultrasoft", with the manufacturer stating that they would only be available on street circuits. Pirelli further changed their approach to tyre supply in 2016, bringing three dry compounds to races instead of two. The compounds are made public two weeks before each event. Pirelli assigns two "choice" compounds, and a third set (the softest available regardless of Pirelli's selection) are given to teams reaching Q3. Drivers select their remaining ten tyre sets for the event between the three compounds and must use two dry compounds during the race.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Penalties
The stewards were given greater powers in enforcing track limits, with drivers required to stay between the white lines marking the edges of the circuit, except in cases of driver error. Any driver who caused the start of a race to be aborted would have been required to start the race from pit lane at the restart. The procedure for issuing gearbox penalties was amended as well, so that penalties were applied in the order that they were awarded, bringing the system in line with the wider grid penalty system.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Safety improvements
The usage of the Virtual Safety Car system was expanded to practice sessions as well to avoid the unnecessary use of red flags and session stoppages. The rules governing the use of the drag reduction system, which is deactivated when under Virtual Safety Car periods and full-course yellow flags, were also amended. Drivers were now allowed to make use of the device as soon as a Virtual Safety Car period has ended; while they previously had to wait two laps before the system was reactivated.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Qualifying
The qualifying process was heavily revised two weeks before the season began. The three-period format first introduced in 2006 was retained, but with a progressive "knock-out" style of elimination. However, following widespread criticism of the format at the opening rounds, the format was abandoned after two races, and the system used between 2006 and 2015 re-introduced at the Chinese Grand Prix.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Other
The stewards' powers to monitor pit-to-car communications were broadened for the 2016 season, with race control able to monitor the radio feeds for each driver in real time and consult with engineering advisors to further monitor the content in a bid to crack down on driver coaching and the use of coded messages.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Other
Following a series of controversial penalties at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix and extended debate over the application of the rules, however, the FIA relaxed the restrictions on radio-communication which were introduced at the start of the season; starting with the German Grand Prix, applying them to the formation lap only.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Rule changes, Sporting regulations, Other
The process new drivers go through in order to qualify for a superlicence was changed as well, with additional restrictions—including the requirement that drivers complete eighty percent of two seasons from a series outside a recognised points-paying championship—put in place as part of the wider FIA Global Pathway. The new points system was retroactively applied, with all results for all eligible drivers automatically qualifying for superlicence points. The changes were introduced following the controversy which surrounded Max Verstappen qualifying for a superlicence at the age of sixteen after a single season competing in European Formula 3.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season report, Pre-season
For the second year in a row, Hamilton decided not to exercise his option of switching his car number to 1, as was his prerogative as reigning World Champion, and would instead race with his career number 44. A pre-season tyre test was held at Circuit Paul Ricard in France in January, conducted by Pirelli to evaluate their wet weather tyres. The first pre-season team test was held a month later at the Circuit de Catalunya. Ferrari were fastest on three of the four testing days, with Nico Hülkenberg topping the time sheets for Force India on the third day.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season report, Pre-season
A second test, also in Barcelona, was conducted on 1–4 March. Ferrari ended the two tests with the best time set overall on the newly introduced ultra-soft tyres, while Mercedes covered the most distance in testing, almost 5,000 km (3,100 mi). The second four days of testing also saw the teams examine a proposed feature for driver head protection, dubbed the "halo".


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season report, Opening rounds
The season started with the Australian Grand Prix, and featured the newly introduced elimination-style qualifying format. This format was heavily criticized by teams, drivers, fans and the press, which led to a review of the format before the next race. The race ended with a 1–2 finish for Mercedes with Nico Rosberg taking victory from Lewis Hamilton in second. Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari finished on the last remaining step of the podium. Teammate Kimi Räikkönen retired with a suspected turbo failure on lap 21.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season report, Opening rounds
On lap 16, whilst attempting to overtake Esteban Gutiérrez in the new Haas F1 car at turn three, Fernando Alonso crashed at high speed into the outside barrier before barrel-rolling and landing upside-down against the barrier. Gutiérrez ended up in the gravel trap with terminal rear tyre damage, and quickly went over to Alonso who managed to exit his cockpit unaided. Due to the huge amount of debris caused by the accident the race was red flagged, with the cars subsequently lining up in the pitlane. Romain Grosjean finished sixth in the other Haas and they became the first brand new team to score points in their inaugural race since Toyota did so in 2002.


2016 Formula One World Championship, Season report, Opening rounds
At the next race in Bahrain, Alonso was ruled out of taking part on medical grounds and was later revealed to have suffered broken ribs and a pneumothorax as a result of the previous race's collision, and was replaced by rookie Stoffel Vandoorne. Following the widespread criticism of the new qualifying format, the teams voted to abandon it and revert to the system used in 2015. However, in the week before the race weekend, the sport's Strategy Working Group over-ruled the teams in order to keep the elimination style for 2016.