We saw records tumble and a historic new World Champion this year, but it’s a sport that continues to be dominated by the Silver Arrow in the midst of the “V6 era” as the rest of the paddock try to bridge the gap.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg continued to heat up their increasingly intense rivalry and Daniel Ricciardo forced far too many (or not enough?) people into drinking champagne from a dirty racing boot.

All capped off with a shock retirement after the racing was over.

Here are all the big talking points from another bumper Formula 1 season.

Like Father, Like Son

Ever since Lewis Hamilton crossed over from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 season, Nico Rosberg has been chasing the three-time World Champion.

But no longer.

Father Keke won the title 34 years ago when he took out the 1982 championship with just a single win throughout the whole season.

Now they’ve become just the second ever father-son pairing to win Formula 1 World Championships after Graham (1962 & 1968) and Damon Hill (1996).

Although Hamilton won a mammoth ten races in the season, a new record for a driver that didn’t win the title, his reliability issues opened the door for Rosberg to create a lead at the top.

It was the German’s consistency and intelligence behind the wheel that won him the championship rather than straight out speed.

Where Hamilton faltered with rash decision making and engine troubles, Nico knew the limits of his car and more importantly, his racing ability, allowing him to score more points, more frequently.

His father’s legacy is already in place, now the younger Rosberg has created his own.

Going Out on Top

Rosberg may have won his maiden world title, but he would sensationally call the curtain on his career just days after the triumph, shocking the Formula 1 world in one Facebook post.

Having dreamt of F1 glory since childhood, Rosberg was happy to step away from the sport after completing the one major goal he desired throughout his career.

“It has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion,” said Rosberg. Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it.”

“I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right.”

While there is no better way to go out that on top, Rosberg has left one almighty hole in the paddock, and more importantly, a coveted seat in the Mercedes team.

Very rarely does a driver retire in such fashion but it has happened before and Rosberg has joined some elite company.

French legend Alain Prost called it a day after his fourth and final title win in 1993. Sir Jackie Stewart announced his retirement at the start of the 1973 season before going on to win his third title, winning five races from 14 starts.

British trailblazer Mike Hawthorn was the first to do it, retiring from the sport at the young age of 29 after his maiden drivers championship in 1958. He would tragically die in a road accident just months later.

Was Hamilton-Rosberg the New Prost-Senna?

Maybe the racing wasn’t the most exciting of all time this season because of the stranglehold the Mercs have over the sport, and maybe each result was pretty much a given.

But the two Mercedes team-mates sure found a way to spice up the contest on and off the track, continuing a rivalry that’s spanned over the last few years.

It only seems to be getting bigger, better and more bitter as each race passes. I’m sure it’s frustrating and personal for the drivers, but it’s damn entertaining for the fans.

Not just in Formula 1 but sport, in general, is built around rivalries and the tension, competition and heat involved in the contest.

They bickered and threw blame and accusations at each other all year, making for some fairly awkward but intense post-race press conferences.

It all came to a head at the Spanish GP when the two crashed into each other on the opening lap, forcing the both into retirement. The heat only grew from there.

They’ve now put themselves up there among some of the greatest rivalries in the sport’s history.

There was Fangio-Ascari and Hawthorn-Musso in the early days before Lauda and Hunt dominated the early 70’s.

But none can hold a candle to the pure intensity of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the 80’s and early 90’s before the Brazilian’s tragic and untimely death in 1994.

The two had competed against each other loosely earlier in their careers, but it was when they became teammates and championship rivals that the animosity blew out to epic proportions.

Sound familiar?

They would constantly sabotage each other’s chances at the title and get into vocal disputes about anything and anything. They shared a garage but would refuse to interact.

Now Hamilton and Rosberg aren’t quite at that stage and often do the pleasantries when the cameras are rolling, but they’ve solidified themselves as the rivalry of this generation and one of the most competitive of all time.

Can the Silver Arrows Be Stopped?

The dominance of Red Bull Racing in the Vettel era became a much-maligned talking point of the sport, harking back to the one-sided death grip fellow German Michael Schumacher had over the sport at the turn of the century.

Fans breathed a massive sigh of relief when the Mercs brushed off the dust and blew the Red Bull away in 2014 as the V6 engine era begun.

Little did we know that the silver arrows weren’t breathing new life into the championship, they were simply replacing Red Bull and beginning a dictatorship of their own.

They’ve walked over the competition in the last three years, winning a ridiculous 51 races from 59 Grand Prix’s.

The closest any other team has come in the constructor’s championship in that period is a 275 point deficit back to the Ferrari’s in 2015 when they managed to reduce Mercedes to just 16 wins from 19 races that year.

They have two top drivers in their team, but more importantly, they have the money to produce the best car in the paddock.

Maybe the new engine changes for the 2017 season can bridge the gap and give other teams a chance, but at this rate, there’s simply no stopping or even getting close to the Silver Arrows.

A driver change may shake up the personnel but the car will remain dominant and it’s hard to see anyone other than Mercedes atop the constructors again next year.

Monaco, Malaysia and The Best of the Rest: Where to Now For Ricciardo?

Shoey!

Daniel Ricciardo had a jam packed 2016, full of highs, lows and peer pressuring a lot of people to drink champagne from a sweaty race boot.

He held off the Ferrari’s and teammate Max Verstappen into third place in the drivers Championship, or what he liked to call it “world champion of the rest … the peasants’ world champion!”

Ricciardo picked up a win in Malaysia, but it was poor pit strategy and little mistakes from his team that cost him the full points at Monaco and Spain.

He took pole position at the famed Monaco circuit, but a bad tyre change and an elongated pit stop saw him drop behind the lead and settle for second.

He had a famous victory on his hands but it was taken away from him through no fault of his own, and that pain came through in the post-race interviews as a dejected Ricciardo struggled to answer questions in a state of disbelief.

Victory again eluded him, this time in Spain, after the Mercs self-destructed and took each other out. He was the next best in the field, but again it was the pits that let him down, allowing teammate Verstappen to come through and take a historic win… but more on that later.

And then there were the shoeys.

Ricciardo gained a worldwide following for his podium antics, forcing everyone from Rosberg and Hamilton to Mark Webber and a very young Verstappen to drink from the boots.

He has four wins in Formula 1 now but has been caught at Red Bull between their domination and the rise of Mercedes.

A drive at Mercedes is up for grabs but that will be one of the most sought after seats in the sport’s history, so there’s no guarantee he can find a better drive for next season.

There simply isn’t another car in the paddock that can realistically challenge for the title.

He could be one of the best drivers out there but the future is uncertain for Daniel Ricciardo as his younger teammate continues to make waves for the future.

Verstappen a Star for the Future

One of the biggest stories of the year has come from a plucky teenager.

Max Verstappen, son of former F1 driver Jos, started the season as a novelty act at Toro Rosso being one of the youngest drivers to take a seat in the sport.

It would be Daniil Kvyat to change Verstappen’s fortunes early in the season. A series of reckless mistakes on the track and inconsistent results cost the Russian his spot as a top Red Bull driver and was subsequently dropped to the secondary Toro Rosso team.

Verstappen would be called up in his place for the Spanish GP. Another beneficiary of the Mercedes spill on the opening lap, Verstappen would trail new team mate Ricciardo but a revised pit strategy would see him come out on top.

At just 18 years of age, he smashed the previous record for the youngest winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix, a record previously held by Vettel as a 21-year-old.

He’s already received praise for his breakout season, but the future is looking promising according to the head of the Red Bull driver development program and a name that’s been around the sport for years, Helmut Marko.

“He’s had a sensational learning curve,” said Marko. “He doesn’t make mistakes twice, so he is definitely ready for the title fight.”

“He knows the name of the game… He has no weaknesses aside from the fact that he is sometimes not patient enough.”

While patience is still an issue, as well as his defending techniques, so much so that a new rule was named after him, he’s young and has all the time in the world to progress.

If Red Bull can put together a competitive car for next season, there’s no reason why he can’t add to his one career win.

Someone Give Alonso the Right Car

Fernando Alonso set the Formula One world alight when he came in as a young prodigy from Spain, winning two world titles back to back to end the Schumacher era in the mid-noughties.

He was always slated for sustained greatness as one of the best drivers of his generation, yet he still hasn’t been able to add to his title wins in 2005 and 2006.

At 35-years of age, he certainly isn’t getting any younger as the next generation of youth and talent comes through, but he deserves that elusive third title.

Despite the age, he remains one of the best drivers of his generation, continuously racking up strong results in the face of diversity and a car simply not up to top-level standards.

He not only outscored his team mate Jenson Button this year, but he doubled his points, finished more races and scored more top ten finishes.

He finished ahead of Felipe Massa in the championship despite the McLaren being inferior to the Williams over the past few seasons, and while tenth in the title race doesn’t come across so well, he’s driving to top tier results with a middle tier vehicle.

Kimi Raikkonen is getting on in age and could open up a spot at Ferrari in the near future, but other than that, things aren’t looking good for an older Fernando Alonso.

He’s an outside chance at the Mercs but age isn’t on his side and it’s unlikely Toto Wolf will go for such a short-term option as their number two driver.

He could win another world championship at the age of 40 if he was given the right car given his ability behind the wheel, but much like anyone that isn’t at Mercedes, that’s a massive problem.

Final Standings

Drivers Championship

Constructors Championship