2015 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Nico Rosberg won in Brazil for the second consecutive year, holding Lewis Hamilton behind him throughout their strategic contest. Sebastian Vettel finished third, while Felipe Massa‘s home result was later removed by disqualification.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Pole time	1:11.282
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Fastest-lap time	1:14.832 on lap 51
First	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
13 November 2015	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
13 November 2015	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
14 November 2015	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
14 November 2015	Qualifying	14:00
15 November 2015	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 18 leading the 2015 F1 World Championship on 345 points, with Nico Rosberg on 272. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 617 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Jolyon Palmer also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 in dry conditions, although his session included two trips wide at the Senna S and a brief clutch concern. Kimi Räikkönen and Max Verstappen also spun as drivers pushed around Interlagos. Jolyon Palmer took Romain Grosjean’s Lotus for the morning, while Mercedes finished comfortably clear of the chasing pack.

Light rain encouraged early running in FP2 but never made intermediate tyres necessary. Nico Rosberg moved ahead of Lewis Hamilton as teams compared the tyre compounds and worked through longer runs. Fernando Alonso brought out red flags after pulling over with smoke coming from his McLaren, adding another reliability setback to its difficult season.

Lewis Hamilton recovered from an untidy FP3 to finish fastest. A gear-selection problem briefly stopped him on track, and he later spun at Turn 11, yet still edged Nico Rosberg by just over a tenth. Sebastian Vettel remained Mercedes’ closest challenger, although Ferrari’s deficit suggested the front-row battle would again centre on the two silver cars.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 13 November 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:13.543	28
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.519s	36
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.625s	27
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.906s	27
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.006s	20
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.153s	25
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.343s	25
8	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.417s	38
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.631s	33
10	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+1.649s	31
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.771s	38
12	30	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus F1	+1.809s	33
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.836s	28
14	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.838s	29
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.865s	32
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.870s	29
17	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.926s	24
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.255s	34
19	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+4.317s	23
20	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+4.547s	22

Free Practice 2 Classification

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 13 November 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:12.385	42
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.458s	39
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.960s	41
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.115s	43
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.200s	39
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.218s	37
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.249s	45
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.325s	43
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.463s	40
10	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.485s	42
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.671s	34
12	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+1.739s	42
13	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.749s	44
14	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.841s	35
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.941s	45
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.259s	37
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.387s	38
18	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.744s	10
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+4.116s	35
20	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+4.402s	35

Free Practice 3 Classification

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 14 November 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:12.070	16
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.123s	19
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.690s	19
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.026s	20
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.265s	25
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.275s	19
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.367s	19
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.436s	18
9	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+1.464s	20
10	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.478s	21
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.502s	23
12	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.672s	24
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.759s	17
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.780s	19
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.889s	23
16	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.115s	23
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.218s	22
18	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.375s	17
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+4.601s	15
20	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+4.989s	15

Qualifying

Nico Rosberg headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton second and Sebastian Vettel third.

Nico Rosberg secured pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Fernando Alonso‘s McLaren lost power before he could record a time, continuing the team’s difficult weekend.

Qualifying Classification

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 14 November 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:11.746	1:12.213	1:11.282	12
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:11.682	1:11.665	1:11.360	12
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:12.240	1:11.928	1:11.804	16
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:12.934	1:12.374	1:12.085	18
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:12.185	1:12.243	1:12.144	16
6	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:12.595	1:12.485	1:12.265	18
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:12.730	1:12.527	1:12.322	20
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:12.980	1:12.858	1:12.415	21
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:12.639	1:12.825	1:12.417	17
10	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:12.824	1:12.712	1:12.739	15
11	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:13.111	1:12.989	—	14
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:13.267	1:13.045	—	15
13	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:13.140	1:13.147	—	13
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:13.346	1:13.233	—	14
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:13.056	1:13.913	—	11
16	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	1:13.385	—	—	5
17	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:13.425	—	—	6
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	1:16.151	—	—	6
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	1:16.283	—	—	6
—	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	no time	—	—	2

Valtteri Bottas received a three-place grid penalty for overtaking Felipe Nasr under red-flag conditions in Practice Two.

Daniel Ricciardo was handed a ten-place grid penalty for switching to a new power unit, having already used more than the allowed number of five.

Felipe Nasr was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Felipe Massa during qualifying.

Fernando Alonso was permitted to start the race by the stewards despite failing to set a qualifying time within the 107% limit.

What happened in the 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Rosberg resisted Hamilton’s challenge at the start, with the Ferrari pair following behind. Hamilton remained close during the early stint, but following the leading Mercedes made tyre management increasingly difficult.

The leaders moved through their pit-stop strategies without a change in the battle for victory. Hamilton repeatedly reduced the gap, yet Rosberg retained the track position that mattered and covered the challenge to the finish.

Vettel took third ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, with Bottas fifth and Nico Hülkenberg sixth. Max Verstappen provided several of the afternoon’s overtaking highlights further back in the points battle.

Massa initially finished eighth but was disqualified because his right-rear tyre temperature exceeded the permitted maximum before the start. The amended result promoted Romain Grosjean, Verstappen and Pastor Maldonado into the final three scoring positions behind Daniil Kvyat.

Further down the points places, Daniil Kvyat, Romain Grosjean, Max Verstappen and Pastor Maldonado completed the scoring positions. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2015 rules.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 363 points, followed by Nico Rosberg on 297. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 660, with Ferrari on 401.

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 15 November 2015, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	1:31:09.090	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+ 7.756	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+ 14.244	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+ 47.543	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	70	+ 1 Lap	10
6	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	70	+ 1 Lap	8
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	70	+ 1 Lap	6
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	70	+ 1 Lap	4
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	70	+ 1 Lap	2
10	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	70	+ 1 Lap	1
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	70	+ 1 Lap	0
12	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	70	+ 1 Lap	0
13	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	70	+ 1 Lap	0
14	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	70	+ 1 Lap	0
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	70	+ 1 Lap	0
16	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	69	+ 2 Laps	0
17	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	67	+ 4 Laps	0
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	67	+ 4 Laps	0
Ret	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	0	Technical	0
DSQ	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	70	Tyre temperature	0

Carlos Sainz stopped on the way to the starting grid and had to start from the pit lane. His 10th spot on the grid was left vacant.

Felipe Massa originally finished eighth, but was disqualified for a breach of temperature limits in his rear right tyre.

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	51	15:09:01	1:14.832	207.296
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	57	15:16:31	1:14.957	206.950
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	57	15:16:46	1:15.046	206.705
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	48	15:05:38	1:15.416	205.691
5	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	57	15:18:17	1:15.739	204.813
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	57	15:18:06	1:15.743	204.803
7	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	57	15:18:57	1:15.789	204.678
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	53	15:13:16	1:15.970	204.191
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	56	15:17:02	1:15.972	204.185
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	61	15:22:34	1:16.039	204.005
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	56	15:17:07	1:16.313	203.273
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	53	15:13:21	1:16.321	203.252
13	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	63	15:25:57	1:16.354	203.164
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	41	14:57:10	1:16.500	202.776
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	54	15:14:43	1:16.519	202.726
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	66	15:29:17	1:16.774	202.052
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	41	14:57:36	1:16.794	202.000
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	43	15:02:15	1:18.617	197.316
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	42	15:00:50	1:19.098	196.116

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded. Time of Day is local.

2015 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2015 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	363
2	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	297
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	266
4	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	136
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	135
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	117
7	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing	94
8	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	84
9	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	68
10	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	52
11	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	49
12	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	49
13	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	27
14	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Lotus F1	27
15	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	18
16	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	16
17	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	11
18	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	9
19	Roberto Merhi	Spanish	Manor Marussia	0
20	Alexander Rossi	American	Manor Marussia	0
21	Will Stevens	British	Manor Marussia	0
–	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	McLaren	0

2015 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	660
2	Ferrari	401
3	Williams	253
4	Red Bull Racing	178
5	Force India	120
6	Lotus F1	76
7	Toro Rosso	67
8	Sauber	36
9	McLaren	27
10	Manor Marussia	0

2015 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2015 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	15 March
2	2015 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	29 March
3	2015 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	12 April
4	2015 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	19 April
5	2015 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	10 May
6	2015 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	24 May
7	2015 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	7 June
8	2015 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	21 June
9	2015 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	5 July
10	2015 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	26 July
11	2015 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	23 August
12	2015 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	6 September
13	2015 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	20 September
14	2015 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	27 September
15	2015 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	11 October
16	2015 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	25 October
17	2015 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	1 November
18	2015 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	15 November
19	2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	29 November