2015 Chinese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton restored Mercedes to the top step in China, leading Nico Rosberg home after a controlled drive. Ferrari followed in third and fourth, while a late failure for Max Verstappen brought the race to a close behind the safety car.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Pole time	1:35.782
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Fastest-lap time	1:42.208 on lap 31
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 April 2015	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
10 April 2015	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
11 April 2015	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
11 April 2015	Qualifying	15:00
12 April 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 3 leading the 2015 F1 World Championship on 43 points, with Sebastian Vettel on 40. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 76 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton opened practice more than half a second clear of Nico Rosberg, with Ferrari further back. Finding the limits was not straightforward: both Mercedes drivers ran wide, and Felipe Massa spun at the hairpin late in the session. Jolyon Palmer made a Friday appearance in Romain Grosjean‘s Lotus and also had an off-track moment, finishing six tenths behind Pastor Maldonado as he gathered experience in the car.

Lewis Hamilton remained quickest in FP2, but the afternoon brought several interruptions. Felipe Massa spun at the hairpin again and damaged his front wing against the barrier, triggering a red flag. Daniil Kvyat‘s smoking rear brake added to Red Bull‘s concerns, while an intruder crossed the circuit before being stopped in the paddock. Teams compared both dry compounds, with Mercedes looking especially strong on the harder tyre and Sebastian Vettel offering the closest overall challenge.

Lewis Hamilton completed a clean sweep of practice despite discomfort from heat beneath his seat. Nico Rosberg was two tenths behind, with the Ferraris next and Red Bull showing improved pace in fifth and sixth. McLaren had another anxious hour: Fernando Alonso stopped on his installation lap, and Jenson Button was recalled with a similar engine concern before returning to the track. Felipe Massa also continued to report smoke entering his cockpit.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2015 Chinese Grand Prix FP1, 10 April 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:39.033	21
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.541s	21
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.124s	18
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.628s	27
5	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.979s	18
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.996s	21
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+2.064s	24
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.079s	23
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+2.270s	23
10	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.271s	17
11	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+2.302s	23
12	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+2.542s	28
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.812s	19
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.885s	24
15	30	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus F1	+2.934s	25
16	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.108s	22
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.128s	20
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+3.151s	19
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+6.346s	18
20	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	+7.410s	20

Free Practice 2 Classification

2015 Chinese Grand Prix FP2, 10 April 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:37.219	32
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.443s	35
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.092s	24
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.120s	30
5	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.180s	35
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.518s	10
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.631s	27
8	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.813s	26
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.923s	32
10	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.056s	29
11	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+2.225s	30
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.524s	27
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.532s	33
14	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+2.675s	32
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.752s	28
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.932s	28
17	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+3.204s	7
18	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.649s	24
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	+5.754s	27
20	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+7.345s	8

Free Practice 3 Classification

2015 Chinese Grand Prix FP3, 11 April 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:37.615	14
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.226s	16
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.698s	17
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.897s	16
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.405s	8
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.491s	14
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.498s	17
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.628s	15
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.659s	19
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.790s	14
11	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.795s	17
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.898s	14
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.944s	18
14	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.976s	19
15	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.079s	16
16	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+2.151s	16
17	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.166s	17
18	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+5.313s	15
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	+7.341s	9
20	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	No time	1

Qualifying

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

Lewis Hamilton edged Nico Rosberg by just 0.042 seconds to take pole. Sebastian Vettel qualified third, and Mercedes again demonstrated its pace after Hamilton had led all three practice sessions.

Qualifying Classification

2015 Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying, 11 April 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:38.285	1:36.423	1:35.782	12
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:38.496	1:36.747	1:35.824	12
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:37.502	1:36.957	1:36.687	17
4	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:38.433	1:37.357	1:36.954	15
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:38.014	1:37.763	1:37.143	15
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:37.790	1:37.109	1:37.232	17
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:38.534	1:37.939	1:37.540	18
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:38.209	1:38.063	1:37.905	20
9	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:38.521	1:38.017	1:38.067	16
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:38.941	1:38.127	1:38.158	15
11	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	1:38.563	1:38.134	—	13
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:39.051	1:38.209	—	13
13	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:38.387	1:38.393	—	14
14	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:38.622	1:38.538	—	14
15	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:38.903	1:39.290	—	10
16	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:39.216	—	—	6
17	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:39.276	—	—	6
18	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:39.280	—	—	8
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	1:42.091	—	—	6
20	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	1:42.842	—	—	8

What happened in the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix?

Hamilton retained the lead, while Kimi Räikkönen passed both Williams cars on the first lap to move into fourth. Ferrari tried to use an early stop for Vettel to challenge Rosberg, but Mercedes covered the move.

Rosberg became concerned that Hamilton’s pace was allowing the Ferraris to close while he struggled to follow without damaging his tyres. Hamilton increased his speed when required and maintained control at the front.

Pastor Maldonado‘s race unravelled through a missed pit entry, a spin and later contact with Jenson Button. Button received a penalty for the collision, while Maldonado eventually retired with brake trouble.

Verstappen’s transmission failed on the main straight late in the race, prompting a safety car that remained out to the finish. Hamilton won ahead of Rosberg and Vettel, with Räikkönen fourth and Felipe Massa leading Valtteri Bottas home for Williams.

Further down the points places, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Nasr, Daniel Ricciardo and Marcus Ericsson 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 68 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 55. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 119, with Ferrari on 79.

2015 Chinese Grand Prix race results

The 2015 Chinese Grand Prix was held on 12 April 2015, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	56	1:39:42.008	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	56	+0.714	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	56	+2.988	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	+3.835	12
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	56	+8.544	10
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	56	+9.885	8
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	56	+19.008	6
8	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	56	+22.625	4
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	56	+32.117	2
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	55	+1 Lap	1
11	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	55	+1 Lap	0
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	55	+1 Lap	0
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	55	+1 Lap	0
14	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	55	+1 Lap	0
15	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	54	+2 Laps	0
16	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	54	+2 Laps	0
17	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	52	Drivetrain	0
Ret	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	49	Brakes	0
Ret	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	15	Engine	0
Ret	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	9	Gearbox	0

Jenson Button originally finished thirteenth, but received a five-second post-race time penalty for causing a collision with Pastor Maldonado.

Roberto Merhi received a five-second post-race time penalty for failing to stay above the required lap time under the safety car.

Max Verstappen was classified as he had completed over 90% of the race distance.

2015 Chinese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	31	14:57:43	1:42.208	191.996
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	39	15:11:55	1:42.565	191.328
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	41	15:17:49	1:42.652	191.166
4	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	37	15:09:07	1:42.734	191.013
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	15	14:30:10	1:43.018	190.487
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	48	15:27:38	1:43.026	190.472
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	37	15:09:16	1:43.051	190.426
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	34	15:04:17	1:43.134	190.272
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	46	15:25:27	1:43.245	190.068
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	44	15:22:17	1:43.512	189.578
11	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	37	15:09:59	1:43.686	189.259
12	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	46	15:25:19	1:43.692	189.248
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	40	15:15:31	1:43.728	189.183
14	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	46	15:25:16	1:43.880	188.906
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	32	15:01:03	1:44.204	188.319
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	21	14:41:30	1:44.991	186.907
17	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	40	15:17:23	1:45.414	186.157
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	6	14:14:23	1:45.844	185.401
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	43	15:22:59	1:45.963	185.192
20	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	13	14:26:57	1:46.291	184.621

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 Chinese Grand Prix.

2015 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	68
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	55
3	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	51
4	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	30
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	24
6	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	18
7	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	14
8	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	11
9	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	6
10	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	6
11	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	6
12	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	6
13	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	5
14	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing	2
15	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	1
16	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	0
17	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	0
18	Roberto Merhi	Spanish	Manor Marussia	0
19	Will Stevens	British	Manor Marussia	0
–	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Lotus F1	0
–	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	McLaren	0

2015 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	119
2	Ferrari	79
3	Williams	48
4	Sauber	19
5	Red Bull Racing	13
6	Toro Rosso	12
7	Force India	7
8	Lotus F1	6
9	McLaren	0
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