2015 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton returned to winning form at Suzuka, beating Nico Rosberg to the first corner and controlling the race thereafter. Mercedes recovered from its Singapore setback with a one-two, ahead of Sebastian Vettel‘s Ferrari.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Pole time	1:32.584
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Fastest-lap time	1:36.145 on lap 33
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 September 2015	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
25 September 2015	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
26 September 2015	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
26 September 2015	Qualifying	15:00
27 September 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 14 leading the 2015 F1 World Championship on 252 points, with Nico Rosberg on 211. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 463 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Rain left FP1 dominated by installation laps and cautious running, with eight drivers failing to set a time. Carlos Sainz eventually went quickest ahead of Daniil Kvyat as some teams explored intermediate tyres. Williams was the first to make that switch, while Jolyon Palmer’s appearance in Romain Grosjean’s Lotus yielded no timed lap in the difficult conditions.

The wet weather continued to disrupt FP2. A brief improvement allowed intermediate-tyre running before heavier rain returned, leaving Daniil Kvyat narrowly ahead of Nico Rosberg. Valtteri Bottas stayed in the garage to preserve wet tyres, while Fernando Alonso lost the opening part of the session to a power-unit problem before finally joining the limited running.

A dry FP3 gave teams their first proper opportunity to catch up on preparation. Nico Rosberg led Lewis Hamilton, with Daniel Ricciardo the closest challenger and Williams also showing useful pace. Daniil Kvyat had a less tidy morning, running off at both Spoon and Degner as drivers finally pushed harder around Suzuka after Friday’s rain.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2015 Japanese Grand Prix FP1, 25 September 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:49.434	10
2	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+0.504s	7
3	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.643s	14
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.085s	12
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.288s	6
6	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.506s	10
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.778s	15
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.854s	12
9	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+4.386s	12
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+4.530s	14
11	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+4.579s	9
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+6.244s	6
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	No time	4
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	No time	3
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	No time	5
17	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	No time	1
18	30	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus F1	No time	1
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	No time	3
20	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	No time	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2015 Japanese Grand Prix FP2, 25 September 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:48.277	6
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.023s	8
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.576s	8
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.820s	10
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.991s	19
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+2.042s	16
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.141s	6
8	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+2.265s	5
9	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.691s	10
10	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+3.280s	7
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+3.397s	11
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+3.584s	9
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.657s	12
14	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.793s	8
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+4.257s	6
16	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+4.488s	6
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+6.962s	10
18	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+9.782s	6
19	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+11.142s	7

Free Practice 3 Classification

2015 Japanese Grand Prix FP3, 26 September 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:33.995	19
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.297s	20
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.502s	22
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.802s	27
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.939s	25
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.087s	16
7	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.165s	26
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.227s	16
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.607s	20
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.968s	29
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.115s	19
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.179s	15
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.204s	19
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+2.299s	23
15	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+2.312s	21
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.365s	18
17	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.435s	21
18	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.924s	24
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+5.658s	24
20	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+5.824s	22

Qualifying

Nico Rosberg headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton second and Valtteri Bottas third.

Nico Rosberg took pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Daniil Kvyat‘s heavy crash brought Q3 to an early end; he escaped injury but started from the pit lane after Red Bull rebuilt his car.

Qualifying Classification

2015 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 September 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:33.015	1:32.632	1:32.584	16
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:32.844	1:32.789	1:32.660	15
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:34.326	1:33.416	1:33.024	11
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:34.431	1:33.844	1:33.245	11
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:34.744	1:33.377	1:33.337	12
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:34.171	1:33.361	1:33.347	10
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:34.399	1:34.153	1:33.497	17
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:34.398	1:34.278	1:33.967	19
9	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:35.001	1:34.174	no time	16
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:34.646	1:34.201	no time	15
11	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:35.328	1:34.390	—	13
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:34.873	1:34.453	—	15
13	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	1:34.796	1:34.497	—	13
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:35.467	1:34.785	—	8
15	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:34.522	no time	—	8
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:35.664	—	—	6
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:35.673	—	—	5
18	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:35.760	—	—	6
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	1:38.783	—	—	5
—	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	1:47.114	—	—	5

Daniil Kvyat had to receive a new chassis due to his heavy crash during Q3, resulting in a pit lane start penalty.

Nico Hülkenberg received a 3-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Felipe Massa at the previous race in Singapore.

Max Verstappen received a 3-place grid penalty for stopping his car in a potentially dangerous position during Q1.

Alexander Rossi received permission from the stewards to start the race, despite not setting a time within 107% of the fastest lap time during Q1.

What happened in the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix?

Hamilton moved ahead at the start, while Rosberg also lost places to Vettel and Valtteri Bottas. Contact further back left Daniel Ricciardo and Felipe Massa with punctures, and Sergio Pérez also needed an early stop.

Hamilton built a clear lead as Rosberg worked back into contention. The German passed Bottas on track and later used the pit-stop sequence to move ahead of Vettel into second.

Kimi Räikkönen also gained a position over Bottas during the second round of stops. Hamilton remained untroubled at the front, eventually finishing almost nineteen seconds ahead of his team-mate.

Vettel completed the podium ahead of Räikkönen and Bottas, while Nico Hülkenberg finished sixth. All twenty starters were classified, although Felipe Nasr retired late. Hamilton’s win restored a 48-point championship advantage over Rosberg.

Further down the points places, Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz 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 277 points, followed by Nico Rosberg on 229. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 506, with Ferrari on 337.

2015 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 2015 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 27 September 2015, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	1:28:06.508	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	53	+18.964	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	53	+20.850	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	+33.768	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	53	+36.746	10
6	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	53	+55.559	8
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	53	+1:12.298	6
8	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	53	+1:13.575	4
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	53	+1:35.315	2
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	52	+1 lap	1
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	52	+1 lap	0
12	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	52	+1 lap	0
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	52	+1 lap	0
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	52	+1 lap	0
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	52	+1 lap	0
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	52	+1 lap	0
17	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	51	+2 laps	0
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	51	+2 laps	0
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	50	+3 laps	0
20	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	49	Mechanical	0

Felipe Nasr was classified as he had completed 90% of the race distance.

2015 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	33	14:58:51	1:36.145	217.434
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	31	14:55:47	1:37.147	215.191
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	32	14:57:26	1:37.906	213.523
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	32	14:57:40	1:38.035	213.242
5	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	39	15:09:52	1:38.136	213.022
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	35	15:03:12	1:38.167	212.955
7	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	32	14:58:32	1:38.237	212.803
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	41	15:12:29	1:38.241	212.795
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	43	15:16:09	1:38.331	212.600
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	36	15:05:26	1:38.366	212.524
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	50	15:28:52	1:38.591	212.039
12	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	51	15:32:22	1:38.595	212.031
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	16	14:31:04	1:38.686	211.835
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	32	14:58:56	1:38.898	211.381
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	28	14:51:59	1:39.343	210.434
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	45	15:20:19	1:39.614	209.862
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	39	15:10:45	1:40.088	208.868
18	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	31	14:57:01	1:40.121	208.799
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	44	15:21:34	1:41.452	206.060
20	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	35	15:05:20	1:41.467	206.029

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 Japanese Grand Prix.

2015 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	277
2	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	229
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	218
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	119
5	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	111
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	97
7	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	73
8	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing	66
9	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	44
10	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	39
11	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	38
12	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	32
13	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	17
14	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Lotus F1	16
15	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	12
16	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	11
17	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	9
18	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	6
19	Roberto Merhi	Spanish	Manor Marussia	0
20	Will Stevens	British	Manor Marussia	0
21	Alexander Rossi	American	Manor Marussia	0
–	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	McLaren	0

2015 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	506
2	Ferrari	337
3	Williams	208
4	Red Bull Racing	139
5	Force India	77
6	Lotus F1	60
7	Toro Rosso	44
8	Sauber	26
9	McLaren	17
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