2015 Mexican Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Nico Rosberg won as Formula 1 returned to Mexico for the first time since 1992. Lewis Hamilton finished second, while Valtteri Bottas claimed the final podium place after a difficult afternoon for Ferrari.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Pole time	1:19.480
Fastest lap	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Fastest-lap time	1:20.521 on lap 67
First	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Williams

Weekend Schedule

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

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 17 leading the 2015 F1 World Championship on 327 points, with Sebastian Vettel on 251. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 574 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Mexico’s return began on a damp, slippery surface, with intermediate tyres needed before the switch to slicks. Max Verstappen adapted quickest to lead FP1 despite an excursion of his own. Nico Rosberg suffered overheating rear brakes, and several drivers ran off as they explored the new asphalt and the circuit’s low-grip corners.

The slippery surface continued to catch drivers out in FP2. Max Verstappen crashed at the stadium exit, bringing out red flags, while a DRS fault contributed to Valtteri Bottas losing control at Turn 1. Romain Grosjean stopped with a clutch failure. Nico Rosberg led the session, with Red Bull again looking competitive behind him.

Overnight rain left another tricky opening to FP3 before grip improved and teams turned to soft-tyre runs. Nico Rosberg edged Lewis Hamilton by just 0.014 seconds, with Daniel Ricciardo close enough to keep Mercedes alert. Jenson Button had a much less useful morning, spending considerable time in the garage after reporting engine vibrations.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2015 Mexican Grand Prix FP1, 30 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:25.990	38
2	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+0.305s	27
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.305s	36
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.896s	31
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.195s	28
6	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.206s	19
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.313s	26
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.420s	37
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.591s	19
10	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.705s	24
11	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.733s	27
12	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.508s	27
13	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+2.569s	30
14	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.589s	25
15	30	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus F1	+2.721s	24
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+3.109s	17
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+4.082s	17
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+4.629s	23
19	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+6.101s	9
20	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+6.876s	11

Free Practice 2 Classification

2015 Mexican Grand Prix FP2, 30 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:21.531	36
2	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+0.245s	27
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.337s	28
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.430s	33
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.453s	32
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.868s	33
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.190s	28
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.462s	36
9	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.578s	25
10	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.758s	32
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.759s	34
12	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+1.832s	24
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.833s	41
14	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.899s	39
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.066s	33
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+2.083s	26
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.002s	34
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+4.409s	29
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+5.437s	28
20	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	No time	2

Free Practice 3 Classification

2015 Mexican Grand Prix FP3, 31 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:21.083	23
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.014s	23
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.118s	21
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.211s	24
5	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+0.447s	27
6	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+0.520s	27
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.689s	26
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+0.692s	28
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.862s	27
10	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.927s	25
11	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+0.956s	31
12	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+0.959s	21
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.101s	24
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.788s	30
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.982s	26
16	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.984s	23
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+3.565s	4
18	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+4.571s	20
19	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+7.093s	8
20	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+8.253s	4

Qualifying

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

Nico Rosberg took pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen faced penalties after mechanical trouble, while Jenson Button did not run in qualifying and was already carrying a substantial power-unit penalty.

Qualifying Classification

2015 Mexican Grand Prix Qualifying, 31 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:20.436	1:20.053	1:19.480	23
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:20.808	1:19.829	1:19.668	22
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:20.503	1:20.045	1:19.850	18
4	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:20.826	1:20.490	1:20.398	21
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:21.166	1:20.783	1:20.399	23
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:20.817	1:20.458	1:20.448	26
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:21.379	1:20.642	1:20.567	26
8	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:20.995	1:20.894	1:20.710	28
9	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:20.966	1:20.669	1:20.716	21
10	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:21.315	1:20.935	1:20.788	20
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:20.960	1:20.942	—	20
12	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:21.577	1:21.038	—	18
13	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	1:21.520	1:21.261	—	19
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:21.299	1:21.544	—	19
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:21.422	1:22.494	—	13
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:21.779	—	—	10
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:21.788	—	—	12
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	1:24.136	—	—	10
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	1:24.386	—	—	9
—	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	no time	—	—	—

Kimi Räikkönen received a ten- and four five-place grid penalties for exceeding the allowed allocation of four of his power unit components, as well as a five-place grid penalty for an unauthorized gearbox change.

Fernando Alonso received a ten-place grid penalty for an engine change and a five-place grid penalty for an unauthorized gearbox change.

Jenson Button did not set a lap time during Q1. He received permission from the stewards to start the race. Additionally, he received a total of 70 places (three ten- and eight five-place) of grid penalties for exceeding the allowed allocation of five of his power unit components, unscheduled engine and gearbox changes.

What happened in the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix?

Rosberg held the lead at the start, while Vettel picked up a puncture after contact with Daniel Ricciardo. The Mercedes pair soon pulled clear, leaving the Red Bulls and Williams cars to contest the remaining podium position.

Räikkönen recovered through the field before colliding with Bottas, breaking the Ferrari‘s suspension. Vettel’s afternoon also deteriorated through a spin and then a later crash that brought out the safety car.

Mercedes made two stops with both drivers, despite Hamilton questioning the need for the second. Rosberg retained track position and controlled the restart, while Bottas passed Daniil Kvyat to take third.

Rosberg won from Hamilton and Bottas, with Kvyat and Ricciardo fourth and fifth. Felipe Massa finished sixth, and Sergio Pérez gave the home crowd points in eighth. Neither Ferrari was classified at the finish.

Further down the points places, Nico Hülkenberg, Sergio Pérez, Max Verstappen and Romain Grosjean completed the scoring positions. Nico Rosberg set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2015 rules.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 345 points, followed by Nico Rosberg on 272. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 617, with Ferrari on 374.

2015 Mexican Grand Prix race results

The 2015 Mexican Grand Prix was held on 1 November 2015, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	1:42:35.038	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+1.954	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	71	+14.592	15
4	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	71	+16.572	12
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	71	+19.682	10
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	71	+21.493	8
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	71	+25.860	6
8	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	71	+34.343	4
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	71	+35.229	2
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	71	+37.934	1
11	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	71	+38.538	0
12	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	71	+40.180	0
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	71	+48.772	0
14	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	71	+49.214	0
15	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	69	+2 Laps	0
16	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	69	+2 Laps	0
Ret	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	57	Brakes	0
Ret	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	50	Accident	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	21	Collision	0
Ret	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1	Power unit	0

2015 Mexican Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	67	14:40:19	1:20.521	192.426
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	67	14:40:21	1:20.723	191.945
3	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	69	14:43:16	1:21.549	190.001
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	68	14:41:51	1:21.585	189.917
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	70	14:44:41	1:21.625	189.824
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	48	14:11:43	1:21.847	189.309
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	71	14:46:05	1:22.009	188.935
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	46	14:09:01	1:22.172	188.560
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	69	14:43:24	1:22.391	188.059
10	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	70	14:44:56	1:22.603	187.576
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	62	14:33:54	1:22.716	187.320
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	51	14:15:30	1:22.757	187.227
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	69	14:43:35	1:22.893	186.920
14	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	70	14:44:59	1:22.963	186.762
15	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	49	14:14:12	1:23.006	186.666
16	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	48	14:12:32	1:23.350	185.895
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	20	13:31:56	1:24.054	184.338
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	69	14:45:55	1:25.005	182.276
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	67	14:43:09	1:25.540	181.136

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 Mexican Grand Prix.

2015 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	345
2	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	272
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	251
4	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	126
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	123
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	117
7	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing	88
8	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	84
9	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	68
10	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	47
11	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	45
12	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	44
13	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	27
14	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Lotus F1	26
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	617
2	Ferrari	374
3	Williams	243
4	Red Bull Racing	172
5	Force India	112
6	Lotus F1	71
7	Toro Rosso	65
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