2015 Russian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton won in Sochi after Nico Rosberg retired with a throttle problem. Sebastian Vettel finished second, while a final-lap collision between the two leading Finnish drivers handed Sergio Pérez a dramatic podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Pole time	1:37.113
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:40.071 on lap 51
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Third	Sergio Pérez	Force India

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
9 October 2015	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
9 October 2015	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
10 October 2015	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
10 October 2015	Qualifying	15:00
11 October 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 15 leading the 2015 F1 World Championship on 277 points, with Nico Rosberg on 229. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 506 points.

Race entries

Roberto Merhi raced for Manor Marussia, replacing Alexander Rossi. Jolyon Palmer also took part in practice.

Free Practice

A diesel spill disrupted FP1 before the cars could properly get going. Water used in the clean-up left teams initially needing wet-weather tyres, before a drying surface finally allowed slicks. Nico Hülkenberg emerged fastest in the late scramble, while Marcus Ericsson stopped with an engine problem and Lewis Hamilton spun on his final timed lap.

Heavy rain made FP2 another frustrating exercise, with only eight drivers recording times. Felipe Massa was fastest, but the lack of running offered little guidance for a dry race. Lotus and Marussia stayed in the garages altogether, while Fernando Alonso completed the most laps as McLaren checked its car following an engine change.

FP3 ended early after Carlos Sainz suffered a major accident at Turn 13, his Toro Rosso becoming buried beneath the protective barriers. He was taken to hospital for checks and escaped injury. With the session abandoned, Nico Rosberg’s earlier lap remained fastest, and the entire field headed towards qualifying with exceptionally limited preparation.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2015 Russian Grand Prix FP1, 9 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:44.355	11
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.052s	15
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.631s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+0.791s	11
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.878s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.133s	13
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.336s	10
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.391s	13
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.848s	13
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.860s	16
11	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.876s	12
12	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.978s	12
13	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.392s	13
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.088s	16
15	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+3.651s	9
16	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+3.741s	9
17	30	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus F1	+4.739s	9
18	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	+8.639s	12
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+9.917s	12
20	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+13.899s	6

Free Practice 2 Classification

2015 Russian Grand Prix FP2, 9 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	2:00.458	6
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.201s	8
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.230s	8
4	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+0.348s	7
5	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+0.619s	12
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+0.960s	6
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.347s	7
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.387s	8
9	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	No time	6
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	No time	3
11	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	No time	3
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	No time	3
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	No time	3
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	No time	1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2015 Russian Grand Prix FP3, 10 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:38.561	15
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+0.726s	17
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.802s	13
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.055s	14
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.314s	14
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.356s	14
7	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.020s	12
8	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+2.206s	13
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.639s	11
10	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.668s	14
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+2.797s	15
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+3.736s	11
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+3.810s	14
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.889s	14
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+4.122s	19
16	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+4.125s	11
17	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+4.528s	16
18	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+4.786s	14
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	+8.206s	19
20	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+8.688s	18

Qualifying

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

Nico Rosberg took pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Carlos Sainz missed qualifying after a heavy final-practice crash but was cleared to race, while the practice programme had already been disrupted by a diesel spill and rain.

Qualifying Classification

2015 Russian Grand Prix Qualifying, 10 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:38.343	1:37.500	1:37.113	20
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:38.558	1:37.672	1:37.433	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:38.448	1:38.194	1:37.912	26
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:38.598	1:38.402	1:37.965	15
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:39.207	1:38.224	1:38.348	18
6	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:39.250	1:38.727	1:38.659	21
7	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:39.617	1:38.914	1:38.691	19
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:39.056	1:38.754	1:38.787	19
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:39.411	1:39.119	1:38.924	23
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:39.574	1:39.005	1:39.728	18
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:39.580	1:39.214	—	18
12	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:40.042	1:39.323	—	18
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:39.739	1:39.763	—	15
14	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	1:39.724	1:39.811	—	15
15	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:38.926	1:39.895	—	17
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:40.144	—	—	7
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:40.660	—	—	9
18	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	1:43.693	—	—	9
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	1:43.804	—	—	8
—	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	no time	—	—	—

Fernando Alonso received a thirty-five-place grid penalty for a variety of changes made to his power unit.

Roberto Merhi received a twenty-place grid penalty for a variety of changes made to his power unit.

Carlos Sainz did not take part in qualifying after a heavy crash during FP3; he was later permitted to race by the stewards.

Carlos Sainz received a twenty-place grid penalty for a variety of changes made to his power unit and replacing his gearbox.

What happened in the 2015 Russian Grand Prix?

Rosberg led away, but a throttle problem forced him to retire early. Nico Hülkenberg‘s opening-lap spin eliminated Marcus Ericsson too, and a later heavy crash for Romain Grosjean caused a second safety-car period.

Hamilton took control while Vettel gained ground through the pit-stop phase. Pérez had stopped during the safety car and attempted to protect third on older tyres as Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen closed in.

Both Finns passed Pérez near the end, seemingly ending the Force India driver’s podium hopes. On the final lap, however, Räikkönen hit Bottas while trying to pass, eliminating the Williams and allowing Pérez back into third.

Hamilton won ahead of Vettel and Pérez. Räikkönen’s penalty dropped him to eighth and confirmed Mercedes as constructors’ champion. Felipe Massa finished fourth and Daniil Kvyat fifth, while Vettel moved ahead of Rosberg in the drivers’ standings.

Further down the points places, Pastor Maldonado, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button and Max Verstappen completed the scoring positions. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2015 rules.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 302 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 236. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 531, with Ferrari on 359.

2015 Russian Grand Prix race results

The 2015 Russian Grand Prix was held on 11 October 2015, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	1:37:11.024	25
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	53	+5.953	18
3	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	53	+28.918	15
4	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	53	+38.831	12
5	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	53	+47.566	10
6	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	53	+56.508	8
7	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	53	+1:01.088	6
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	+1:12.358	4
9	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	53	+1:19.467	2
10	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	53	+1:28.424	1
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	53	+1:31.210	0
12	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	52	Collision	0
13	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	52	+1 Lap	0
14	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	51	+2 Laps	0
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	47	Suspension	0
Ret	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	45	Brakes	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	11	Accident	0
Ret	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	7	Throttle	0
Ret	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	0	Collision	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	0	Collision	0

Kimi Räikkönen originally finished fifth but received a 30-second time penalty after the race following a collision with Valtteri Bottas.

Fernando Alonso originally finished tenth but received a 5-second time penalty after the race for exceeding track limits.

Carlos Sainz received a 5-second penalty after the race for crossing the line at the pit entry, but he retired.

Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

2015 Russian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	51	15:37:28	1:40.071	210.378
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	48	15:32:45	1:40.294	209.910
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	44	15:25:26	1:40.573	209.328
4	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	48	15:32:57	1:40.881	208.689
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	45	15:27:37	1:41.134	208.167
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	52	15:39:52	1:41.372	207.678
7	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	52	15:40:00	1:41.507	207.402
8	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	51	15:38:23	1:41.520	207.375
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	48	15:32:41	1:41.772	206.862
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	43	15:24:13	1:41.888	206.626
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	44	15:26:04	1:42.258	205.879
12	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	29	15:00:46	1:42.639	205.115
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	53	15:42:06	1:43.068	204.261
14	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	6	14:16:17	1:43.133	204.132
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	45	15:28:17	1:43.265	203.871
16	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	50	15:39:07	1:44.926	200.644
17	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	50	15:38:27	1:45.049	200.409
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	7	14:18:20	1:45.266	199.996

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 Russian Grand Prix.

2015 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	302
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	236
3	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	229
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	123
5	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	111
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	109
7	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing	76
8	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	73
9	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	54
10	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	44
11	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	38
12	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	33
13	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	25
14	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Lotus F1	22
15	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	12
16	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	11
17	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	9
18	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	8
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	531
2	Ferrari	359
3	Williams	220
4	Red Bull Racing	149
5	Force India	92
6	Lotus F1	66
7	Toro Rosso	45
8	Sauber	34
9	McLaren	19
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