2015 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton clinched his third world championship with victory in a dramatic United States Grand Prix. A rain-hit weekend ended with a changing-condition race, repeated interruptions and a decisive late mistake from Nico Rosberg.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Pole time	1:56.824
Fastest lap	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Fastest-lap time	1:40.666 on lap 49
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
23 October 2015	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
23 October 2015	Practice 2 (cancelled)	14:00 – 15:30
24 October 2015	Practice 3	10:00 – 11:00
25 October 2015	Qualifying (Q1/Q2; Q3 cancelled)	09:00
25 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 16 leading the 2015 F1 World Championship on 302 points, with Sebastian Vettel on 236. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 531 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

A soaked circuit gradually improved during FP1, allowing drivers to move onto intermediate tyres. Nico Rosberg led the Red Bulls, while Fernando Alonso tried McLaren’s updated power unit and survived a late excursion. Pastor Maldonado never left the garage because of a gearbox problem, and Raffaele Marciello took Felipe Nasr’s place at Sauber.

FP2 was cancelled as torrential rain and thunderstorms made running impossible. The lost session denied teams a chance to build on the limited morning mileage, leaving their Austin preparations dependent on the weather improving. There was no afternoon classification, and the wet conditions would continue to shape the weekend’s disrupted timetable.

FP3 went ahead on a wet track while spectators were kept away for their safety. Lewis Hamilton set the quickest lap ahead of Sebastian Vettel, but worsening conditions made the session increasingly difficult. Sebastian Vettel spun twice, while Nico Hülkenberg put Force India third as teams again worked with precious little useful running.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2015 United States Grand Prix FP1, 23 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:53.989	7
2	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.235s	6
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.603s	10
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.678s	8
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.704s	4
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.721s	10
7	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.980s	7
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+2.337s	10
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.850s	18
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+2.877s	15
11	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+3.092s	13
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.150s	4
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+3.506s	20
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+3.529s	4
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+4.330s	10
16	36	Raffaele Marciello	Sauber	+5.442s	19
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+5.754s	18
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+7.165s	11
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+7.918s	13
20	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2015 United States Grand Prix FP2, 23 October 2015

The session was cancelled and no classification was issued.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2015 United States Grand Prix FP3, 24 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:59.517	9
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.863s	9
3	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.979s	12
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.006s	14
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.170s	11
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.177s	12
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.268s	9
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.491s	12
9	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.957s	7
10	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.682s	13
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.143s	12
12	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+3.308s	10
13	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	+3.404s	11
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.858s	9
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+4.882s	13
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+5.766s	7
17	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	+5.861s	10
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	+6.090s	10
19	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+7.275s	10
20	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+10.477s	7

Qualifying

Nico Rosberg headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton second and Daniel Ricciardo third.

Qualifying moved to Sunday morning because of the severe weather. Q3 was cancelled, so Q2 times determined the leading positions and gave Nico Rosberg pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari‘s engine penalties pushed Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen further back.

Qualifying Classification

2015 United States Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 October 2015

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:56.671	1:56.824	—	16
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:56.871	1:56.929	—	14
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:56.495	1:57.969	—	16
4	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:57.640	1:58.434	—	16
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	2:00.950	1:58.596	—	13
6	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:59.284	1:59.210	—	16
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:58.325	1:59.333	—	16
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:58.198	1:59.703	—	15
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	2:00.902	1:59.999	—	17
10	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:58.689	2:00.199	—	17
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:59.704	2:00.265	—	16
12	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:59.569	2:00.334	—	16
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	2:00.236	2:00.595	—	17
14	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	2:00.261	2:01.193	—	16
15	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	2:00.844	2:01.604	—	17
16	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	2:02.212	—	—	9
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	2:03.194	—	—	9
18	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	2:04.176	—	—	9
19	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	2:04.526	—	—	9
—	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	2:07.304	—	—	3

Due to heavy rain and aquaplaning on track during Q2, Q3 was cancelled with all positions being taken from Q2 times.

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen both received ten-place grid penalties for using an additional power unit.

Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change after qualifying.

Will Stevens received a twenty-place grid penalty for various changes to his power unit but was not placed at the back of the grid due to Sainz not setting a timed lap.

Carlos Sainz failed to set a lap time within 107% of the fastest time set in Q1; he was later permitted to race by the stewards.

What happened in the 2015 United States Grand Prix?

Hamilton took the lead at the first corner as Rosberg ran wide, but Red Bull was particularly competitive on the damp circuit. Daniel Ricciardo eventually passed Hamilton before the field changed from intermediates to slick tyres.

The switch to dry-weather running restored Mercedes‘ advantage. Rosberg moved into the lead, while Hamilton recovered second and Vettel progressed from his penalised starting position into contention behind them.

Safety-car and virtual-safety-car periods repeatedly altered the strategy. After the final restart, Rosberg ran wide and Hamilton seized the lead, turning the championship calculation decisively in his favour.

Hamilton won ahead of Rosberg and Vettel to secure the title with three races remaining. Max Verstappen finished fourth and Sergio Pérez fifth, while Jenson Button took sixth. Alexander Rossi narrowly missed points at his home race in twelfth.

Further down the points places, Carlos Sainz, Pastor Maldonado, Felipe Nasr and Daniel Ricciardo 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 327 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 251. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 574, with Ferrari on 374.

2015 United States Grand Prix race results

The 2015 United States Grand Prix was held on 25 October 2015, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	56	1:50:52.703	25
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	56	+2.850	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	56	+3.381	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	56	+22.359	12
5	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	56	+24.413	10
6	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	56	+28.058	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	56	+30.619	6
8	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	56	+32.273	4
9	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	56	+40.257	2
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	56	+53.571	1
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	56	+54.816	0
12	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	56	+1:15.277	0
Ret	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	41	Accident	0
Ret	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	35	Collision	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	25	Electrical	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	25	Brakes	0
Ret	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	23	Suspension	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	10	Brakes	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	5	Suspension	0
Ret	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	1	Collision damage	0

Carlos Sainz finished sixth but had five seconds added to his race time for speeding in the pit lane.

2015 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	49	15:42:51	1:40.666	197.154
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	48	15:41:08	1:40.738	197.014
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	52	15:47:57	1:41.330	195.863
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	53	15:50:25	1:41.980	194.614
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	51	15:46:32	1:42.660	193.325
6	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus F1	51	15:46:34	1:42.849	192.970
7	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	54	15:51:40	1:43.010	192.668
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	50	15:44:48	1:43.026	192.638
9	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	51	15:46:25	1:43.172	192.366
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	41	15:26:42	1:43.728	191.335
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	55	15:53:52	1:44.323	190.243
12	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	54	15:51:51	1:44.407	190.090
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	24	14:51:32	1:45.095	188.846
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	24	14:52:59	1:46.186	186.905
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	24	14:52:37	1:47.381	184.825
16	53	Alexander Rossi	Manor Marussia	50	15:45:05	1:48.173	183.472
17	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	22	14:48:12	1:48.231	183.374
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	8	14:21:42	1:59.612	165.926
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	3	14:11:38	2:31.939	130.623

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 United States Grand Prix.

2015 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	327
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	251
3	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	247
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	74
9	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	64
10	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	45
11	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	44
12	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	38
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	574
2	Ferrari	374
3	Williams	220
4	Red Bull Racing	150
5	Force India	102
6	Lotus F1	70
7	Toro Rosso	63
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