2015 United States Grand Prix

Lore & Background

Lewis Hamilton was the defending race winner and entered with a 66-point lead in the Drivers' Championship over Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, with Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg a further seven points behind. The three-day event was run during a downpour of rain; as a result, the second practice session and the final qualifying session were cancelled, while the whole of qualifying was delayed until the morning of the race day. Hamilton won the race, passing Nico Rosberg in the later stages, and thereby secured his third Drivers' Championship, as Sebastian Vettel finished third. An incident-packed race saw only twelve cars reach the finish line, with Max Verstappen repeating his best result of the season in fourth and Jenson Button finishing a season-best sixth. After starting in damp conditions, both Red Bull drivers were initially able to challenge the Mercedes for the lead, but later dropped back as the track dried, with Daniil Kvyat retiring after a crash and Daniel Ricciardo eventually finishing tenth.

In Their Own Story

The Texas sun beat down on the Circuit of the Americas as the lights went out for the final time in 2015. Inside the cockpit of the silver W06, Lewis Hamilton felt the weight of history pressing against his shoulders. He knew that a single mistake could hand the crown to Nico Rosberg. Behind him, the German teammate was breathing down his neck, eyes fixed on the rear wing of the championship leader. Through Turn 12 and into the long back straight, the gap remained microscopic. The roar of the V6 turbo engines echoed off the desert hills, a symphony of power and pressure. As they approached the final sector, Hamilton defended with calculated precision, denying Rosberg any opening. When the checkered flag finally waved, the tension shattered into pure elation. Hamilton raised his arms, not just as a race finisher, but as a three-time world champion, the Silver Arrows once again ruling the world.

Reader's Guide

Nico Rosberg secured his third consecutive pole position, ahead of Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Daniil Kvyat. Fifth fastest was Sebastian Vettel for Ferrari, but his grid penalty meant that the third row on the grid was made up by the two Force India cars of Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg respectively. The penalties for both Ferraris saw Fernando Alonso move up to ninth on the grid, the highest grid position for McLaren at that point of the season.

Did You Know?

• Lewis Hamilton won the race and secured his third Drivers' Championship.
• Nico Rosberg finished second, not third.
• Sebastian Vettel finished third.
• Nico Rosberg was on pole position, not Hamilton.
• Only twelve cars finished the race.