Driver secures third World Championship with victory
Lewis Hamilton joined the elite group of Formula One drivers who have won three or more World Championships as he secured the 2015 title with a superb victory over Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Matching Ayrton Senna's three titles was a huge ambition achieved for Hamilton.
“I don't know what I will do next -- but there is no one I want to equal or emulate next,” he said. “As I said one race ago, I feel like I had the baton down for myself and Ayrton and will carry it as long as I can and as strong as I can. It's a very humbling experience, especially to equal Ayrton Senna, who meant so much to me and still does today. I feel very, very blessed.”
Against the odds after three days of rain, spectators were treated a fabulously entertaining event that began on a wet track that ultimately dried and allowed the drivers to race to the flag on slick tires. For much of the race, the Mercedes guys were in a fight not just with each other, but firstly with Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Dany Kvyat, and later Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton's title was not secured until the final lap, for if Vettel had managed to pass Rosberg and claimed second, the battle would have gone to the next race in Mexico, albeit only by a tiny margin.
After Saturday's unstinting rain forced qualifying to be postponed until this morning, the action started on time at 9 a.m., despite ongoing wet conditions. In the Q2 session, the rain intensified and many drivers had spins, especially at the very difficult turn 10, including big names like Hamilton. The rain was so heavy by the end of the session that the FIA initially postponed the start of Q3, before quickly cancelling it. That meant the grid was formed by the times set in the Q2 session. After a great effort throughout, Rosberg was thus on pole, ahead of Hamilton, while Ricciardo and Kvyat were on the second row.
The weather improved over the lunch break and the rain had stopped before the 2 p.m. start. The track was still very wet, and everyone went for intermediates -- but it was clear that at some point slicks would be the preferred option.
Hamilton showed he meant business at the start when he leaned on Rosberg at turn one, forcing the German wide and over the curbs -- in fact he lost several places and had to work hard to claw back. The Red Bulls proved well suited to the wet conditions, and they took the fight to Mercedes in some style. As the track dried, intermediate tires began to wear out and everyone struggled for grip. Ricciardo was the star of the early stages, the Aussie passing Hamilton for the lead and pulling away for a few laps.
It was around the lap 18 mark that the top guys began stopping for slicks. The complexion of the race now changed, as Mercedes had the upper hand, or least Rosberg did, as he relieved Ricciardo of the lead while Hamilton was initially less happy. Rosberg opened up a lead of as much as 12 seconds before a safety car period cost him everything and allowed Hamilton to catch up.
It was around the lap 18 mark that the top guys began stopping for slicks. The complexion of the race now changed, as Mercedes had the upper hand, or least Rosberg did, as he relieved Ricciardo of the lead while Hamilton was initially less happy. Rosberg opened up a lead of as much as 12 seconds before a safety car period cost him everything and allowed Hamilton to catch up.
After that, the two silver cars circulated together until a Virtual Safety Car appeared, and Rosberg took the chance to pit for tires while losing a lot less time than he would under green. Hamilton, in contrast, stayed out and it looked like he would eventually come in under green, handing the advantage back to his teammate. However, Kvyat then crashed heavily and a full safety car gave Hamilton a completely free pit stop. Luck was on his side.
Rosberg was just ahead of him at the restart with 10 laps to go -- and Hamilton knew that the title was in his grasp if he could get ahead. In the end, Rosberg did the job for him, making a mistake and running wide and allowing Hamilton to get past. Hamilton just had to complete the final eight laps safely, and he did that, crossing the line 2.8 seconds clear of his rival. After a strong race from a starting position of fifth on the grid, Vettel took third, right on Rosberg's gearbox. As noted, had he got past, he would have stayed in the title hunt.
This was a truly fabulous and unpredictable race, one that gave F1 a real shot in the arm, with great action up and down the field. The title may be done and dusted, but the Hamilton vs. Rosberg battle will continue over the last three races, and it looks likely that the gloves will be off ...
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 25 points
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 18 points
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 15 points
4. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 12 points
5. Sergio Perez, Force India, 10 points
6. Jenson Button, McLaren, 8 points
7. Carlos Sainz Jr., Toro Rosso, 6 points
8. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 4 points
9. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 2 points
10 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1 point
11. Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12. Alexander Rossi, Marussia
13. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull
14. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
15. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
17. Felipe Massa, Williams
18. Romain Grosjean, Lotus
19. Valtteri Bottas, Williams
20. Will Stevens, Marussia
