Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix Weekend Report

13 November 2015

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix Weekend Report

Following a short break, Formula 1 reconvened at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil for the penultimate round of the 2015 season.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas
Despite the drivers' and constructors' championships being wrapped up in Russia and the USA respectively, the paddock was still working flat-out to end the year on a positive note.

Two Brazilian drivers raced on home soil, with Felipe Massa returning to Sao Paulo for Williams and Felipe Nasr competing for Sauber. Interlagos looked slightly different compared to last season, after the pit and paddock complex revamp.

FP1
Despite arriving in Brazil one day late, newly-crowned three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace in first practice for the 18th round of the year. 
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The British driver led the way early on before being displaced by Sebastian Vettel. However, he moved back to the top of the timesheets with 55 minutes remaining and his 1:13.543 time on the medium tyre proved to be unbeatable.

Nico Rosberg finished half a second further back in second place, with Vettel just behind. Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat were fourth and sixth for Red Bull, with Kimi Raikkonen splitting the two despite a late spin into the gravel.

Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado completed the top 10. The Toro Rosso rookie survived an early spin, with his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr in 11th. 2016 Lotus F1 driver Jolyon Palmer was 12th, ahead of Jenson Button, Nasr, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Massa. 

FP2
Rosberg ended the second 90-minute practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend at the top of the timesheets, half a second clear of Hamilton.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The German put in a 1:12.385 and was 0.458 seconds clear of his team-mate. Rosberg suffered a late off-track excursion and also radioed concern about his gearbox, although he continued to the end of the session.

Sebastian Vettel was one second slower than the lead Mercedes, with Raikkonen and Ricciardo, who ran with the new Renault power unit, completing the top five

Bottas, Romain Grosjean and Hulkenberg were next up. Kvyat and Massa rounded out the top 10. Perez, Maldonado, Nasr, Verstappen, Sainz Jr and Button claimed the positions from 11th to 16th. 

Marcus Ericsson and Fernando Alonso were next up. The McLaren brought out the red flag with one hour to go after flames emerged from his Honda engine and he was forced to stop on the circuit.    

FP3
Despite slowing with gearbox troubles early in third practice, Hamilton ended the session fastest for Mercedes, one tenth ahead of his team-mate.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The British driver moved to the front after switching to the soft tyre. He put in a 1:12.070 to go quickest, ahead of Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen and Bottas.

Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Perez and Maldonado were next up. The latter was one of several to sample the run-off area at the Interlagos circuit during FP3. Verstappen completed the top 10.

Ricciardo and Kvyat were 11th and 13th for Red Bull, struggling more in the session. They were separated by Massa in the second Williams. Alonso, Sainz Jr, Ericsson and Nasr followed. Button, Will Stevens and Alexander Rossi rounded out the order.  

Qualifying
Rosberg stormed to his fifth consecutive pole position of the season, ending the top 10 shoot-out at Interlagos in first place.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The German was quickest after the opening runs but found two more tenths on his second attempt, putting in a 1:11.282. Hamilton missed out by just 0.078 seconds, finishing ahead of Vettel and Bottas - who has a three-place penalty.

Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Kvyat were next up. Massa, Ricciardo and Verstappen completed the top 10 in the 12-minute session.  

Nasr, Sainz Jr and Perez failed to make it through to Q3. Ericsson and Grosjean, who suffered a late spin and narrowly avoided hitting the wall, were also eliminated.

In Q1, Maldonado slipped into the drop-zone late in the 18-minute session. Button joined him despite improving on his final lap, with Rossi next up.

The American ended the opening segment of qualifying just ahead of team-mate Stevens. Alonso was forced to pull off track before setting a time with an engine issue and was forced to sit and watch from a deck chair at Turn 9.

The Race
Rosberg lined up on pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix, while a problem for Sainz Jr on his way to the grid meant the Toro Rosso driver lined up from pit lane.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The revs rose, the lights went out and the penultimate round of the 2015 F1 season got underway. Off the line, Rosberg managed to hold off Hamilton into Turn 1, while Bottas advanced to fifth. 

Kvyat and Hulkenberg got very close on the run to the first corner, while Alonso ran wide. Several drivers took a trip across the Turn 4 run-off area, including the McLaren and Nasr, and the yellow flags emerged for Sainz Jr. 

The Spaniard's Toro Rosso ground to a halt with "no power" at the exit of Turn 5, pulling off and retiring. Rosberg had a lead of just one second over Hamilton by the end of the opening tour, with Vettel and Raikkonen chasing.

Ricciardo was the first driver to change tyres, pitting at the end of the third lap. Home favourite Nasr passed Grosjean for 11th, but the Lotus claimed the place back on the next tour, with the help of DRS.

The gap at the front started to increase after several fastest laps from Rosberg. Vettel and Raikkonen continued to fall further behind the Mercedes duo and Bottas struggled to keep up with the Ferrari drivers in the early stages.

Hulkenberg was the next driver to pit, moving onto the medium tyre at the end of the ninth lap. Red Bull reacted on the following tour with Kvyat and Massa, Perez and Grosjean all joined the Russian in the pits. Kvyat emerged alongside Hulkenberg but the Force India moved ahead.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

At the back, Ricciardo struggled to pass the Manor drivers after his early stop, losing crucial seconds. Bottas was the first of the top five to stop on lap 12, switching to the primes. Verstappen also took to the pit lane and returned to the Interlagos circuit ahead of Grosjean.

Raikkonen was the next front-runner to stop. Rosberg and Vettel pitted for the mediums on the 14th tour of the Brazilian Grand Prix, but it was a slightly slow trip to the Mercedes pit box. Hamilton briefly held the lead before moving onto a new set of tyres, emerging behind his team-mate.

Maldonado had yet to stop and found himself running up in sixth place, only to fall to seventh after a DRS-assisted overtake by Hulkenberg. The gap between the top two fell to five tenths of a second at the end of lap 18, with the three-time champion "pushing hard".

He was in the DRS zone but couldn't get close enough to take the fight to Rosberg. He said over team radio on lap 25 that it was "impossible to follow" the lead Mercedes at Interlagos. Maldonado stopped for the first time on lap 26 after a long opening stint.

Hamilton was back on the team radio a few laps later, asking for an alternative strategy because he was "faster". Ricciardo stopped for the second time on lap 28. Verstappen passed Perez around the outside at the Senna S in a stunning move on lap 32.
© Red Bull Content Pool

Vettel was the first front-runner to stop for a second time, pitting and moving back onto the soft tyre on lap 33. Rosberg dived in on the next lap for the mediums, with Hamilton pitting for fresh tyres on lap 35. He emerged in third, behind Rosberg and Raikkonen, who had yet to stop.

Ericsson and Maldonado tried to go side-by-side through the first corner but the two collided, with the Sauber spinning. Hamilton passed Raikkonen and was three seconds behind Rosberg by lap 37, cutting the gap slightly over the next few tours of Interlagos.

Maldonado was handed a five-second time penalty for causing a collision. He fell behind Kvyat at Turn 1. Meanwhile the Lotus driver's team-mate Grosjean passed Verstappen for 10th, with the Dutchman unhappy with the lack of speed on the straights.

Raikkonen made his second stop on lap 47, with Vettel, Rosberg and Hamilton pitting for the third time over the next three laps of the Brazilian GPHe returned to the track two seconds behind Rosberg but closed by eight tenths in just two laps.

However, he lost time in traffic, with the gap increasing to 1.4 seconds by lap 57. Nasr and Maldonado battled closely over ninth, while Massa pitted and emerged in eighth. Having dropped behind the Lotus, Nasr was almost hit by Verstappen, but the Toro Rosso driver made the move stick at Turn 1 shortly after.

Next up for Verstappen was Maldonado but he proved to be a tougher driver to pass. Meanwhile, further back, Ricciardo passed Perez for 12th. Out front, Rosberg was 5.3 seconds clear of Hamilton by lap 68, the British driver seemingly backing off and bringing the car home.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

Rosberg crossed the line eight seconds clear of Hamilton to win his fifth race of the season and second in Brazil. Vettel was third for Ferrari, with Raikkonen half a second further back in fourth. Mercedes lapped the rest of the field, proving the team's dominance.

Bottas was fifth, ahead of Hulkenberg, Kvyat, Massa and Grosjean. Verstappen picked up the final point after a feisty drive. Maldonado, Ricciardo, Perez, Nasr, Button, Alonso and Ericsson were next up. Stevens and Rossi completed the results.    

Massa was later excluded from the race result due to a tyre infringement. 

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