The 16th round of the 2015 Formula 1 season took place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
It was the sport's fourth visit to the circuit and the 37th time the United States Grand Prix has featured on the F1 calendar, although other races have taken place in the country.
Lewis Hamilton went into the race weekend 66 points ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, with Nico Rosberg a little further back.
FP1
Heavy rain prior to the first practice meant a mix of intermediate and wet tyres were used in the opening stages. Marcus Ericsson was the first out on track at Sauber's 400th Grand Prix and got the ball rolling with a 2:01.702.
Several drivers suffered spins and off-track excursions in the challenging conditions. Rosberg moved to the top of the timesheets at the 20-minute mark, with Kimi Raikkonen going second on his first attempt.
Pastor Maldonado failed to set a time due to gearbox problems, while Raikkonen's car disappeared into the garage for a while with brake issues. Despite the rain, fans were treated to a decent amount of running.
As conditions improved, Rosberg improved to a 1:53.989 and ended FP1 quickest, over one second ahead of Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Carlos Sainz Jr was fourth, with Hamilton, Vettel, Max Verstappen and Raikkonen next up. Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas completed the top 10. Alexander Rossi was 19th on home soil.
FP2
Heavy rain returned to the Circuit of the Americas prior to the start of second practice, causing it to be delayed "indefinitely".
Storms swept over the circuit and fans were told to seek shelter. The threat of lightning strikes also meant marshals were not able to head to their posts.
The weather looked to be improving slightly but conditions soon worsened and FP2 was abandoned. The FIA confirmed that the medical helicopter could not fly for the next two hours.
More rain and heavy storms are expected on Saturday, partly due to the powerful Hurricane Patricia.
FP3
Despite rain continuing to fall overnight, the weather improved slightly in time for FP3, which went ahead as planned - despite COTA delaying the opening of the gates to midday. Ricciardo was first to sample the conditions and he was followed out by Ericsson.
Only the wet tyres were allowed in third practice. Ricciardo set the opening timed lap with a 2:12.758 but he was quickly displaced by Maldonado and team-mate Kvyat. Rosberg spun into the wall in the first sector but returned to the circuit, while Verstappen was one of a few drivers to suffer spins.
Hamilton moved to the front with a 2:02.561 before Vettel displaced him, going over two seconds faster. However, despite the rain intensifying, drivers were still able to improve, with Hulkenberg and Bottas going second and third. The championship leader then went fastest with a 1:59.517.
With more rain falling, he remained quickest, with Vettel and Nico Hulkenberg next up. Bottas was fourth, ahead of Sainz Jr, Kvyat, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Rosberg and Felipe Massa. Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean and Maldonado were 11th, 12th and 13th. Rossi was 18th, just behind his Manor team-mate.
Qualifying
Due to the almost never-ending torrential rain at the Circuit of the Americas, qualifying for the United States Grand Prix was postponed to Sunday morning at 9:00am.
The FIA delayed the session several times before deciding to push qualifying back to the same day as the race. It is the first time since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix that qualifying has taken place on Sunday morning.
Q1
In tricky and wet conditions, the 18-minute opening segment of qualifying got underway on Sunday morning. Maldonado, Grosjean, Sainz Jr and Kvyat were first to head out onto the circuit.
Maldonado also put in the maiden lap time of the session with a 2:04.153, but he quickly fell down the order. Kvyat and Ricciardo spent short stints at the front before Hamilton moved ahead with a 1:59.393.
Q1 was red flagged after Sainz Jr spun at Turn 3 and hit the wall. The clock was stopped with 12 minutes 46 seconds remaining and the session resumed once Sainz Jr's damaged car was recovered. Conditions continued to improve and the times tumbled.
Ricciardo ended Q1 fastest for Red Bull with a 1:56.495. Rosberg improved late on to go second, ahead of Hamilton, Kvyat, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Verstappen. Vettel slipped to 15th but was saved by scruffy laps for Ericsson and Nasr, who were both eliminated. Rossi, Stevens and Sainz Jr joined the Sauber duo on the drop-zone.
Q2
The second segment of qualifying saw the slowest five drivers eliminated from the fight for pole position. Vettel, Grosjean, Maldonado and Raikkonen were first out for Ferrari and Lotus.
Vettel also put in the opening timed lap with a 1:59.757, but he quickly dropped behind team-mate Raikkonen. Rosberg and Hamilton then smashed the Ferrari driver's benchmark, going first and second, both in the 1m56s.
Hulkenberg, Button, Raikkonen and Verstappen all suffered Turn 10 spins. With the weather getting worse, the order remained unchanged in the final minutes of the session. Rosberg was quickest with a 1:56.824, one tenth clear of Hamilton.
The British driver was another driver to spin in sector two. Ricciardo, Kvyat, Vettel, Perez, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Massa and Verstappen all progressed to Q3. Alonso, Bottas, Grosjean, Button and Maldonado all failed to progress.
Because of the terrible conditions, the FIA announced that Q3 would not take place, with the grid being decided by the Q2 results and the drop-zone from Q1. Rosberg secured pole position.
The Race
Just a few hours after qualifying, the United States Grand Prix took place. Conditions had improved considerably, meaning intermediate tyres were the most suitable option.
Rosberg started on pole position, with Hamilton alongside him. Could he take the title in Texas? The revs rose, the lights went out and round 16 of the 2015 season got underway. Off the line, Hamilton had a strong start and stormed into the lead at Turn 1.
The British driver forced Rosberg wide, with Kvyat and Ricciardo moving up to second and third. Perez also found his way through in the tricky conditions, while Vettel and Raikkonen gaining several places.
Alonso and Massa both spun after contact and fell to the back of the pack, causing several drivers to take evasive action. Hamilton was challenged by Kvyat on the opening lap, while Rosberg gained a place back from Perez. Vettel moved up to seventh by the start of the second tour. Bottas stopped for a new nose and Williams opted to move onto the soft tyre.
There was more drama when Nasr and Ericsson collided, with the former damaging his front nose. Grosjean, Rossi and Alonso also pitted, while Stevens retired. At the front of the field, Hamilton eked out a small gap over Kvyat, with Ricciardo two seconds clear of Rosberg.
Perez, Hulkenberg, Vettel, Verstappen and Raikkonen battled closely in the midfield. Nasr pitted for repairs after hitting his Sauber team-mate and, despite Bottas putting in slow sector times, became the second driver to move onto the slicks.
Kvyat started to close in on Hamilton and tried to take the lead at Turn 1, but ran wide and dropped back. Hulkenberg fell behind both Raikkonen and Sainz Jr within the space of just two corners, just before the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed due to debris.
The VSC ended on lap eight, with Rosberg immediately moving ahead of Ricciardo in the first sector. The Mercedes then moved ahead of Kvyat on the back straight and started hunting down Hamilton.
Rosberg was told no more rain was expected. Grosjean was the next driver to switch to dry tyres, pitting on lap 10. Kvyat and Ricciardo caught back up to Rosberg and this enabled Hamilton to open up a small gap by the 11th tour.
Grosjean was the third retirement with rear damage and brake problems, pitting and being pushed into the garage on lap 12. Kvyat dived up the inside of Rosberg at the final corner but he went off and dropped behind his team-mate. The second Mercedes then ran wide at Turn 1, opening the door for Ricciardo.
The Red Bull took the lead at Turn 17 on the 15th lap and quickly opened up a small advantage. Rosberg also tried to move ahead of Hamilton but failed to find a way through. Ericsson and Button pitted for slicks on the 17th and 18th laps, as the track continued to dry.
Hamilton was the first front-runner to pit for dry tyres, having just lost second place to Rosberg. Red Bull quickly reacted and pitted Ricciardo at the end of lap 19, with Rosberg, Kvyat, Perez, Raikkonen, Sainz Jr and Hulkenberg all doing the same.
The earlier stop didn't work out for Hamilton. Both Rosberg and Kvyat emerged ahead of him and his charge wasn't helped by an off-track excursion at Turn 1. Raikkonen went off in the second sector but managed to continue despite a trip through the gravel and a hit with the wall.
Hamilton passed Kvyat for third, while Rosberg stormed into the lead a few moments later. He sailed ahead of Ricciardo on the back straight, with some help from DRS. Vettel had quietly been catching the top four and he overtook Kvyat on lap 24.
Massa was told to retire with a problem, while at the front Rosberg was quickly pulling away from Ricciardo. The Australian started to come under pressure from Hamilton and dropped behind him on lap 26.
Raikkonen's eventful US GP came to an end, with Ericsson then stopping on track with an issue. The Safety Car was deployed on lap 27 to recover the Sauber, with a number of drivers - including Vettel, Alonso and Perez - pitting. The top four stayed out.
The race resumed on lap 33, with Rosberg getting a good jump on his team-mate. Kvyat dropped behind Vettel, who was on fresh medium tyres. The Ferrari driver then went head-to-head with Ricciardo and the two enjoyed a brilliant battle for the final podium. He eventually moved ahead in the first sector on lap 34.
The Red Bull duo both dropped behind Verstappen, but Hulkenberg collided with Riccardo as he tried to move ahead. The Force India driver retired and the incident helped Kvyat gain a position too. The VSC was deployed, with Rosberg quickly diving into the pits. The two RB11s followed him in.
Hamilton stayed out and led the race as the VSC ended on lap 39. His lead was cut to five seconds, with Rosberg only eight seconds off first place. The 2014 runner-up was on a charge and he passed Vettel for second on lap 42.
The Safety Car was deployed once again on lap 43 after Kvyat crashed at the penultimate corner, losing the rear on the exit and hitting the inside wall. Hamilton and Vettel both pitted for fresh tyres, as did Maldonado, Sainz Jr and Nasr.
The race resumed on lap 47, with Vettel attempting to pass Verstappen at the first corner. He couldn't get through. With DRS on the back straight he didn't have to wait long to move back up to third, passing the Toro Rosso driver into Turn 12.
One lap later Rosberg got out of shape and went off, giving Hamilton the race lead. Further back Button passed Alonso for sixth, with Sainz Jr and Maldonado also moving ahead. The McLaren driver reported "no power" over team radio.
Hamilton pulled away from Rosberg in the closing stages, taking his fourth US GP victory and with it the 2015 world title. He stormed to his third championship and celebrated in style with donuts on his cool-down lap. It was a strong drive in tricky conditions and clearly an emotional result.
Rosberg held off Vettel to finish second, with the Ferrari driver having to settle for third. Verstappen was fourth for Toro Rosso, matching his best result, with Perez and Sainz Jr next up. Button, Maldonado and Nasr were seventh, eighth and ninth. Ricciardo stole the final point from Alonso on the last lap.
Behind Alonso, Rossi finished 12th at his first home race, putting in a good drive for Manor. Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Ericsson, Raikkonen, Massa, Grosjean, Bottas and Stevens were the retirements.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Lewis Hamilton went into the race weekend 66 points ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, with Nico Rosberg a little further back.
FP1
Heavy rain prior to the first practice meant a mix of intermediate and wet tyres were used in the opening stages. Marcus Ericsson was the first out on track at Sauber's 400th Grand Prix and got the ball rolling with a 2:01.702.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Several drivers suffered spins and off-track excursions in the challenging conditions. Rosberg moved to the top of the timesheets at the 20-minute mark, with Kimi Raikkonen going second on his first attempt.
Pastor Maldonado failed to set a time due to gearbox problems, while Raikkonen's car disappeared into the garage for a while with brake issues. Despite the rain, fans were treated to a decent amount of running.
As conditions improved, Rosberg improved to a 1:53.989 and ended FP1 quickest, over one second ahead of Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Carlos Sainz Jr was fourth, with Hamilton, Vettel, Max Verstappen and Raikkonen next up. Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas completed the top 10. Alexander Rossi was 19th on home soil.
FP2
Heavy rain returned to the Circuit of the Americas prior to the start of second practice, causing it to be delayed "indefinitely".
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Storms swept over the circuit and fans were told to seek shelter. The threat of lightning strikes also meant marshals were not able to head to their posts.
The weather looked to be improving slightly but conditions soon worsened and FP2 was abandoned. The FIA confirmed that the medical helicopter could not fly for the next two hours.
More rain and heavy storms are expected on Saturday, partly due to the powerful Hurricane Patricia.
FP3
Despite rain continuing to fall overnight, the weather improved slightly in time for FP3, which went ahead as planned - despite COTA delaying the opening of the gates to midday. Ricciardo was first to sample the conditions and he was followed out by Ericsson.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Only the wet tyres were allowed in third practice. Ricciardo set the opening timed lap with a 2:12.758 but he was quickly displaced by Maldonado and team-mate Kvyat. Rosberg spun into the wall in the first sector but returned to the circuit, while Verstappen was one of a few drivers to suffer spins.
Hamilton moved to the front with a 2:02.561 before Vettel displaced him, going over two seconds faster. However, despite the rain intensifying, drivers were still able to improve, with Hulkenberg and Bottas going second and third. The championship leader then went fastest with a 1:59.517.
With more rain falling, he remained quickest, with Vettel and Nico Hulkenberg next up. Bottas was fourth, ahead of Sainz Jr, Kvyat, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Rosberg and Felipe Massa. Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean and Maldonado were 11th, 12th and 13th. Rossi was 18th, just behind his Manor team-mate.
Qualifying
Due to the almost never-ending torrential rain at the Circuit of the Americas, qualifying for the United States Grand Prix was postponed to Sunday morning at 9:00am.
The FIA delayed the session several times before deciding to push qualifying back to the same day as the race. It is the first time since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix that qualifying has taken place on Sunday morning.
Q1
In tricky and wet conditions, the 18-minute opening segment of qualifying got underway on Sunday morning. Maldonado, Grosjean, Sainz Jr and Kvyat were first to head out onto the circuit.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Maldonado also put in the maiden lap time of the session with a 2:04.153, but he quickly fell down the order. Kvyat and Ricciardo spent short stints at the front before Hamilton moved ahead with a 1:59.393.
Q1 was red flagged after Sainz Jr spun at Turn 3 and hit the wall. The clock was stopped with 12 minutes 46 seconds remaining and the session resumed once Sainz Jr's damaged car was recovered. Conditions continued to improve and the times tumbled.
Ricciardo ended Q1 fastest for Red Bull with a 1:56.495. Rosberg improved late on to go second, ahead of Hamilton, Kvyat, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Verstappen. Vettel slipped to 15th but was saved by scruffy laps for Ericsson and Nasr, who were both eliminated. Rossi, Stevens and Sainz Jr joined the Sauber duo on the drop-zone.
Q2
The second segment of qualifying saw the slowest five drivers eliminated from the fight for pole position. Vettel, Grosjean, Maldonado and Raikkonen were first out for Ferrari and Lotus.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Vettel also put in the opening timed lap with a 1:59.757, but he quickly dropped behind team-mate Raikkonen. Rosberg and Hamilton then smashed the Ferrari driver's benchmark, going first and second, both in the 1m56s.
Hulkenberg, Button, Raikkonen and Verstappen all suffered Turn 10 spins. With the weather getting worse, the order remained unchanged in the final minutes of the session. Rosberg was quickest with a 1:56.824, one tenth clear of Hamilton.
The British driver was another driver to spin in sector two. Ricciardo, Kvyat, Vettel, Perez, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Massa and Verstappen all progressed to Q3. Alonso, Bottas, Grosjean, Button and Maldonado all failed to progress.
Because of the terrible conditions, the FIA announced that Q3 would not take place, with the grid being decided by the Q2 results and the drop-zone from Q1. Rosberg secured pole position.
The Race
Just a few hours after qualifying, the United States Grand Prix took place. Conditions had improved considerably, meaning intermediate tyres were the most suitable option.
Rosberg started on pole position, with Hamilton alongside him. Could he take the title in Texas? The revs rose, the lights went out and round 16 of the 2015 season got underway. Off the line, Hamilton had a strong start and stormed into the lead at Turn 1.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The British driver forced Rosberg wide, with Kvyat and Ricciardo moving up to second and third. Perez also found his way through in the tricky conditions, while Vettel and Raikkonen gaining several places.
Alonso and Massa both spun after contact and fell to the back of the pack, causing several drivers to take evasive action. Hamilton was challenged by Kvyat on the opening lap, while Rosberg gained a place back from Perez. Vettel moved up to seventh by the start of the second tour. Bottas stopped for a new nose and Williams opted to move onto the soft tyre.
There was more drama when Nasr and Ericsson collided, with the former damaging his front nose. Grosjean, Rossi and Alonso also pitted, while Stevens retired. At the front of the field, Hamilton eked out a small gap over Kvyat, with Ricciardo two seconds clear of Rosberg.
Perez, Hulkenberg, Vettel, Verstappen and Raikkonen battled closely in the midfield. Nasr pitted for repairs after hitting his Sauber team-mate and, despite Bottas putting in slow sector times, became the second driver to move onto the slicks.
Kvyat started to close in on Hamilton and tried to take the lead at Turn 1, but ran wide and dropped back. Hulkenberg fell behind both Raikkonen and Sainz Jr within the space of just two corners, just before the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed due to debris.
The VSC ended on lap eight, with Rosberg immediately moving ahead of Ricciardo in the first sector. The Mercedes then moved ahead of Kvyat on the back straight and started hunting down Hamilton.
Rosberg was told no more rain was expected. Grosjean was the next driver to switch to dry tyres, pitting on lap 10. Kvyat and Ricciardo caught back up to Rosberg and this enabled Hamilton to open up a small gap by the 11th tour.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Grosjean was the third retirement with rear damage and brake problems, pitting and being pushed into the garage on lap 12. Kvyat dived up the inside of Rosberg at the final corner but he went off and dropped behind his team-mate. The second Mercedes then ran wide at Turn 1, opening the door for Ricciardo.
The Red Bull took the lead at Turn 17 on the 15th lap and quickly opened up a small advantage. Rosberg also tried to move ahead of Hamilton but failed to find a way through. Ericsson and Button pitted for slicks on the 17th and 18th laps, as the track continued to dry.
Hamilton was the first front-runner to pit for dry tyres, having just lost second place to Rosberg. Red Bull quickly reacted and pitted Ricciardo at the end of lap 19, with Rosberg, Kvyat, Perez, Raikkonen, Sainz Jr and Hulkenberg all doing the same.
The earlier stop didn't work out for Hamilton. Both Rosberg and Kvyat emerged ahead of him and his charge wasn't helped by an off-track excursion at Turn 1. Raikkonen went off in the second sector but managed to continue despite a trip through the gravel and a hit with the wall.
Hamilton passed Kvyat for third, while Rosberg stormed into the lead a few moments later. He sailed ahead of Ricciardo on the back straight, with some help from DRS. Vettel had quietly been catching the top four and he overtook Kvyat on lap 24.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Massa was told to retire with a problem, while at the front Rosberg was quickly pulling away from Ricciardo. The Australian started to come under pressure from Hamilton and dropped behind him on lap 26.
Raikkonen's eventful US GP came to an end, with Ericsson then stopping on track with an issue. The Safety Car was deployed on lap 27 to recover the Sauber, with a number of drivers - including Vettel, Alonso and Perez - pitting. The top four stayed out.
The race resumed on lap 33, with Rosberg getting a good jump on his team-mate. Kvyat dropped behind Vettel, who was on fresh medium tyres. The Ferrari driver then went head-to-head with Ricciardo and the two enjoyed a brilliant battle for the final podium. He eventually moved ahead in the first sector on lap 34.
The Red Bull duo both dropped behind Verstappen, but Hulkenberg collided with Riccardo as he tried to move ahead. The Force India driver retired and the incident helped Kvyat gain a position too. The VSC was deployed, with Rosberg quickly diving into the pits. The two RB11s followed him in.
Hamilton stayed out and led the race as the VSC ended on lap 39. His lead was cut to five seconds, with Rosberg only eight seconds off first place. The 2014 runner-up was on a charge and he passed Vettel for second on lap 42.
The Safety Car was deployed once again on lap 43 after Kvyat crashed at the penultimate corner, losing the rear on the exit and hitting the inside wall. Hamilton and Vettel both pitted for fresh tyres, as did Maldonado, Sainz Jr and Nasr.
The race resumed on lap 47, with Vettel attempting to pass Verstappen at the first corner. He couldn't get through. With DRS on the back straight he didn't have to wait long to move back up to third, passing the Toro Rosso driver into Turn 12.
One lap later Rosberg got out of shape and went off, giving Hamilton the race lead. Further back Button passed Alonso for sixth, with Sainz Jr and Maldonado also moving ahead. The McLaren driver reported "no power" over team radio.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton pulled away from Rosberg in the closing stages, taking his fourth US GP victory and with it the 2015 world title. He stormed to his third championship and celebrated in style with donuts on his cool-down lap. It was a strong drive in tricky conditions and clearly an emotional result.
Rosberg held off Vettel to finish second, with the Ferrari driver having to settle for third. Verstappen was fourth for Toro Rosso, matching his best result, with Perez and Sainz Jr next up. Button, Maldonado and Nasr were seventh, eighth and ninth. Ricciardo stole the final point from Alonso on the last lap.
Behind Alonso, Rossi finished 12th at his first home race, putting in a good drive for Manor. Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Ericsson, Raikkonen, Massa, Grosjean, Bottas and Stevens were the retirements.
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