Hamilton takes it all
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wins the US Grand Prix 2015 and bags his third world title
THE 2015 World Drivers Championship had come down to three protagonists: Nico Rosberg of the newly crowned 2015 Constructors Champion, Mercedes Petronas AMG F1 Team; fourtime World Champion Sebastian Vettel of Scuderia Ferrari; and the championship leader, defending champion Lewis Hamilton.
The points difference between the three were relatively close, and mathematically, anyone could walk away with the title come season’s end.
But with a lead of 66 points over Vettel and 77 from Rosberg, Hamilton was on the cusp of being a champion again.
Due to a hurricane off the coast of Mexico, the Circuit of the Americas was inundated with rain for most of Friday and Saturday. Teams didn’t get any practice in, and even qualifying was rescheduled for Sunday morning.
Standing water on the track made life difficult for all drivers ar cars were hydroplaning. Thus after Q2 was over, Race Control decided to shorten the session.
Rosberg took pole, while Lewis was alongside his teammate in P2. The Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Kvyat slotted in at P3 and P4, respectively.
Rain subsided long enough on Sunday, allowing the teams to take to the grid using the Pirelli intermediate tires.
The damp conditions posed a problem for both Rosberg and Hamilton. While on Pirelli intermediates, the Mercedes F1 WO6 hybrid lacked frontend grip, especially under braking. This was a major concern for the team from Brackley.
Could their huge power advantage be negated by the better-handling Red Bulls or will the Ferrari, with its new power unit, be able to challenge them for the win?
Better launch
At the race start, it was Hamilton who got the better launch and was alongside Rosberg. As they climbed up to turn 1, Lewis was able to “push” Nico wide into the run-off area to take the lead.
This foray out of the track also allowed both Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat to move past Rosberg. It was not looking well for Rosberg. He had to undo his bad start if he wanted to fight for the title. Anything less and he could kiss his dreams goodbye.
Meanwhile, down the order, Fernando Alonso tangled with Romain Grosjean. The Lotus tapped the rear of the McLaren, necessitating an early trip to the pits.
Dicing it up
While this was going on, both Ferraris were dicing it up with the midfield and were quickly moving up places. Vettel was up to P7 by the end of the first lap.
Lap 2 saw a drying conditions and it was Bottas who dove in to the pits to gamble on a set of options. But the conditions that presented itself were not suitable to the Pirelli dry tires. Valtteri Bottas ended up running 10 seconds slower then the rest of the field.
Also struggling
Also struggling in the damp conditions were both Mercedes. They were constantly under attack from both Red Bulls. Try as they did to hold off Kvyat and Ricciardo, Hamilton and Rosberg lost positions. The Mercedes just wasn’t turning in properly.
A few laps later, teams made a call that the track was dry enough to use options. All front-runners dove into the pits for a change of tires.
Rosberg was able to undercut Hamilton who came in a lap earlier. The German would’ve given a huge sigh of relief on seeing Hamilton behind him.
The ensuing laps saw drivers spinning out, crashing, and cars dicing against one another for position. Even the safety car, both real and virtual, made an appearance in this race of attrition.
With 12 laps to go in the USGP, it was Rosberg leading the field. Hamilton was second, with Vettel further back in third. Hamilton, it seemed, was willing to hold position and just limit the damage to his points lead.
But, as his luck would have it, Rosberg, who was out in front, running alone and not under any kind of pressure whatsoever, spun his tires on a wet patch at turn 12.
Disaster ensued for Rosberg as the German ran wide. This allowed Hamilton to take the race lead without any effort at all.
Destiny
The win, which had been Rosberg’s, now found its way to the hands of Hamilton. It was destiny, and he was not to be denied his place in the record books.
Hamilton took the checkered flag ahead of Rosberg and Vettel, and along with the win, the 2015 Driver’s Championship trophy.
Hamilton’s body language showed it all. He was emotional, relieved and ecstatic all at the same time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the garage, Rosberg was visibly dejected, wallowing in his mistake that would have kept alive his title challenge. He felt so bad that he even skipped the champagne celebration after the podium ceremony. Instead, the German just handed the magnum to Mercedes’ Paddy Lowe.
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is now the 2015 World Drivers Champion. He is now a full-fledged superstar in the motorsports world. Hamilton is also the first British driver to claim back-to-back championships.
Lewis has now joined the ranks of the likes of Senna, Lauda, Brabham, Piquet and Stewart, all triple World Drivers Champions!