The 2015 United States Grand Prix was not short on action and drama, even after only 12 cars managed to survive the tough wet conditions at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. In the end, though, Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious–both in the race and in claiming his second-straight Formula One driver’s championship.
Hamilton also wins his third overall title, making him only the second British driver to win three.
This will sting for Nico Rosberg, as he was smelling victory near the end but let the lead slip. Rosberg finished in P2, while Sebastian Vettel battled throughout the race and took the last podium spot.
By lap 47’s restart, the field had dwindled down to 12 cars and things were close as the pack was led by the safety car following cleanup duty because of Daniil Kvyat’s crash. During lap 49, Rosberg made a crucial mistake that allowed Hamilton to get through and ahead. The Brit slowly built up his lead, up to 2.7 seconds in lap 51 and some 4.3 seconds during lap 53.
Following Vettel, in P4, is Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez took fifth, while Jenson Button managed sixth place. Carlos Sainz, who had a crash during qualifying, was seventh. Pastor Maldonado took eighth, followed by Felipe Nasr in ninth and Daniel Ricciardo with the final championship point.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>That winning feeling… <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/USGP?src=hash”>#USGP</a> <a href=”https://t.co/hCvZlwypDj”>pic.twitter.com/hCvZlwypDj</a></p>— Formula 1 (@F1) <a href=”https://twitter.com/F1/status/658387898358738948″>October 25, 2015</a></blockquote>
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“It’s the greatest moment of my life,” said Hamilton tot he Mercedes team. “Thank you guys so much”
For all the excitement and plot twists in this US GP, the end result was pretty much as one would have predicted. Rosberg would have needed to drive perfectly, not just in this race but in the remaining ones, if he wanted to hold off Hamilton. It was nearly an impossible feat, but Rosberg still competed.
Of course, Hamilton has every reason to be happy right now. He clinched his third title at the end of a really exciting and highly unpredictable race and showd why he was number one. Mercedes had already won the contructor’s title at the last race, but continuing to prove that their engine is still the best will certainly help the team as well.