12 Memorable Moments From The Manic United States Grand Prix

The United States Grand Prix weekend was certainly an odd one. Rain caused FP2 to be cancelled, qualifying to be postponed and then shortened. Plus, we were treated to an absolutely fantastic race!

Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory and the 2015 title after taking the lead from team-mate Nico Rosberg late on. Sebastian Vettel was third, Max Verstappen finished fourth and Sergio Perez was next up. Here are the highlights:

1. Sunday qualifying

Due to torrential rain on Saturday (which caused some good laughs and plenty of off-track excursions), qualifying was postponed to Sunday morning. However, weather conditions were only marginally better. Q3 was actually cancelled due to the constant downpours and the grid was decided by Q2 times. Rosberg took pole from Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo. The conditions certainly provided plenty of action!

2. Aggressive start

Conditions dried out enough for intermediates to be used at the start, but conditions were still tricky! Hamilton had a great start and forced Rosberg off at Turn 1, taking the lead. Behind there was mild chaos as Fernando Alonso was hit by Felipe Massa, with both spinning and collecting other cars.

3. What not to do

Felipe Nasr tried to pass his team-mate Marcus Ericsson into Turn 1 on lap two but they collided. That’s definitely an example of what not to do, and at Sauber’s 400th GP too. Awkward…

4. Finally, a battle at the front

It’s something we have been wanting for a little while now, and we certainly got it at the Circuit of the Americas. Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat all fought for the front-running positions early on, with some great (and not so great) overtakes.

5. And more scraps!

As the intermediate tyres started to wear out, Hamilton struggled more than his rivals. Rosberg quickly reacted by attempting to pass his team-mate but Hamilton wasn’t having any of it. The two battled brilliantly through sector two before Rosberg finally moved ahead.

6. Because Kimi

If you slide off a slippery track on dry tyres and hit the wall, some drivers would call it quits and retire. But not Kimi Raikkonen. He went off after switching to slicks but somehow managed to get his car out of the gravel and wall, continuing on. Unfortunately, however, he retired a little while later.

7. Red Bull loses advantage

Ricciardo and Kvyat had the advantage on the intermediate tyre but once drivers switched to slicks, the ball was back in Mercedes’ court, as proved by both Rosberg and Hamilton passing them at the same time.

8. The Hulk out

Ricciardo and Kvyat dropped down the order on the dry tyres, with Nico Hulkenberg attempting a move into Turn 12. However, it all went wrong and his Force India clattered into the Red Bull, causing him to register a DNF. Oops.

9. Kvyat in the wall

Having battled at the front early on, Kvyat’s race ended abruptly when he binned it at the penultimate corner, after running wide and onto the artificial grass.

10. Lead lost

Rosberg held onto the lead but lost the rear and went off at Turn 16 on lap 48. It cost him not only the win but also the chance to keep the title fight going, with Hamilton taking the lead.

11. Winner and champion

Hamilton stormed to his 10th win of the season and the 2015 title, claiming his third championship. Rosberg was second, with Vettel ending the mad race in third. Verstappen and Perez finished ahead of Jenson Button (yes, really!), Carlos Sainz Jr, Pastor Maldonado, Felipe Nasr and Daniel Ricciardo.

12. Capgate

Rosberg was understandably disappointed and had a face like thunder after the race. Hamilton threw the Pirelli cap they have to wear on the podium to him in the ‘Room of Awkwardness’, he then threw it back for some reason.

Oh, and on the subject of hats, unlike the last few US GPs, this year’s event didn’t feature stetsons for the podium drivers. Boo.