Victorious Rosberg Controlled Brazilian Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

As 20 entrants of the top open wheel racing series arrive in Brazil's Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, the penultimate round of the 19-race 2015 Formula 1 season ha already decided many aspects for what has been another sterling effort for the Mercedes AMG team. While recently-crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton has been the most effective on-track for much of 2015, the latter part of the season has saw teammate Nico Rosberg, a driver thought to be Hamilton's main adversary for the year's title, showing-up his fellow corporate-affiliated rival. Claiming his fifth consecutive pole earlier in the Brazilian Grand Prix race weekend, the German was on a quest to repeat his victorious effort in Mexico.

Contrary to some weather forecasts calling for rain for the race, the Brazilian Grand Prix started and ended with a dry race track. Defending the lead on the start after receiving pressure from Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg was largely in control of the Brazilian Grand Prix throughout the race. A moment of heightened tension for Rosberg did occur on lap 13. After a slow first pit stop for Nico Rosberg, the Mercedes AMG team cars ran closer to each other. Despite hovering within DRS range after the pit stops were completed, Rosberg was again able to stretch out a safe lead as the race's second stint progress. Hamilton cited in post-race the DRS zone wasn't long enough on the 4.309-kilometer track.

In the final run of race, Nico Rosberg pulled away from Lewis Hamilton as tires begin to wear. A four-second lead rapidly shifted towards a 7.756-second advantage for Rosberg as he crossed the line to win the 2015 edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix. His fifth grand prix victory for the 2015 Formula 1 season, it also allowed Rosberg to post repeat wins on the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Indicating "It was the perfect weekend for me" in post-race comments, the first-place finishing Mercedes AMG driver has described the latter part of his Formula 1 season as a reason to advance his game. Nico Rosberg also secured to second spot in the 2015 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship with his win.

For what resulted to be a three-stop race for the podium finishers, both Mercedes AMG race cars started on soft compound Pirelli racing slicks before trading their initial tire set for medium compound rubber. The team cited higher tire wear for the election of the the triple-pit stop strategy. The remaining Formula 1 teams competing in the Brazilian Grand Prix were roughly split between a two-stop and three-stop strategy.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

In 2nd place for the second-straight event, Lewis Hamilton is being examined critically despite winning the season's championship in Austin. While Hamilton has appeared to be upstaged by his teammate in the final races of the 2015 Formula 1 season, the three-time drivers' champion has only missed the podium on two occasions this year.

After 71 laps, the top-four starters of the 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix ultimately finished in their grid positions. Behind the Mercedes AMG squad, Scuderia Ferrari proved to once-again be the second-best team effort in a grand prix. Taking the final spot on the podium Sunday at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace circuit was Sebastian Vettel who finished in 3rd place 14.244 seconds behind the winning Mercedes AMG car. Vettel operated on a three-stop strategy while the Ferrari team serviced their second car only twice. Kimi Raikkonen opted for a two-stop race chancing his tire preservation on the second stint of the race and effectively skipped the middle pit stop other frontrunners made. Crossing the line fourth, Raikkonen was 47.543 seconds behind Rosberg and was the last vehicle to finish on the lead lap.

The first driver to improve his position from qualifying was Valtteri Bottas was finished fifth. Supposed to have started fourth in Brazil, Bottas received a penalty for a Friday practice incident where he overtook on a red flag. In the race, the Finnish driver's Willliams-Mercedes race car made up 2 of the 3 lost positions. Bottas' climb resulted in the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg as well as Daniil Kvyat's Red Bull-Renault falling one spot from their starting spots to sixth and seventh place.

Crossing the line in 8th place was Felipe Massa but a late race has been excluded from the final results of the Brazilian Grand Prix. At issue is a right-rear tire on Massa's Williams-Mercedes race car at the start of the race ruled to be above the maximum temperature allowed. Measured at a temperature of 137 degrees Celsius compared to the permitted 110-degree Celsius limit, their effort and points now rely on a pending appeal filed by the Williams Martini Racing team. Because of this, 8th place and lower is subject to possible change if Williams is successful in having Massa's finish reinstated.

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A. 

Following a disastrous qualifying outing, both drivers of the Lotus F1 Team redeemed themselves after 71 laps on the Brazilian race track. Romain Grosjean started the race in 14th place after a mishap in the Q2 session of qualifying while Pastor Maldonado was unsuccessful in escaping the initial Q1 segment starting 15th. Grosjean finished the Brazilian Grand Prix in 8th place while Maldonado took the final point in the event placed in 10th following the event. The Lotus F1 Team effort sandwiched Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso in the final running order of the race.

After starting 19th, Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull race car finished the Brazilian Grand Prix in 11th place in a maiden effort with a new-spec Renault engine. Following all the rumblings and rumours surrounding the Red Bull Racing team's prospects for a 2016 season powerplant, it seems more than likely the team will continue to use Renault power last year. There's also mention the engines could be badged as Infiniti power units to heighten the global profile of the luxury brand for 2016.

The 2015 Formula 1 season will conclude in two weeks time at the Yas Marina Circuit holding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 29th.

2015 Formula 1
Brazilian Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
4 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
5 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
6 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
7 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault
8 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
9 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
10 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
11 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
12 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
13 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
14 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
15 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
16 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
17 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
18 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari
19 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
20 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz (Excluded from results pending appeal)

Rosberg Rolls to Fifth Consecutive Formula 1 Pole of Season in Brazil

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

For the past four grand prix events, German driver Nico Rosberg has been attracting the limelight away from his championship-winning Mercedes AMG teammate Lewis Hamilton.  Since the Japanese Grand Prix, Rosberg has held a stranglehold on the top spot of the starting grid in qualifying for every race. Taking a dramatic win in the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago, the late season effort is working effectively to give Hamilton something to be jealous about after winning the 2015 drivers' title.

The second-to-last event on the 2015 Formula 1 tour, the Brazilian Grand Prix ends a three-race swing in the Americas. A track known for attracting a steady crowd from the massive of Sao Paulo, the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (routinely referred to as Interlagos) has underwent several upgrades including a new set of curbing placed in the circuit's corners. As a result, the 4.309-kilometer race track presented an added challenge for veteran drivers to adapt to the slight chance.

In qualifying, the Mercedes AMG once again prevailed triumphantly in Brazil. Through Q1 and Q2, it was Lewis Hamilton who took the session lead with nearly identical runs. However, the final session deciding the top-10 runners was the moment where Nico Rosberg made the most crucial run. With a 1-minute, 11.282-second lap time, Rosberg spirited to a fifth-straight pole position. Generating an all-Mercedes AMG front row for the 14th time this season, the difference between the two team cars was just 0.078 seconds. If Nico Rosberg manages to score a pole at the final race in Abu Dhabi, he will tie four drivers in third place all-time. The record for most consecutive pole positions is eight set by Ayrton Senna.

The factory Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen faired well in qualifying to claim the 2nd row of the Brazilian Grand Prix but were still a distant pace slower than the Mercedes AMG cars. Though Vettel mounted an effective Q2 lap to split the Silver Arrows for the timed session, his top time in Q3 was more than half a second off the pace of Nico Rosberg's pole effort. Both Ferrari drivers are previous winners at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

Due to several grid position penalties, the starting grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix has undergone a noticeable transformation. Williams' Valtteri Bottas was demoted from a 4th place result in qualifying to a 7th place after a 3-position grid penalty suffered on Friday when the Finnish driver was ruled to have overtaken under a red flag in practice. An immediate benefactor of Bottas' loss of position was Nico Hulkenberg. In 2010, the Brazilian Grand Prix was the site of the one and so far only pole in Nico Hulkenberg's Formula 1 career with Williams. Starting fifth on Sunday, Hulkenberg's Force India team is continuing to enjoy a fruitful effort in the second-half of the 2015 Formula 1 season as the German as well as teammate Sergio Perez have been fairly consistent in adding to the point standings.

Another significant penalty has been taken by Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo who is running a new Renault engine at Interlagos. Ricciardo will drop from a 9th place spot to 19th place. The older spec Renault powerplant in the Red Bull Racing machine piloted by Daniil Kvyat is starting sixth for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

A confrontation between Brazilian drivers at their home grand prix race also led to one of the Saubers being dropped down the field at the start. In Q1, Felipe Nasr was cited with a 3-place grid penalty for interfering with a timed lap made by the Williams-Mercedes driven by Felipe Massa. Nasr's Sauber-Ferrari will start in 13th on Sunday (one position behind teammate Ericsson). The two Williams-Mercedes race cars are planted in the 4th row in the starting line-up set to once-again place third in the constructors' points for a second-consecutive season in Formula 1.

The 71-lap 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix will start on Sunday at 2 P.M. local time (11 A.M. eastern time). Weather forecasts have predicted a cloudy day with rain showers as well as a thunderstorm risk at race time.

2015 Formula 1
Brazilian Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
4 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
5 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
6 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault
7 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
8 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
9 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
10 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
11 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
13 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
14 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
15 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
16 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
17 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari
18 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
19 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
20 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda

Nico Rosberg Clinches Pole for 2015 Mexican Grand Prix Revival

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

This weekend, a Formula 1 grand prix returns to schedule after a 23-year absence. The third-to-final race on the 2015 Formula 1 tour, the Mexican Grand Prix on the upgraded Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’s 4.304-kilometer hosts the third stop for a season in North America. Positioned at a high elevation 2,285 meters above sea level, the high-powered open wheel cars run through the circuit’s thin air has been an immediate topic of intrigue. Engines as well as the drivers’ general comfort level is expected to be tested in the main event on Sunday.

For Saturday’s qualifying, the latest inner-team rivalry saga between the Mercedes AMG drivers Nico Rosberg and the newly-crowned 2015 Formula 1 Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton challenged each other for the Mexican Grand Prix pole. Fresh off the emotional outing at the Circuit of the Americas the previous week, the factory Mercedes race drivers have seemed to have intensified their on-track warfare. Rosberg posted the top time in Q1 while Hamilton topped his German teammate in the Q2 session. By an advantage of 0.188 seconds, Nico Rosberg grabbed the pole position for Sunday’s race over Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg’s 1-minute, 19.480-second time provided him his fourth-consecutive appearance in the top spot after qualifying wheeling the Mercedes AMG race machine. The trouble in the previous three grand prix races for Nico Rosberg is parlaying the pole into victories on Sunday. Each of those races resulted in a Lewis Hamilton win.

Despite pre-qualifying estimations that the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will likely favour the Mercedes-Benz powered vehicles in the Formula 1 grid, the Scuderia Ferrari driven by Sebastian Vettel posted a respectable third fastest time in Q3. Vettel’s best lap time was 0.370 seconds slower than the Mercedes AMG racers but is relatively close compared to the rest of the field for the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix. Unfortunately for Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel has to lead the team's best chance at a top result alone. Kimi Raikkonen suffered a fire and brake problem with his car in the third practice session of the weekend. The Ferrari crew were able to install a replacement engine and gearbox into Kimi Raikkonen's car in time for qualifying but the Finnish driver will have start 18th in Mexico.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

Posting nearly identical times, the Red Bull-Renault team cars start fourth and fifth. Russia’s Daniil Kvyat found a mere 1/1000th of a second in Q3 qualifying to place him ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Both Red Bull-Renault vehicles are more than 9/10th of a second slower than the pace of Nico Rosberg.

Behind the Red Bull Racing duo is the pairing from Williams Martini Racing. Valtteri Bottas starts in sixth place ahead of his more veteran teammate Felipe Massa. Behind eighth place qualifier Max Verstappen’s Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso, the Force India-Mercedes team fills the fifth row of the race grid. Significant for the Mexican audience is Sergio Perez who was able best teammate Nico Hulkenberg for the edge in qualifying.

Photo Credit :FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

At the back of the grid are the McLaren team cars of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Still struggling to find speed with their Honda power units, both McLaren Honda cars are serving grid penalties for various infractions. Button did not even participate in qualifying due to an engine misfire detected in the final practice. This weekend, Honda returns to the track where they scored their first grand prix victory a little more than 50 years ago in Mexico.

Starting at 12 PM local time (2 PM Eastern time), the 2015 resurrection of the Grand Prix of Mexico will consist of 71 laps at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

2015 Formula 1
Mexican Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
4 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault
5 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
6 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
7 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
8 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
9 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
11 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
12 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
13 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
14 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
15 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
16 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari
17 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
18 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
19 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
20 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda

Rosberg Re-Establishes Mercedes Pole-Winning Ways in Japan

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The last race in Singapore proved to be the biggest defeat of Mercedes AMG in the last two seasons. Not only was the German factory team defeated in the main event, their long running pole and front-row starting streak was ended by the efforts of Ferrari and lead driver Sebastian Vettel. One week later, the team supporting championship-contending pilots Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg set sights on the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix's Suzuka Circuit in order to reclaim their glory.

For the first time returning to the same track where last year Jules Bianchi suffered his eventually fatal accident in the rain, some competitors appeared apprehensive taking to a wet track on Friday. Since the forecast called for a dry qualifying for Saturday, teams like Mercedes AMG chose to limit their track activity on the first day at Suzuka. In the third and final practice on Saturday ahead of time trials, Nico Rosberg claimed a near 3/10ths of a second advantage over teammate Hamilton. With Mercedes AMG once again positioned with superior pace, the team prepared alongside nine other Formula 1 teams for Japanese Grand Prix qualifying.

Throughout all three sessions, the Mercedes AMG duo fought for the top spot. At the end, it was Nico Rosberg claiming the pole for the Japanese Grand Prix. Clocked setting a 1-minute, 32.584-second lap time around the 5.807-kilometer track, the pole-winning result by the German was just 0.076 seconds faster than teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg's top time was cemented before time officially ran out in Q3.

A frightening high-speed crash involving the Red Bull-Renault race car, driven by Russian pilot Daniil Kyvat, occurring in the last moment of the final qualifying group placed a yellow flag out on the course. The caution flag effectively defeated any possibility of Hamilton being able to set a faster time then Rosberg's. Putting a wheel off onto the grass, the Kvyat's car shot violently against a safety barrier and promptly flipped sideways as wheels dug into the sand of the run-off area. Landing upright, the driver inside the mangled Red Bull-Renault faired well considering his wild ride. While Daniil Kvyat was thankfully unhurt in the massive impact, the Russian driver will have to start the Japanese Grand Prix from pit road due to the extensive damage of his primary race car.

With factory-backed Mercedes-Benz powered vehicle occupying the front row, Valtteri Bottas mounted the charge that placed his Williams-Mercedes in third in Japan. Singapore winner Sebastian Vettel will start fourth in his Ferrari alongside the Williams of Bottas. In the third row, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen will start immediately behind their teammates.

Scheduled to start at 3 P.M. local time, the 53-lap 2015 Japanese Grand Prix will be seen at 1 A.M. in the eastern time zone.

2015 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Starting Line-up

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
4 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
5 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
6 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
7 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
8 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
9 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
11 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
12 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
13 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
14 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
16 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
17 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
18 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
19 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari
20 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault

Singapore Grand Prix Pole for Vettel and Ferrari Ends Mercedes AMG Qualifying Streak

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A.

Since 2007, the Singapore Grand Prix has been a memorable component to the second-half of the Formula 1 schedule. The Singpour Street Circuit is a rare occasion to see Formula 1 race cars run under the lights. A spectacle unlike what we normally see from the open-wheel series, it seems to only make sense the race should provide a suspenseful qualifying session.

After a season-long reign in qualifying, Mercedes-AMG was finally bettered by another outfit. Lapping the 23-turn, 5.073-kilometer track at a 1-minute, 43.885-second time in the Q3 session, Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari earned to top grid position. The 2015 Singapore Grand Prix will be the first time Sebastian Vettel will start on pole with the historic Scuderia Ferrari team (the organization's first pole since 2012). His first top effort in qualifying with the famous red-coloured race machine, the result is actually Vettel's second time occasion taking a pole with a Ferrari-powered car. The German's maiden Formula 1 win at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix was accomplished from the top spot with a Toro Rosso with Ferrari engine power. In addition to Vettel's pole, Ferrari celebrated the steady recovery of the second car driven by Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen will start directly behind Vettel in third place.

Beside both factory Ferrari race cars, the Red Bull-Renaults figured well in qualifying. Taking a front row position, Red Bull's lead driver Daniel Ricciardo was 0.543 seconds slower than his former teammate. After setting top time in the Q1 session, Daniil Kvyat is positioned in fourth on the race grid. Over the course of the month, speculation has indicated the Red Bull Racing team's days with Renault engines is likely over. While earlier rumours circulated Mercedes-Benz would propel the four-time world constructor champion, Ferrari and even Audi brands have since been mentioned.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

Sebastian Vettel's pole position-winning performance with a Ferrari destroyed the streak of the Mercedes AMG race team in qualifying. After 23 consecutive poles for the Mercedes AMG team, the organization fell just one position short of tying the Formula 1 record for repeated poles. As is typical, Hamilton is the highest-placed Mercedes-Benz powered driver. The striking difference is the fact the leading Mercedes power unit will be starting a 2015 Formula 1 grand prix in fifth place. Nico Rosberg is placed alongside Hamilton on the third row of the Singapore Grand Prix grid. Mercedes-Benz's leading customer team of Williams Martini Racing starts just below the factory cars. Valtteri Bottas starts in seventh while Felipe Massa will launch from ninth.

Starting at the tail end of 2015 Singapore Grand Prix will be American Alexander Rossi making his Formula 1 debut with the Manor Maruassia F1 Team. Days away from turning 24 years old, Rossi is a former Formula BMW America champion and his spent that past several seasons serving as a test driver for Caterham and Marussia. Alexander Rossi's planned start will be the first in Formula 1 by a driver from the United States since Scott Speed in 2007.

The Sunday night race in Singapore is scheduled for 8:00 PM local time (8:00 AM Eastern time).

2015 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
2 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
3 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
4 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault
5 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
6 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
7 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Renault
8 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
9 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
10 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
13 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
15 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
16 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
17 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
18 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
19 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
20 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari

Hamilton and Mercedes on Top but Ferrari Posts Strong Qualifying Result at Monza

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

 

Predating the Formula 1 championship and a part of the series since the inception of the tour in 1950, the 2015 Italian Grand Prix is the 84^th time some of the world’s best racers will compete in the iconic country. All-but one of the Italian Grand Prix races involved in the Formula 1 championship has taken place at Monza. Viewed as the fastest circuit for which Formula 1 currently competes, the Autodromo Nationale di Monza consists of a 11-turn 5.793-kilometer track that severely tests race cars (especially engines). The 11^th race in the 2015 Formula 1 season, conventional wisdom suggested Mercedes-Benz powered teams would have the advantage in competition through the Italian Grand Prix race weekend. However, qualifying for Sunday’s Monza event showed at least one competition may for narrowing the gap on the Silver Arrows

Following the first practice, the Mercedes AMG race cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were alarmingly faster than the rest of the field. Propelled by a new-spec Mercedes-Benz power unit for the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s top time was more than 1.5 seconds faster than the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. However, in Saturday’s time trials, the performance gap had narrowed to a point where a viable fight between the Mercedes AMG and Ferrari teams could take shape.

Surviving a valiant effort from the Scuderia Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton defended the Mercedes AMG’s undefeated streak of poles for the season. Taking the top spot on the grid with a 1-minute, 23.397-second lap time, the victory for the Silver Arrows consisted of a concerted threat from the Prancing Horse. On home soil, Ferrari mounted an impressively close performance with the Mercedes AMG cars. For the Italian Grand Prix qualifying, it was Kimi Raikkonen sitting on the front row of the grid. Taking the spot from teammate Sebastian Vettel late in Q3, Raikkonen was 0.234 seconds slower than Hamilton.

The result in qualifying was only the third time this season that an all-Mercedes AMG front row was broken up. In the other two occasions, it was Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari that took the second position on the Formula 1 race grid. Mercedes AMG’s streak of one-two front rows has ended after seven races but the team’s consecutive poles have grown to 23 races. A top spot at the next race in Singapore will tie a series record.

Both Ferraris split the Mercedes AMG duo in Italian Grand Prix qualifying by a narrow time margin. Starting third after teammate Raikkonen took the front row spot, Sebastian Vettel returns to the track where he won his first Formula 1 grand prix in 2008 driving a Toro Rosso powered by a Ferrari engine. Vettel’s top time was only 0.054 seconds off the pace of Raikkonen and 0.288 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton. Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes AMG car is starting fourth. While both Mercedes AMG team cars received new spec power units, trouble in practice caused the team to revert to older components that were previously used in Belgium.

In the third row, the Williams Martini Racing team has Felipe Massa on the same row with Valtteri Bottas. Earlier this week, Williams confirmed that both drivers will return to the organization for the 2016 season. Revelling in a positive run at the Belgian Grand Prix two weeks ago, Sergio Perez starts seventh for Force India. The second Force India driven by Nico Hulkenberg and the Lotus race cars complete the top-10. In all, 8 of the top-10 starters are powered by Mercedes-Benz engines.

McLaren, Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing teams have both been levied with grid position penalties for changes made to Renault and Honda powerplants. Starting at the back, the Toro Rosso-Ferrari driven by Max Verstappen had one of the wildest qualifying efforts of the session. During qualifying the engine cover of Verstappen’s machine came off at speed sending debris onto the racetrack.

 

2015 Formula 1

Italian Grand Prix

Starting Grid

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz	Mercedes-Benz
7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Ferrari	Mercedes-Benz
5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Ferrari	Renault
6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz	Mercedes-Benz
19	Felipe Massa	Williams	Mercedes-Benz	Renault
77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault	Mercedes-Benz
11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Mercedes-Benz	Mercedes-Benz
8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz	Ferrari
27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	Mercedes-Benz	Renault
13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz	Ferrari
12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	Ferrari	Ferrari
9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	Ferrari	Ferrari
28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	Ferrari	Honda
98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	Ferrari	Honda
22	Jenson Button	McLaren	Honda	Ferrari
14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	Honda	Ferrari
55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault	Renault
26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	Renault	Renault
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	Renault	Mercedes-Benz
33	Max Verstappen	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault	Mercedes-Benz

Sixth Grand Prix Win of 2015 for Hamilton in Belgium

Photo Credit: Foto Studio Colombo Per Pirelli Media

 

Taking almost a month off since a late July race in Hungary, the 2015 Formula 1 season restarts with a little less than half of the events left to be run. Competing on the longest circuit on the active Formula 1 tour at 7.004 kilometers in length, the Belgian Grand Prix welcomes back some of the world's best open wheel drivers with a blend of high-speed sections as well as technical corners.

The winner of all-but 2 of the first 10 grand prix races on the 2015 Formula 1 tour, Mercedes AMG would appear to have a storybook season. However, after the British Grand Prix and the most recent Hungarian Grand Prix, the Silver Arrows appeared to firing more crookedly than usual. Almost losing the first race on a poor start by two cars and a series of miscues costing victory at the Hungoraring has been rare team-wide mistakes from the factory-backed German outfit. In fact, the Hungarian Grand Prix was the first race since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix where a Mercedes AMG team car did not obtain a podium spot. Receiving almost a month to put the lackluster effort in Hungary behind them, Mercedes AMG returned to competition by dominating practice. In qualifying, Lewis Hamilton topped teammate Nico Rosberg netting a 1-2 start for the team.

Restarting the 2015 Formula 1 season, it was again a moment for Mercedes AMG to either command a race right from the start or to surprise the grand prix audience with a struggle. When the lights went out for the start of the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix, both incidents occurred. While Lewis Hamilton had a sterling start, Nico Rosberg immediately fell three places dropping to fifth.

Early in the race, some under-appreciated effort in the 2015 season were presented with a moment to shine behind Hamilton. Sergio Perez was running second in the Force India-powered Mercedes-Benz as part of very stunning weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Hovering around the top-5 in practice and qualifying Perez was enjoying a massive confidence boost. While the one Force India driver shined, the second vehicle driven by Nico Hulkenberg's Belgian Grand Prix didn't even start. From the warm-up lap, the German encountered a power unit problem leaving Sergio Perez as the team's one and only chance at greatness. Behind the Force India was the Red Bull-Renault of Daniel Ricciardo.

Photo Credit: Force India F1 Team

After the first round of pit stops for the leaders, Nico Rosberg was able to climb his way back into the runner-up spot behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. While neither Mercedes AMG parted from each other over the course of the event, Hamilton retained a comfortable gap of several seconds over his fellow team car.

Seeking to follow-up on success in Hungary, Daniel Ricciardo's race went south after 19 laps. Minutes after almost loosing his car in the Eau Rouge section of Spa-Francorchamps, the Red Bull-Renault dropped out of the event for what was accounted as an electrical fault. The Australian's retirement from was from a race he won in 2014. Overall official retirements in the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix was limited to four cars. In addition to the already-mentioned Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, Pastor Maldonado slid out of the grand prix after just two laps while Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered a loss of power to the Renault-propelled Toro Rosso.

While the Mercedes AMG cars held the first and second place spots without harassment in the late laps, a daring plan was undertaken by Ferrari to score a podium finish. Attempting a one-stop strategy in a 44-lap race in Belgium, Ferrari launched their lead pilot Sebastian Vettel into third place. With two laps remaining, the right rear Pirelli tire failed on the Ferrari resulting in Vettel needing to surrender his podium spot late. With Vettel upset with the failure costing him third in the race, Pirelli released a statement implying the reason for the tire failure was excessive distance. The tire provider for Formula 1 claimed they wanted to institute a maximum distance for Pirelli racing slicks.

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Winning his 39th career Formula 1 event, Lewis Hamilton won the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix by 2.058 seconds over teammate Nico Rosberg. The sixth win for Hamilton this season, the reigning drivers' champion holds a 28-point lead in the championship. While Mercedes-Benz has won at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps track six times with McLaren (including a 2010 win by Hamilton), the last factory Silver Arrow machine to take the checkered flag was accomplished in 1955.

Behind the Mercedes AMG squad's most recent 1-2 performance this season at Spa-Francorchamps, there was a member of season-topping runs mounted by some competitors including the man who claimed the remaining podium spot. In third-place Romain Grosjean brought his Lotus-Mercedes across the finish line in a dazzling performance aided by Sebastian Vettel's late problems. The third place run was the first for Grosjean since the 2013 United States Grand Prix. The effort by the Frenchman and the team could also be much-needed medicine after recent legal issues for the Lotus F1 Team organization. The dispute relates with former 2014 test driver Charles Pic and has bailiffs threatening to seize race cars and equipment. The financial state of the Lotus F1 Team has been a measure of stipulation for years and this latest legal chapter has involved a certain that a seizure of the team's cars could have taken place following the Belgian Grand Prix.

Photo Credit: Foto Studio Colombo Per Pirelli Media

Backing up a first-ever podium finish accomplished by Daniil Kvyat overcame an early race misadventure to place just outside of the top-three. Kvyat's fourth-place finish came in a race where he briefly slid his Red Bull-Renault into a run-off area. The Russian driver carved his way up from a 12th place starting position to be the high-placed Renault powered machine at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix.

After a hard-fought effort throughout the weekend, Mexican Sergio Perez rewarded himself as well as his Force India teams with a fifth place finish. The run was Perez and Force India's best result of the season as well as pairing the pair's first top-five grand prix finish since Bahrain of 2014. Closely behind the Force India-Mercedes was the Williams-Mercedes driven by Felipe Massa. The effort for the Williams Martini Racing team was a double-point finish that occurred despite an unusual error in the race. During a pit stop, Valtteri Bottas' car received two different tire compounds. Required to serve a drive-through penalty for the mistake, Bottas still managed a ninth-place run.

Rounding out the top-10 for the Belgian Grand Prix is Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson.

The next Formula 1 race is the Italian Grand Prix at the very fast Monza circuit.

2015 Formula 1

Belgian Grand Prix

Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
3	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
4	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	Renault
5	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	Mercedes-Benz
7	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Ferrari
8	33	Max Verstappen	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	Ferrari
11	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	Ferrari
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Ferrari
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	Honda
14	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	Honda
15	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
16	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
17	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
18	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	Renault
19	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
20	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	Mercedes-Benz

Hamilton's Pole Leads Magnificent Mercedes-Benz Showing in Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

With almost a month passing between late July's Hungarian Grand Prix and this weekend's event on the famed Spa-Francorchamps course, a summer break must have certainly given drivers as well as whole teams time to consider their progress in the 2015 Formula 1 season. After 10 races down, the Belgian Grand Prix provides the ideal opportunity to advance on success found in the season so far or to establish a better course through the nine remaining events on the tour.

Back in the saddle again, 20 drivers belted into their highly-tuned, hybrid-powered race machines were unleashed for Belgian Grand Prix qualifying on the quick, challenging 7.004-kilometer track. Transitioning from a slower, tight circuit they last competed on in July, pilots of Formula 1 drivers once again familiarized themselves with blazing fast speeds. For drivers seated inside vehicles propelled by Mercedes-Benz, the time trial was an exceptional return to 2015 competition.

As if nothing his changed over the static period of August, the Mercedes AMG added to their undefeated streak in qualifying for 2015. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg decided not to play any games by sweeping 1-2 in all sessions of the Saturday time trials at Spa-Francorchamps. Trading the top spot in Q1 and Q2, the Mercedes AMG teammates fought in a contentious Q3 session. With a 1-minute, 47.197-second lap time, the pole went to Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton`s top time was 0.458 seconds faster than teammate Nico Rosberg`s best run and more than 1.3 seconds quicker than third place in qualifying. The front row start for Mercedes AMG in Belgium is also the team`s 22nd consecutive pole. The current Formula 1 record of pole positions claimed by the vehicles of a single constructor is Williams with 24 scored from 1992 through to 1993.

A season-best effort, Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas will be starting in third place. The result for Bottas equals the team's best qualifying spot of the year obtained by Felipe Massa in Australia. Massa starts in sixth place on Sunday. Once again, the efforts of Mercedes-Benz power units proved to be the go-to method for going fast in the 2015 Formula 1 season. The top-five vehicles in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying are powered by gasoline/electric propulsion from the German automaker. Unfortunately, a gearbox charge for the Lotus-Mercedes race car of Romain Grosjean will demote the entry to the ninth-place spot on Sunday's starting grid. Taking the fourth place position Grosjean occupied, Force India and driver Sergio Perez have backed-up on a stunning performance in practice at Spa-Francorchamps. The Mercedes-powered Force India's best finish this season is a sixth-place effort accomplished by Nico Hulkenberg. 

First to break the Mercedes-Benz brigade in qualifying for the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo and his Red Bull-Renault's lap time was narrowly placed between Perez and Massa. With Ricciardo's Red Bull Racing car starting 5th on the grid Sunday, the second team car driven by Daniil Kvyat will start the race in the 12th place spot.

Starting on the fourth row of the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix grid beside the Lotus-Mercedes of Pastor Maldonado is the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. The most recent Formula 1 race winner, Vettel's car will be the only Ferrari-powered vehicle within the top-10 for the main event. Ferrari factory teammate Kimi Raikkonen is starting in 14th spot after not making a lap in Q2. The reason for Raikkonen's inaction after Q1 was an oil pressure issue.

This weekend, the McLaren Honda team has been utilizing revised power unit for the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite the cars driven by Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso being assessed a collective 105-grid position penalty for changes made by the team, the result is only a back of the grid starting spot for both McLaren-Honda vehicles. Thanks to a recently amended rule in Formula 1, there will be no further penalties in future races for this weekend's changes. On-track, it appears the Honda power unit with the McLaren chassis is still struggling to find speed to outrun all-but the Manor Maruassia cars in Belgium.

Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled for 44 laps for a 2:00pm local time start (8:00am Eastern time).

 

2015 Formula 1

Belgian Grand Prix

Starting Grid

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	Renault
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	Mercedes-Benz
7	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Ferrari
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
10	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	Renault
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	Ferrari
14	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Ferrari
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	Ferrari
16	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
17	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
18	33	Max Verstappen	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
19	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	Honda
20	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	Honda