Lewis Hamilton clinched his third world championship title with a victory at the 2015 USA Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Hamilton started alongside his teammate and pole-sitter Nico Rosberg in the first row and Hamilton drove Rosberg out wide on the first turn to take the immediate lead in the race.
From there, the race was a bustling free-for-all as wet and windy track conditions put a premium on tire changes and choices throughout the race. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, sitting third in the overall season standings, started in 13th position on the grid and immediately moved up to seventh on the first lap of the race while Hamilton and Rosberg duked it out in front with the interloping Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat. But both Kvyat and Ricciardo would eventually fade while Vettel steadily made his way through the field and finally moved into third on Lap 33 of the 56-lap race.
Vettel briefly moved into second after a Rosberg pit stop but Rosberg recaptured the position and held it while Hamilton drove away from the field in the last seven laps of the race to clinch his third world title and another familiar Mercedes 1-2 finish. Hamilton clinches his title with 320 points while Vettel holds on to second with 251 points and Rosberg closes in with 247 points.
The 2015 Formula One season continues with the Mexican Grand Prix at Mexico City at 11 a.m. [PDT] on NBC on November 1, 2015.
2015 United States Grand Prix Results
1 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
2 Nico Rosberg – Mercedes
3 Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen – Toro Rosso
5 Sergio Perez – Force India
6 Jenson Button – McLaren
7 Carlos Sainz Jr. – Toro Rosso
8 Pastor Maldonado – Lotus
9 Felipe Nasr – Sauber
10 Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull
11 Fernando Alonso – McLaren
12 Alexander Rossi – Marussia
13 Daniil Kvyat – Red Bull
14 Nico Hulkenberg – Force India
15 Marcus Ericsson – Sauber
16 Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari
17 Felipe Massa – Williams
18 Romain Grosjean – Lotus
19 Valtteri Bottas – Williams
20 Will Stevens – Marussia 19 -1