At the end of the Formula 1 season, we look back at the principal events of 2015 that have affected the results of races throughout the season. The first of these events is naming Mercedes British Lewis Hamilton Champion for this season, as he won 10 out of 19 races that he took part in this year, gaining 381 points. This is his second world title in a row and his third in his career.
His fellow Mercedes teammate, the German Nico Rosberg, came in second with 322 points, having won six races this season. Rosberg has not won the title, but this is his second placing as a runner-up.
The Ferrari followed Mercedes in the standings as German driver Sebastian Vettel collected 278 points to come in third place. Vettel won three races this year. The Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen also contributed to Ferrari’s success by collecting 150 points, to finish in fourth place.
Many accidents took place in 2015.The first came in the season-opening race of Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, when the German driver Sebastian Vettel brushed against his teammate, Kimi Räikkönen’s, car. The Finnish driver lost control, hitting Felipe Nasr, who in turn hit Pastor Maldonado who crashed into the wall and left the race.
At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Force India driver Sergio Pérez hit Lotus’s Romain Grosjean driving at high speed, pushing the Grosjean’s car into a slide. Pérez was issued a 10-second penalty for causing the accident.
The Chinese Grand Prix saw another accident when McLaren’s Jenson Button collided with Pastor Maldonado of Lotus.
However, the worst crash of the season was at the Monaco Grand Prix. The accident cost Lewis Hamilton the race, after he led from the beginning. The Dutch driver Max Verstappen hit Hamilton’s car with that of the French driver Romain Grosjean from behind. The accident perplexed the Mercedes team who called for Hamilton to change his tires. He was delayed and came in third, placing behind Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel.
In the Canadian Grand Prix, the French driver Romain Grosjean of Lotus caused another accident, crashing into Will Stevens’s car.
The Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, saw several accidents. In the Austria Grand Prix, the Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso suffered a bad accident when the McLaren was pushed atop the Ferrari. Neither driver was hurt.
The British Grand Prix was not without incidents. The safety car intervened after an accident between Lotus’s Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. The Spanish Fernando Alonso lost control of his car, to hit his fellow McLaren driver Jenson Button.
Rosberg of Mercedes suffered an accident that drove him out of the top three rankings when his tire blew out after contact with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Rosberg suffered another problem at the Grand Prix race in Italy and left the race when his engine caught fire.
Two accidents happened in Singapore Grand Prix. The first between the Brazilian Felipe Massa and the German Nico Hülkenberg when Massa hit Hülkenberg at the third turn, sending him out of the race. The second happened at turn 38, when Jenson Button’s car rear ended Pastor Maldonado’s car.
In the Japan Grand Prix, the first lap saw friction between Felipe Massa and Daniel Ricciardo. Both drivers lost their tires.
Nico Hülkenberg lost control over his car, confusing the Swedish Marcus Ericsson behind him before he crashed into him during Russia’s Grand Prix. Lotus’s driver Romain Grosjean suffered another accident in the same race.
In Austin, a major accident awaited Daniil Kvyat. He was driving out of the 43rd turn when he lost control over his car and crashed into the side barriers.
Tough luck awaited Ferrari in Mexico. The Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas hit Kimi Räikkönen on lap 23. The latter had to leave the race due to a damaged rear suspension.
The season’s latest races in Abu Dhabi saw two accidents. The first caused Fernando Alonso to leave the course after ramming into Pastor Maldonado’s car. The second happened when Valtteri Bottas crashed with Jenson Button in the maintenance area.