The 2015 Austrian Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship, held on 21 June 2015 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The event marked the 29th running of the Austrian Grand Prix and the 28th time it had been held as a round of the Formula One World Championship.
The circuit offered very few low-speed sections, giving teams an opportunity to push their power units to their potential. The yellow-banded soft compound tyre and the red-banded supersoft compound were the prime and option dry selections, respectively. Pirelli also supplied two wet weather compounds. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton led teammate Nico Rosberg by 17 points in the Drivers' Championship standings, while Mercedes led Ferrari by 105 points in the Constructors' standings.
Qualifying consisted of three parts, with five drivers eliminated after each of the first two sessions. Lewis Hamilton took the 45th pole position of his career, drawing level with Sebastian Vettel, who qualified third. Nico Rosberg started second, while Felipe Massa qualified fourth.
At the start, Rosberg overtook Hamilton for the lead going into turn one. A collision between Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso brought out the safety car. When the safety car returned to the pit lane, Rosberg defended his lead against Hamilton and built a gap. Hamilton made a pit stop on lap 35, coming out behind Rosberg. Rosberg made a pit stop one lap later, handing Hamilton the lead temporarily. Sebastian Vettel had a delayed pit stop due to a stuck wheel nut, dropping him into fourth place.
Rosberg expressed satisfaction with his victory, stating: "The start made the race. It was a great start and I managed to defend in the first couple of corners and then I really just tried to push flat out this time." Lewis Hamilton conceded that Rosberg had done a "fantastic job," stating that Rosberg was quicker during the race. Felipe Massa said his team had "managed to get the opportunities, which it was a mistake of another team," adding that the changes made to the car were "definitely positive."
Notes ^1 – Daniil Kvyat received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding the allowed internal combustion engine allocation. ^2 – Daniel Ricciardo received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding the allowed internal combustion engine allocation. ^3 – Fernando Alonso received a ten- and two five-place grid penalties for exceeding the allowed allocation of three of his power unit components, as well as a five-place grid penalty for an unauthorized gearbox change. ^4 – Jenson Button received a ten- and three five-place grid penalties for exceeding the allowed allocation of four of his power unit components.
Notes ^1 – Lewis Hamilton received a 5-second time penalty for crossing the white line on pit exit. ^2 – Carlos Sainz Jr. received a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit-lane.
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Gallery · 4 related images
