2015 Mexican GP: Rosberg wins, both Ferraris retire

Nico Rosberg won the 2015 Mexican GP at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez from pole position. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished second, while Valtteri Bottas took third place for Williams. The race was decided at the start, when Rosberg took the lead, and at the second pit stop: Hamilton didn't want to make it but had to, and afterwards he could no longer get close to Rosberg.

It was the first Mexican Grand Prix since 1992. On the return in front of packed grandstands, Ferrari had a nightmare day: neither of their cars was classified.

Rosberg had taken pole for the fourth race in a row. He made a good getaway and held the lead into the first corner ahead of Hamilton. Behind the two Silver Arrows, Daniil Kvyat moved up to third in the Red Bull, with Daniel Ricciardo following in the second Red Bull.

What followed was an intra-team duel at Mercedes, and Rosberg stayed ahead. He gave up the lead only during the pit stops: Hamilton led from lap 26 to 28, then Rosberg was back in front. The same thing happened again from lap 46 to 48. After that, Rosberg led all the way to the flag. He also set the fastest lap of the race. According to formula1.com, the gap between the two at the finish was 1.954 seconds.

Rosberg made his first pit stop on lap 26. Hamilton stayed out two laps longer and pitted on lap 28, but it got him nowhere: he rejoined behind his teammate again.

The second stop was where it got interesting. Mercedes brought Rosberg in on lap 46 and Hamilton on lap 48. Hamilton complained about the stop over the radio. According to formula1.com, the team justified the stops on safety grounds. Hamilton was unable to mount an attack on Rosberg afterwards.

Williams took a completely different approach: Bottas stopped as early as lap 8, Felipe Massa on lap 9. Bottas switched to medium tyres. Sergio Pérez in the Force India made do with just one stop, on lap 18.

Sebastian Vettel started third. On the very first lap he made contact with Ricciardo and picked up a puncture. He had to pit at the end of the lap and dropped to the back of the field. He later spun once, and after 50 completed laps he crashed into the barrier at Turn 7. That ended his race and brought out the Safety Car. Having lost 15 places, Vettel was the big loser of the day.

Kimi Räikkönen started only 19th because of penalties for power unit components and an unapproved gearbox change. His race was over after 21 laps: Bottas attacked him, Räikkönen didn't give way, and the two collided, breaking the Ferrari's right-rear suspension. Bottas carried on. Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene took it calmly: “It's an accident, it's part of the show.” (Wikipedia)

It meant that, for the first time since the 2006 Australian GP, no Ferrari saw the chequered flag.

Fernando Alonso started 18th after penalties. His McLaren lost power right from the start, and he was out after one lap. Felipe Nasr retired after 57 laps with brake problems on his Sauber. According to formula1.com, his brakes were finished after the restart.

After Vettel's crash, Race Control sent out the Safety Car. Almost every team called their drivers in for a final tyre change, including Kvyat, Ricciardo, Massa, Nico Hülkenberg and Max Verstappen on lap 52 and Bottas on lap 53. Force India were among the few to leave Pérez out. According to formula1.com, that cost him a better result at his home race.

The race was restarted on lap 58. Rosberg stayed in control at the restart, and Hamilton couldn't get close enough. Behind them, the fight for the podium was settled: Bottas passed Kvyat into Turn 1 at the restart, after the Russian had long been on course for a podium. Kvyat finished fourth ahead of Ricciardo, while Massa brought home more points for Williams in sixth.

Further back, Hülkenberg finished seventh ahead of Pérez and Verstappen in the Toro Rosso. Romain Grosjean secured the final point for Lotus F1, just ahead of his teammate Pastor Maldonado.

• Jenson Button: Jenson Button had to start 20th after grid penalties totalling 70 places. He climbed to 14th, gaining six places, more than anyone else.
• Bottas and Hülkenberg: Both gained three places. For Bottas, that meant a podium.
• Nico Rosberg: He won from pole, led almost the entire race and set the fastest lap. According to formula1.com, it was his fourth win of the season.
• The rest of the drivers: Marcus Ericsson finished twelfth, while Carlos Sainz lost two places after three stops and came home 13th. The Manor Marussia drivers Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens finished two laps down in 15th and 16th.
• Ferrari: The team suffered a double retirement. Vettel lost 15 places, and Räikkönen was not classified after the collision.

The title had already been decided: Hamilton had clinched the championship a week earlier at the United States GP. In Mexico, the fight was therefore about the places behind him. With his win, Rosberg moved past Vettel into second. He now had 272 points to Vettel's 251, with Hamilton leading on 345. Bottas overtook Räikkönen (123) with 126 points to move up to fourth, with Massa next on 117.

In the constructors' standings, Mercedes had 617 points, well clear of Ferrari (374) and Williams (243). You can find the full 2015 championship standings in our overview.

After a 23-year absence, Mexico was back on the calendar. Rosberg won a race that, in sporting terms, was defined above all by the duel within his own team. For him, the win was a response to losing the title, and Hamilton made no secret of the fact that he was unhappy with the team's decisions.