2015 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2015 Belgian Grand Prix (formally the 2015 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 23 August 2015 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium. It was the eleventh round of the 2015 Formula One season, and the 71st Belgian Grand Prix.
| 2015 Belgian Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 11 of 19 in the 2015 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit | |||||
| Race details | |||||
| Date | 23 August 2015 | ||||
| Official name | 2015 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix | ||||
| Location |
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Stavelot, Belgium | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 7.004 km (4.352 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 43 laps, 301.048 km (187.063 miles) | ||||
| Scheduled distance | 44 laps, 308.052 km (191.415 miles) | ||||
| Weather |
Cloudy 23 °C (73 °F) air temperature 33–37 °C (91–99 °F) track temperature 3.5 m/s (11 ft/s) wind from the northwest | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver |
| Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:47.197 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:52.416 on lap 34 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First |
| Mercedes | |||
| Second | Mercedes | ||||
| Third | Lotus-Mercedes | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes entered the event as the overall Drivers' Championship leader, 21 points ahead of his teammate Nico Rosberg and 42 points ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes led the Constructors' Championship by 147 points over Ferrari, while Williams entered the event in third, a further 85 points adrift. Having won the 2014 edition, Daniel Ricciardo was the defending race winner.
Lewis Hamilton won the race for Mercedes, extending his championship lead over Rosberg, who finished second, to 28 points. Romain Grosjean and Lotus secured a podium finish for the first time since the 2013 United States Grand Prix, Grosjean's last to date, benefitting from a controversial tyre failure on Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari late in the race.
The race was celebrated by Scuderia Ferrari as their 900th Grand Prix participation. McLaren was handed a record 105-place grid penalty for a multitude of changes to their Honda power units.
This was the last podium for a French driver until Pierre Gasly at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.