2015 Formula 1 Season

The 2015 season saw Mercedes extend and entrench its dominance of the hybrid era, with Lewis Hamilton claiming his third world championship and second in succession. The Silver Arrows were again in a class of their own, winning sixteen of the nineteen races, and the title was once more contested almost exclusively between Hamilton and his team-mate Nico Rosberg. Hamilton started the year in irresistible form, winning the opening rounds and building a commanding lead that he never seriously relinquished.

Hamilton's superiority over Rosberg was more pronounced than in 2014, particularly in the first half of the season, where his racecraft and qualifying edge gave him a decisive advantage. He wrapped up the championship at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, fittingly with a victory after a thrilling battle in changeable conditions, sealing his third crown with three races to spare. The achievement equalled his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna's tally of three titles, an emotional milestone for the British driver.

Behind the dominant Mercedes pair, Ferrari showed signs of recovery with the arrival of Sebastian Vettel, who left Red Bull after the end of its dominant era. Vettel won three races for the Scuderia and finished third in the championship, restoring some pride to the famous team and providing the closest thing to a challenge to Mercedes. Red Bull, hampered by an uncompetitive Renault power unit, endured a frustrating year, while the once-mighty McLaren struggled badly with its new Honda engine partnership.

Rosberg salvaged his season with a strong late run, winning the final three races to build momentum that would carry into the following year. Mercedes again crushed the Constructors' Championship, underlining the scale of its advantage over the rest of the grid. The 2015 season confirmed Hamilton's status as the dominant driver of his generation and tightened the personal rivalry with Rosberg, whose late-season surge hinted that he was finally finding the tools to mount a genuine championship challenge of his own.