2015 F1 Round 18 Brazilian Grand Prix – Rosberg wins and secures second in the championship, Massa excluded

The Brazilian Grand Prix on November 15 ran for 71 laps, with Rosberg winning in 1:31:09.090. Hamilton was second, 7.756 seconds behind, with Vettel third.

Rosberg held the lead at the start from pole position. Hamilton closed the gap at one stage, but tyre conditions subsequently prevented him from making a pass.

Mercedes secured a one-two finish at Interlagos. Rosberg took his fifth win of the season and secured second place in that year’s drivers’ standings.

Vettel made three pit stops and finished third, while teammate Räikkönen used a two-stop strategy to finish fourth. Bottas was fifth.

Hülkenberg was sixth and Kvyat seventh. Grosjean and Verstappen reached the points through their late-race performances, with Maldonado taking the final point.

Home driver Massa originally crossed the line eighth, but was excluded after the race because his right-rear tyre temperature before the start exceeded the permitted limit. The final official classification listed him as EX, rather than eighth.

Maldonado received a five-second penalty for contact with Ericsson. Verstappen passed Pérez and Nasr during the race and was classified ninth.

Sainz started from the pit lane because of a technical problem and retired before completing the opening lap. He was the race’s only retirement. Massa completed 70 laps, but was excluded from the result.