Vote for your 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

30th November 2015, 12:491st December 2015, 15:22 | Written by Keith Collantine

Which F1 driver was the best performer during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend?

Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most during the last race weekend.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix driver-by-driver

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton – Made a lot of changes to the car in pursuit of a better set-up, but ended up over a third of a second off his team mate in qualifying. Dropped back quickly at the start on super-softs but was stronger on the harder tyres. But despite extending his middle strategy to shorten his final run, he couldn’t chase down his team mate.

Nico Rosberg – Made it three wins out of three and six pole positions out of six at the end of the season with a commanding performance. Despite running an older engine than his team mate, Rosberg took the win comfortably.

Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo – Said he would be happy with a top five starting position which he duly delivered. Hulkenberg passed him at the start but Ricciardo reclaimed the place a few laps later with some late braking, but couldn’t do the same to the other Force India. Unsurprisingly he wasn’t able to keep Vettel behind when the Ferrari appeared in his mirrors on super-soft tyres, which meant he finished sixth.

Daniil Kvyat – Was still figuring out his in qualifying after an electrical problem kept him out of final practice, but nonetheless made it into Q3. More problems surfaced in the race leaving him even more short of top-end performance than usual: Massa and Grosjean duly relegated him to tenth.

Williams

Felipe Massa – Passed Sainz soon after the start, then spent most of the rest of the race staring at Hulkenberg’s rear wing. Picked off the ailing Kvyat for eighth.

Valtteri Bottas – Made one of his less impressive starts, then his race chances were ruined when he was released from the pits just as Button was arriving, leading to a collision and penalty. He found himself on Button’s tail at the end of the race and surprisingly couldn’t make it past.

Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel – Failed to make it into Q2 when his team incorrectly assumed his position was safe. But having started 15th he made his way up to fourth with little drama: he ran long on soft tyres while most others used the super-softs, used the softer tyres to easily pass Ricciardo and Perez and coped with the heavy graining which followed. He also made way for Raikkonen when he needed to.

Kimi Raikkonen – Had a clean and straightforward weekend. Quicker than Vettel in Q1, he secured third on the grid and had a fairly lonely run to third in the race as well, delayed only by a brief problem at his final pit stop.

McLaren

Fernando Alonso – Ninth in second practice may have raised expectations too far – they came crashing down on Saturday when he dropped out of qualifying in 17th place with a puncture. Alonso was very unhappy with the penalty he received for his lap one collision with Maldonado, triggered by an incident with Nasr, but the replays appeared to support the stewards’ view that Alonso caused the contact with Nasr in the first place. A late switch to super-softs brought some cheer – and the third-fastest lap time.

Jenson Button – Started 12th and finished one place lower, but managed to repel the Williams of Bottas for five laps at the end. That left him considerably more upbeat about the team’s prospects heading into the winter than his team mate was.

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Force India

Nico Hulkenberg – Said he was pleased with his qualifying lap but disappointed to discover it was only good enough for seventh place. Started well, holding fifth initially, but couldn’t make the tyres last as well as Perez and was bumped back down to seventh by Ricciardo.

Sergio Perez – After his Brazil blip Perez was back at the strong level of performance which has characterised much of his second half of the year. He was third after the initial runs in Q3, but slipped to fourth when Raikkonen bettered his time. With Vettel making up for lost time in the race, fifth was likely the best result available.

Toro Rosso

Max Verstappen – Lost tyre temperature in traffic before his final run in Q2 so his last lap wasn’t quite up to scratch and he missed the cut. A heavy lock-up at turn eight forced an extra pit stop which damaged his chances of finishing in the points. He then picked up a justifiable five-second penalty for gaining a position on Button by going off the track, and a rather harsh drive-through for not responding quickly enough to blue flags when being lapped by Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz Jnr – After yet another breakdown in second practice Sainz got into Q3 and started the race well, passing the Williams drivers around the outside. That put the Toro Rosso rather higher than it was capable of running and he slipped back behind Massa before coming under pressure from his team mate. Both had to let each other past at different points but it was Sainz who came out ahead, though he lost the final points place to Grosjean.

Lotus

Romain Grosjean – A gearbox problem in qualifying meant no Q3 appearance in his last race for Lotus – and a five-place penalty. He therefore ran the same strategy as Vettel, starting on softs and switching to super-softs at the end. He was able to re-pass Sainz and Kvyat but not Massa’s similarly-engined Williams.

Pastor Maldonado – Qualified 13th but was taken out by Alonso at the first corner.

Sauber

Marcus Ericsson – Slipped up in qualifying and failed to make it out of Q1. Ran the opposite strategy to his team mate and therefore briefly ran as his as seventh on softs early in the race. Using super-softs at the end he was able to pass Nasr and finish ahead.

Felipe Nasr – Picked up front wing damage in the contact with Alonso which forced an early pit stop and left him on the back foot strategically.

Manor

Will Stevens – A solid final weekend in which he out-qualified and finished ahead of Merhi.

Roberto Merhi – Back in the Manor after a three-race absence, Merhi flat-spotted one set of tyres in Q1 and was delayed by traffic on the other. Overnight suspension changes to his car meant a pit lane start, but in the race he continued to struggle with his brakes and finished well behind the other car.

Qualifying and race results summary

Driver	Started	Gap to team mate (Q)	Laps leading team mate	Pitted	Finished	Gap to team mate (R)
Lewis Hamilton	2nd	+0.377s	12/55	2	2nd	+8.271s
Nico Rosberg	1st	-0.377s	43/55	2	1st	-8.271s
Daniel Ricciardo	5th	-0.489s	55/55	2	6th	-37.361s
Daniil Kvyat	9th	+0.489s	0/55	2	10th	+37.361s
Felipe Massa	8th	+0.103s	52/54	2	8th	Not on same lap
Valtteri Bottas	6th	-0.103s	2/54	3	13th	Not on same lap
Sebastian Vettel	15th	+0.441s	8/55	2	4th	+24.305s
Kimi Raikkonen	3rd	-0.441s	47/55	2	3rd	-24.305s
Fernando Alonso	16th	+0.617s	0/53	3	17th	Not on same lap
Jenson Button	12th	-0.617s	53/53	2	12th	Not on same lap
Nico Hulkenberg	7th	+0.502s	1/55	2	7th	+29.666s
Sergio Perez	4th	-0.502s	54/55	2	5th	-29.666s
Max Verstappen	11th	+0.039s	7/54	3	16th	Not on same lap
Carlos Sainz Jnr	10th	-0.039s	47/54	2	11th	Not on same lap
Romain Grosjean	18th	-0.344s	0/0	2	9th
Pastor Maldonado	13th	+0.344s	0/0	0
Marcus Ericsson	17th	+0.942s	36/54	2	14th	-3.942s
Felipe Nasr	14th	-0.942s	18/54	3	15th	+3.942s
Will Stevens	19th	-1.137s	52/52	2	18th	Not on same lap
Roberto Merhi	20th	+1.137s	0/52	1	19th	Not on same lap

Review the race data

Vote for your driver of the weekend

Which driver do you think did the best job this weekend?

Cast your vote below and explain your choice in the comments.

Who was the best driver of the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend?

Roberto Merhi (0%)
Will Stevens (0%)
Felipe Nasr (0%)
Marcus Ericsson (0%)
Pastor Maldonado (0%)
Romain Grosjean (4%)
Carlos Sainz Jnr (1%)
Max Verstappen (2%)
Sergio Perez (27%)
Nico Hulkenberg (0%)
Jenson Button (4%)
Fernando Alonso (1%)
Kimi Raikkonen (11%)
Sebastian Vettel (23%)
Valtteri Bottas (0%)
Felipe Massa (0%)
Daniil Kvyat (0%)
Daniel Ricciardo (1%)
Nico Rosberg (26%)
Lewis Hamilton (1%)

Total Voters: 474

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Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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76 comments on “Vote for your 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend”

Understeer (@abdelilah)
30th November 2015, 13:02
Kimi overturned a situation in final championship standings and took a very well deserved podium.
1. RaceProUK (@)
  30th November 2015, 18:02
  He also had an almost totally anonymous race.
McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
30th November 2015, 13:04
I almost went to vote Rosberg, but my vote goes to Button. Great wheel-to-wheel battle, great qualifying and hold up Bottas with that Honda engine.
Both Ferraris did well, so was Perez.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
30th November 2015, 13:04
Voted for Grosjean. Given all the troubles he had this weekend to do what he had done in this race is pure magic. Lotus are going to sorely miss him next year
Also great performances(in finishing order): Rosberg, Kimi, Seb, Perez, Ricciardo, Sainz, Button
BasCB (@bascb)
30th November 2015, 13:06
Rosberg, Kimi, Vettel, Perez all had great weekends, Button did a very good job too. In the end I voted for Perez, because I think these last few races might have been a turning point for his career-
Keisoglou Alexandros (@)
30th November 2015, 13:15
Rosberg, Perez and both Ferrari boys the candidates for me. In the end, i went for Rosberg, although any of those four would’ve been just as good in my book.
1. RACERNORRISKI (@racernorriski)
  2nd December 2015, 18:44
  Ditto for me, Perez and Seb V. and Kimi all did excellent all things considered however, none of them had the pressure that was on Nico R so he got my vote. Thanks Norris
Sonics (@sonicslv)
30th November 2015, 13:19
Definetely Button. Great qualifying, great race. Giving us a good track battle while defending as usual, the incident with Verstappen is tough but still fair to me. He make that McLaren looks much faster than it should be.
1. Peppermint-Lemon (@)
  2nd December 2015, 19:37
  Agreed, he got my vote.
Sonics (@sonicslv)
30th November 2015, 13:19
Definitely Button. Great qualifying, great race. Giving us a good track battle while defending as usual, the incident with Verstappen is tough but still fair to me. He make that McLaren looks much faster than it should be.
1. Sonics (@sonicslv)
  30th November 2015, 13:20
  Oops, sorry for the double post.
  1. Peppermint-Lemon (@)
    2nd December 2015, 19:38
    No matter. Someone’s gotta shout about how good he is- I believe he is far better than most would care to admit.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
30th November 2015, 13:30
Wow.. the Vettel fans are definitely in the house!
The race was slim pickings for driver of the day, but come on… Vettel did his usual stuff. Give to someone else who drove above and beyond people.
1. kanan
  30th November 2015, 14:10
  Anti-Vettel fans have definitely followed them to the house then… Welcome @david-beau
2. ColdFly F1 (@)
  30th November 2015, 14:50
  People ‘in the house’ would rather hear who you voted for (and why) than criticise other housemates’ votes ;-)
3. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
  30th November 2015, 16:11
  @david-beau are you part of that 1% of Lewis, or that 3% of Max?
  1. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
    30th November 2015, 16:11
    and before you jump to conclusions, I voted for Rosberg
  2. DonSmee (@david-beau)
    30th November 2015, 19:03
    I thought Perez did an amazing job.
4. Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
  30th November 2015, 18:49
  I voted for Ros. I’m stunned to how Vettel managed to earn so many votes though.
  1. uan (@uan)
    30th November 2015, 19:09
    @peartree
    It shouldn’t be surprising why Vettel earned the votes he did. While this is a vote for Driver of the WEEKEND, many people weight their vote much more heavily to Sunday and not Sat/Sun.
    Even weighting it for Sunday, people sometimes go more for the obvious big drives, rather than the sublime ones.
    Given that, P15 on the grid to P4 with no safety cars, and a pretty quick Perez and Ricciardo? Nor did he hit anyone. That was one of the drives of the race.
    Perez is still getting recognized – he’s leading the poll. But there was nothing “obvious” about his driving this weekend. He put it on P4 which was exceptional based on what Hulkenberg could do. But in the race? He basically maintained position from where he started. The Williams were no where, the Red Bull lost out massively on straight-line speed. Which cars out there should have had 5th? So it wasn’t necessarily a spectacular drive to get 5th, it was solid – but a lot of drivers had solid races.
    So why Perez for DOTW and not Vettel? (I think Vettel should have been considered for DOTW in Brazil, he was as close as possible to maximizing qualifying as one could get, and in the race, his pace was good enough to cause the all mighty Mercs to change their race strategy mid-race to protect a 1-2 finish – this would be a more “sublime” drive w/o obvious passes and such, so it didn’t get the recognition it deserved.)
    As many have stated, Button was pretty mega, both in qualifying and in the race, considering what he was racing with.
    Rosberg is pretty legit as a DOTW candidate, and he’s often underrated. Getting pole after pole and winning with Lewis (the World Champion and he seems to like to remind people all the time) as his teammate. Of course, people will say he was gifted the win with a sub optimal strategy given to Lewis.
    I voted for Perez – because P4 was mega on Sat, and close to being P3. While his drive was solid on Sunday, it was very solid with no room for error, and he could easily have lost out to Ricciardo behind him.
    I’d say Button, Rosberg and Vettel were my other top guys.
    1. Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
      1st December 2015, 3:56
      Vettel did great in Brazil and he didn’t need to pass anyone, I don’t understand why does it make any difference. You say the fact Vettel had to overtake some cars is DOTW certainty, but then you use Brazil as an example? I agree that Vettel had a good race, he delivered on Sunday. Managed not to crash on the melee of lap 1, he actually got tagged on the rear tyre by Alonso, and then after overtaking the bottom enders, he used his stint on the yellows as a guaranteed way to overtake most of the field so when he needed to overtake some quicker cars he was on the SS. Vettel delivered on the best possible strategy, but his weekend is tainted by his poor lap on yellow’s on q1, which makes all the hassle his own doing, of course Ferrari ought to have prevented the outcome but still, there’s that yellow lap on q1. My 2nd point, is that you can’t tell how good was Vettel’s pace in comparison to Raikkonen’s since both run very different strategies. Perez apparently maximized his car and his weekend, I’ll quote Ricciardo’s race engineer “Perez put on a mega lap”. Perez beat Hulk and Williams and Lotus. Nico beat Lewis despite PU concerns. Button race is an uncertainty, as McLaren is always compromised on reliability. Button might have been mega, but maybe he was poor, we won’t know it because Honda can’t run consistently never mind quickly.
      Of course, people will say he was gifted the win with a sub optimal strategy given to Lewis.
      Except he wasn’t, Rosberg PU was probably limited on laps on “strat 6”. I don’t think Merc limited Rosberg’s PU mode, in qualifying although the PU itself should lose slightly on wear as every engine does. I noticed that during the race whilst Lewis was catching up Nico, 90% of the gain was on S2, S2 comprises the 2 big straights, so I can only guess this advantage was largely down to PU modes, fuel or reliability driven. In the end, I believe there’s a high likelihood Nico would cover Lewis by running the same modes, I think it would be more likely for Nico to either make a mistake or have his PU explode as in Italy.
      1. uan (@uan)
        1st December 2015, 16:27
        @peartree
        I think we’re in agreement. I used Brazil an example of a sublime drive – one that doesn’t look spectacular on the outside, because there are no dramatic passes. Whereas passing cars looks like real racing. I’m just saying that “some people” look at that only – hence Verstappen’s DOTW in Brazil.
        From the outside, Vettel looks spectacular in Abu Dhabi, based on the number of places he made up, etc. and a fair candidate for drive of the race (though his drive to 5th in Canada was probably better). Which is why a lot of people would vote for him as DOTW (weighing Sunday higher, more visible “racing” etc.) I’d consider qualifying a wash. I’ve seen the Mercs go out a second time in Q1 this year as well. It’s not uncommon (not ideal for the top cars trying to save tires). Now if his first time had been disallowed or he made some real rookie error, sure. But he’s trying to get the best out of the slower tire against teams using the faster tire.
        Re Rosberg – I’m not saying Mercedes gifted Rosberg the win, but that’s what a lot of people are saying and thinking. Lewis himself hints at it often enough. The only proof they need is the fact Lewis didn’t win. As you pointed out, Rosberg had an engine that had twice as many miles on it than Lewis. The team even gave Lewis “Strat 10” when he was held up by Verstappen at the end, and Nico was told “Strat 6” to offset the advantage he would have gained. (I am reminded of all the people who would say during Vettel’s 4 years at the top in the RB “imagine what Lewis or Alonso could do in that car?” Well, we now know – in 2013 Vettel won 9 straight, 3 after winning the WDC and finished with 13 victories. Hamilton, didn’t win another race after winning the WDC, in a car even more dominant than what Vettel had. But I think Hamilton’s trotted out being WDC far more often than Vet did. lol)
        Perez’s qualifying was magnificent and, as I mentioned, I did give him DOTW largely based on that. I’m not even a Perez fan, but definitely props to him.
5. David-A (@david-a)
  30th November 2015, 19:16
  I don’t really know why he has 18% of the votes. He won DOTW in Canada for as similar recovery drive, but at least then his qualifying was down to car issues.
Robbie (@robbie)
30th November 2015, 13:49
Voted for Nico because I thought it was crucial for him to confirm this momentum he has going into the off-season, for whatever that is worth. Had he lost to LH I think it would have taken a lot away from his recent form and his and our feeling that we could have a really good duel next year at Merc.
1. MarkM (@mpmark)
  30th November 2015, 15:24
  Nico for sure, he is showing just how strong he can be after losing the championship to his teammate. It was really only between the 2 of them this year. So he is doing awesome the past 3 races. And the reactions in the team garage when Nico put it on Pole and finished the race shows volume! He is clearly showing that he is not a number 2 driver when he has his mind together.
2. Peppermint-Lemon (@)
  2nd December 2015, 19:41
  I really hope he wastes Hamilton next year, but chances are slim considering Merc cobble his car & strategy to benefit their $30m/year favoured son.
roodda (@roodda)
30th November 2015, 14:07
Voted for Perez. On the pace all weekend and got the most out of his equipment. Made a great start, just got pinched by two cars in front so backed out of it. Kept his nose clean, a mature drive, which we are seeing more and more of this season.
1. Toxic (@)
  1st December 2015, 10:41
  Same here. Great quali and solid and clean race with a lot of pressure. Great finish to the season.
kaiser (@kaiser)
30th November 2015, 14:17
Rosberg and Vettel drove greatly! but its only Button or Perez who punched above their weight for the whole weekend!
Atticus (@atticus-2)
30th November 2015, 14:30
Rosberg for me.
He defeated the world champion with a weaker engine. Kudos for that.
1. Jayd
  30th November 2015, 15:08
  There’s more to a race than a fractionally weaker engine take note that novo could use all the power in qualifying had a better time with the balance and Lewis wasn’t allowed to run his engine to the max during the race so no he didn’t have a weaker engine. Stop believeing everything the media says.
  1. Atticus (@atticus-2)
    30th November 2015, 16:42
    It’s not the media, man, just look at how much of an outlier Rosberg was in terms of top speed all weekend among the Mercedes guys.
    And Lewis was probably wasn’t allowed to run his engine to the max during the race – the end of the race – because the team wanted to ensuring they both finish, it’s not the first time, it’s just precaution. Nico was most probably instructed to do the same.
    (And I can’t figure out what do you mean by ‘novo could use all the power in qualifying had a better time with the balance.’)
    1. Atticus (@atticus-2)
      30th November 2015, 17:00
      Ah, I did figure out – yes, ‘Nico could use all the power in quali” available to him via the quali mode. But even quali modes can’t prevent an engine to lose power through sheer usage which was what happened to Rosberg’s unit.
      *And Lewis probably wasn’t
    2. Jayd
      30th November 2015, 17:56
      Sorry I have a terrible time with auto correct and reading wrong buttons as screen is broke on my phone. Nevertheless Hamilton is not happy with balance and is underperformance that is a fact. Rosberg has never beaten Hamilton over a season since they were kids. And conspiracy or not Hamilton was given the wrong strategy in the particular circumstances yet again.
      1. Sumedh
        30th November 2015, 21:04
        If Lewis stops one lap after Nico, then you say Mercedes is not giving different strategy to Hamilton.
        If Lewis stops many laps after Nico, then you say Mercedes is giving wrong strategy to Hamilton.
        You need to understand there is only one best strategy and that is always available to the driver who qualified best. Every other strategy is a step down.
      2. Jayd
        30th November 2015, 21:57
        When have I once said that? Please show me where I have said that? You can’t argue with someone and use other people’s opinions to discredit me. If they haven’t had pitted him I would of said they gave him the right strategy because I know what I’m talking about! In Mexico and Brazil Hamilton was stuck he wasn’t fast enough and couldn’t get past the best chance would of been to change strategy (I’m not here to argue if he should have that privilege or not let’s keep on topic) in Abu Dubai Hamilton only spent a couple laps near Rosberg when he caught at the end of the second stint and it was far far easier than in the previous two races. Not only did he catch much quicker his tires were still fine to carry on for much longer! I’ve explained a million times that soft tyres wouldn’t work due to thermal degradation when pushed hard (backed up by the fact Hamilton dropped off at the end even with ten lap newer tyres) the super softs wouldn’t work either as Lewis didn’t have a new set and he wasn’t fastest on them all weekend. So clearly the best strategy at the time of the call WAS TO PIT AFTER NICO. Just like in Mexico and Brazil the best chance at winning was to try something different as unlike Abu Dubai it was PROVEN he couldn’t pass. So don’t paint everyone and every race with the same brush the facts remain that Hamilton did not receive the best possible strategy for his race once again. BUT I am not arguing Hamilton should of had a different strat at the other races as Nico would also have to of benefit from that earlier in the season for that to be fair.
  2. RaceProUK (@)
    30th November 2015, 18:04
    Stop believeing everything the media says.
    OK, we’ll use the radio transmissions instead, in which both drivers were told ‘strat 10’, which can be inferred from context to mean ‘turn it down and bring it home safe’.
ILuvSoundtracks (@)
30th November 2015, 14:31
Rosberg.
Nase (@)
30th November 2015, 14:40
Went with Rosberg, although Pérez was a strong contender once more, and Grosjean, who battled his way from the back of the pack well into the points, was also quite impressive. Vettel’s performance, gaining 11 positions and finishing one place behind his team mate, was very good, but aided by a clever strategy as well as the fact that his Ferrari was easily superior to any other car bar the Mercedes. At the end of the race, Räikkönen, who hasn’t quite earned a reputation for setting the pace, was roughly 45 seconds ahead of the next non-Ferrari competitor, which proved to be a sufficiently large window for Vettel to slot in and secure the best available result in an interruption-free race.
The reasons why I voted for Rosberg are:
– he beat his team mate, who is undoubtedly one of the fastest and most competitive drivers on the grid
– he did so despite having to use a very old engine that had to be managed
– he almost took 4 tenths out of Hamilton’s best qualifying effort
– he drove a nigh-flawless race with a perfect start, a superior opening stint, never allowing Hamilton to get into DRS range despite heavy graining
– he was again untouchable in the final stint, where Hamilton only managed to take a measly 6 seconds from him despite running on tyres that only needed to last littlle more than half as long as Rosberg’s.
1. Nase (@)
  30th November 2015, 14:46
  On Grosjean:
  To me, his performance was definitely more noteworthy than Vettel’s, as he managed to climb up to a place where he could’ve realistically finished the race without starting from the back (just like Vettel), but without having a superior car, which meant that he had to fight really hard to secure his position. This is why I’d include him in my personal Top 3 of the weekend.
ColdFly F1 (@)
30th November 2015, 14:46
I know it is DOTW(eekend) but I allowed myself to have a look at previous weekends as well.
Rosberg drove another very strong quali/race and would deserve DOTW.
Button once more seemed to be able to extract more from his McLaren than was in there.
Vettel clearly showed that he is a very strong racer, but also that the Ferrari is the 2nd strongest car (for the same reason I cannot give Raikkonen DOTW notwithstanding his podium finish)
Solid race by Perez and Ricciardo.
However my vote this week goes to Sainz Jr. He had a stellar 1st lap; he fought with other cars which were clearly faster; he overcame the team instructions of letting his team mate pass, and he showed that his lack of points this season is not due to a lack of skill.
Well done Carlos. I’m looking forward to next year when (I hope) STR will be more reliable and use a Ferrari PU.
1. Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
  1st December 2015, 13:15
  i’m with you on this, i voted for Sainz too and was surprised more people didn’t pick out his performance. Although Perez deserves it too for that qualy lap plus a solid if unspectacular race.
luis
30th November 2015, 14:56
Perez definitely,
It’s amazing what he’s doing with FI
René (@)
30th November 2015, 15:01
Went for grosjean. Did what he had to do.
GeeMac (@geemac)
30th November 2015, 15:11
Hard to look past Perez. Stunning qualifying lap and a great drive to finish ahead of everybody not driving a Mercedes or a Ferrari. Top, top effort. He really has been in cracking form in the second half of the season.
evered7 (@evered7)
30th November 2015, 15:36
Rosberg, Perez, Kimi, Vettel, Grosjean all with notable drives.
Voted for Kimi in a hurry but thinking a bit more, I believe Rosberg deserved this.
Stunning pole followed by a superb first stint. Then made his strategy work and got the well-deserved win and along with it the momentum for the new season.
If only he had not spun in Austin….
tmax (@tmax)
30th November 2015, 15:52
Had a hard time deciding between Rosberg and Perez.
Finally went with Rosberg !!!!
1. BS (@bs)
  1st December 2015, 11:03
  Same here. It was a hard choice between him and Perez. Both had their teammates beat thoroughly all weekend and drove mature races. Had Perez stayed 4th he would have gotten my vote, but Rosberg’s incredible run of poles and wins at the end of this season takes the cake. In spite of looking like the slower car throghout most practise sessions, he dominated Hamilton in qualifying right when it mattered and was in total control of the race.
Abel Archundia (@aquataz68)
30th November 2015, 15:58
Perez for me. Hope he and SFI can carry the momentum into ’16.
-Very solid FPs – good setup in spite of brake failure in FP2 which meant limited data for race setup
-Superb Quali (vs. what we’ve seen before), he went all out… no resource management there
-Mature race. Strong start, he had RAI but was pinched by HAM. Ran well and managed to keep a fast RIC behind
I really enjoyed VET but felt ROS’s race was almost a gimme after his strong Quali.
Billy.rsk
30th November 2015, 16:12
Rubens was clearly the star of the weekend for me with his hilarious tuxedo t-shirt.
Paul A (@paul-a)
30th November 2015, 16:36
Raikkonen produced an exemplary and consistent weekend. his podium was warranted, and not just as “best of the rest.” Perez was very close, Vettel made the best of a bad job, and Rosberg might have got my vote except for the feeling that Mercedes domination made his win look a little too easy.
Having said that, I would like to congratulate all the drivers who participated in the 2015 season for doing their best, despite saving fuel, tyres, radio messages and for putting up with probably the most stupid set of rules and regulations that the FIA has put in place over the last sixty-five years, aided and abetted by a bunch of non-competitive “stewards.”
Philip (@philipgb)
30th November 2015, 16:48
I’ll give a nod to Vettel. Qualifying was a massive strategic blunder. As we saw from Hamilton at Silverstone 2014 you never bail out of a lap. But he put it right on race day. I think he could have beaten Raikkonen if he’d wanted to as well.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
30th November 2015, 17:13
Vettel, of course. Also good work by Rosberg, Raikkonen and Perez.
Retired (@jeff1s)
30th November 2015, 17:28
Perez: Qualified 4th, finished 5th in the fifth best car of the year. He drove some crazy fast laps last weekend and deserves to be one of the best driver of the second half of the season.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
30th November 2015, 17:34
Sergio Perez for being on it all weekend. Nuff said.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
30th November 2015, 18:08
Rosberg, for that stellar performance against which Hamilton had no answer, quite a feat!
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
30th November 2015, 18:13
Hardest decision this year, in my opinion. Both Ferraris, Rosberg, Perez, Grosjean, Ricciardo and Button were all very good. However, I voted for Grosjean. 18th to 9th in a Lotus is no small task, but he did it excellently. Great final race at Lotus for him.
Thomson (@fish123)
30th November 2015, 18:27
well to me personally it was between 3:
1. Sebastian Vettel – Storming Drive from 16th to 4th
2. Sergio Perez – Super Consistent Weekend, Super Quali, Solid Race
3. Nico Rosberg – Awesome Weekend, Once again got the Better of Lewis!
ad a very consistent weekend, and kept ferrari and raikkonen honest during practice and quali.
Rosberg – Dominated lewis for the third race in a row.
In the end i voted for Perez because he clearly beat his team-mate over the weekend.
Vettel – Vettel to me was Driver of the Day NOT Driver of the Weekend.
Perez – H
Robert
30th November 2015, 18:47
VET, great recovery and for his positive team building comments after Q1 mess up, very positive attitude
HK (@me4me)
30th November 2015, 19:09
Shout out for Grosjean, such underrated driver.
Perez-Rosberg-Grosjean, in that order.
DaveD (@daved)
30th November 2015, 19:31
As a Hamilton fan, I have to ask: Who actually voted for Lewis this week? Seriously, he’d be embarrassed to know you did.
I went with Vettel as he had to charge through the field and did so while still being a team player for Kimi.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
30th November 2015, 20:01
Easiest decision of the year for me. It’s Perez.
Jonny Edwards (@racectrl)
30th November 2015, 20:40
Rosberg all the way. The way he turned his season around and won 3 in a row (should’ve been 4) is nothing short of inspirational. Whoever his psychologist is they need a pay rise.
Phil-F1-21
30th November 2015, 21:00
Rosberg I think followed by Vettel, Perez, Button and Grosjean. No one else in it really.
Fixy (@)
30th November 2015, 21:05
Come on, let me give it to Rosberg. He’s been perfect these last races, and this time beat Hamilton fair and square, never for a second being at threat like he was in Mexico or Brazil. Raikkonen did finally everything right, but his only rival had to climb from 15th place, and Vettel himself was impressive but had the machinery to do what he did. Force India have been really solid but again Perez beat Hulkenberg and kept Ricciardo behind, also never being troubled during the race. These four drivers were all on the same level this weekend, and should have their aims set high for 2016.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
30th November 2015, 23:11
Rosberg, since beating LH in a straight fight is always quite Remarkable. Did a great job all weekend.. And is most likeley to challange LH next year.
Sergio, great job aswell… But not a front running car.
And Vettel… I keep wondering, if he started from second row… What a race he and Kimi would have… Maybe even pressure MercHamilton…
Jon (@johns23)
1st December 2015, 0:54
Perez! What a fantastic job he did
DaveF1 (@davef1)
1st December 2015, 1:21
Perez. Has had a quality season and finished it off brilliantly.
Hemz Shaw (@hemzshaw)
1st December 2015, 7:31
A podium and outscoring the much talked about team mate in this season is definitely a big one. He is coming of age, shown that he really can improve and unlike last year, drove like one should in F1. My vote for Perez – he for me is a standout driver from all this weekend.
Hope it all goes uphill for ForceIndia (or next year Audi Racing with a Mercedes Engine, sounds stupid though) from here.
1. Hemz Shaw (@hemzshaw)
  1st December 2015, 7:50
  I don’t know why I said Audi.. it may be called Aston Martin and Merc has a 5% stake in them.. still sounds stupid to me.. Aston Martin Mercedes F1 Team
  1. Mahesh (@m47e57)
    2nd December 2015, 20:42
    Could be that you said Audi because of that annoying dropdown Audi ad at the top of the page…
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
1st December 2015, 13:01
No love for Sainz on the poll? I thought he was very good – outqualified his teammate, had an awesome first lap but was dropped down the order by a slow pitstop. Still finished ahead of his teammate and the fact he was down in 11th doesn’t take away from his performance for me.
PJA (@pja)
1st December 2015, 17:51
There were a few drivers I considered for driver of the weekend.
It was another straight forward Mercedes win and Rosberg was quicker than Hamilton when it mattered most in Q3 and then converting his pole into the lead at the start, but I didn’t vote for Rosberg.
When a team is so dominant and one of their driver’s win I tend to only vote for them if I feel they have had a completely perfect weekend or if no one else stood out.
While Rosberg did all that was required of him to take the victory I didn’t think his overall performance was anything special, and with whatever is up with Hamilton at the moment I don’t think you can use the argument that anytime Rosberg beats Hamilton it must be because of a great drive by Rosberg.
Both Ferrari drivers were in the running for driver of the weekend, the mistake that knocked Vettel out in Q1 was a team mistake so you can’t blame him for that, he then put in a great recovery drive to finish fourth, but you could argue given the car he had and the circuit that would be the expected result.
Raikkonen seemed to have the edge on Vettel this weekend and I thought he would out qualify his teammate even if both had had no problems on Saturday, he then managed to retain his third position to finish the year with a podium, but on reflection I don’t think he merited driver of the weekend.
I think the main reason why I considered Raikkonen was because his form at Ferrari over the past two years has been so below par that when he puts in a performance that I would otherwise rate as normal, or just what is expected of him such as this weekend, it seems so much better than it is because of what I am comparing it to.
Grosjean’s qualifying was hampered by more reliability problems but he managed to bring the car home for a points finish in his last race for Lotus.
Ultimately I decided to vote for Perez, before qualifying it looked like he had a chance at achieving third and best of the rest behind Mercedes, even though he didn’t quite manage that his actual position of fourth on the grid was still impressive.
In the race I think his finishing position of fifth was the best he could hope for even with Vettel starting so far back.
At the start of the season I thought the two Force India drivers were fairly evenly matched but that Hulkenberg was probably slightly ahead, however I think this season has shown that Perez is the one who has performed the better of the two.
While both have had races where they have been impressive it seems that when Perez is at his best he achieves better results than Hulkenberg does when he is at his best.
Also mentions to Button and Sainz for their performances this weekend.
RACERNORRISKI (@racernorriski)
2nd December 2015, 18:46
Perez and Seb V. and Kimi all did excellent, all things considered, however, none of them had the pressure that was on Nico R so he got my vote. Thanks Norris
Jonathan (@jw14b)
4th December 2015, 8:20
Romain Grosjean was my choice, I was quite pleased to see him get a couple of points on his final run for Lotus especially after he started from 15th. I did not expect him to be able to pass Kvyat. I’d agree that Perez was excellent though, and I also thought that Raikkonen (for once in late 2015) had a clean weekend with good pace. Too often this season one or the other has been missing.
Wais (@itswais77)
5th December 2015, 10:16
It was diffcult to choose from Button or Perez, so I just left Perez out once again :L