2013 Formula 1.5 Season

The 2013 Formula 1.5 season was the 64th season of the Formula 1.5 World Championship. The season started at the 17th of March and ended on the 24th of November.

Nico Hulkenberg was the defending world champion. Jenson Button won the 2013 championship, whilst McLaren won the teams championship.

## Teams and Drivers

### Team and Driver Changes

In November 2012, Thesan Capital, the owners of HRT, announced that they were putting the team up for sale. The team needed to find a buyer by 30 November—the date by which entry fees for the 2013 were due to be paid—or else face closure and a departure from the sport. Thesan Capital failed to find a buyer in time, and HRT was omitted from the 2013 entry list. The team was later reported to be in liquidation, and despite bids to purchase and revive the team under a new name, their assets were ultimately sold to Teo Martín, the owner of a firm specialising in recycling automotive parts.

The impossibly big news as 2013 got started was the return of McLaren, and with them the 4-time champion Jenson Button. The category's most successful driver had left F1.5 after a difficult 2007 and 2008, but after finding success in F1.0 he was back for more at last. Away from the world of the old champion, the reigning champion Hülkenberg had also swapped teams, hoping to find success at Sauber after their decent season last year. A surprise omission this year was Kamui Kobayashi, whose daring on-track antics were mesmerising to watch at times last year, but Sauber's decision to go with rookie Gutiérrez meant he was out of a seat.

During pre-season testing, Razia's time at Marussia came to an end after his sponsors failed to pay up. A replacement was quickly found in the form of Ferrari-backed Frenchman Jules Bianchi, who would drive for the team all season.

## Season Calendar

### Calendar Changes

#### New and Returning races

* The European Grand Prix was discontinued starting in 2013.
* Starting in 2008, the German Grand Prix has alternated between the Nürburgring in Nürburg and the Hockenheimring in Hockenheim. The Nürburgring hosted the German Grand Prix in 2013.

#### Failed bid races

* The Valencia Street Circuit did not hold a European Grand Prix in 2013; however, a possible return to Valencia, Spain in the future was not completely ruled out. On 12 March 2013, the Valencia Street Circuit permanently closed, although the European Grand Prix made its return in 2016 at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

## Season Report

### Round 1- Australia

One of the other rule changes for 2013 was that DRS was no longer unrestricted during free practice and qualifying, with the system now being subject to the same zone restrictions as the race. However, the FIA reported on Friday in Melbourne that the telemetry system would not be able to enforce DRS restrictions, nor could it communicate flags to the drivers. DRS was therefore on an honesty policy for the weekend. Disruptions continued as qualifying was postponed after a very wet Q1 saw several accidents and cleanup stretch beyond twilight. Eventually, though, di Resta took the inaugural pole position of the season, with Button lining up second for his return to F1.5. Hülkenberg was third ahead of Sutil, with Vergne and Ricciardo taking the third row.

Reigning champion Hülkenberg's title defence got off to the worst start possible, as a fuel system issue prevented him from even starting the race! Di Resta kept the lead off the start, but quickly it became clear that the supersoft tyres were not suited to any real distance in the race. Button pitted from second on lap 5, with di Resta and others following him not long after. Sutil, who'd started on the mediums, was now in the lead and managed to keep the lead after his first stop. Pérez had tried the same trick to make something out of his 7th place on the grid, but he didn't have the pace of the Force India. Things came to a head after Sutil's second stop. Forced to use the supersoft after two stints on mediums, he had a sizable lead but had to nurse his fragile tyres to the finish as teammate di Resta was bearing down on him with the more suitable mediums. The margin at the flag was just 3 seconds, but it was Sutil who took victory, clearly not diminished from his year out in 2012. Di Resta and Button completed the podium, ahead of Pérez, Vergne, Gutiérrez, Bottas, Bianchi, Pic, and Chilton.

### Round 2- Malaysia

For the second round in succession, the FIA's telemetry system would not be in service and qualifying was held in the wet. It was only light rain this time, and in the mixed conditions Button surged to his first pole since Germany 2006. Sutil would keep him company on the front row, with Pérez and Hülkenberg behind, and Ricciardo and Gutiérrez completing the top six.

Rain before the start meant it would be a difficult opening few laps. At lights out, Button maintained the lead as Pérez moved up to second before being passed by the fast-starting Hülkenberg. By lap 8, the track had dried enough for everyone to come in for slicks, with the main focus now on championship leaders Force India. Their stops had been very slow and their drivers were now a long way off the front. Their second stops on lap 20 and 22 were even worse, with di Resta spending two minutes in the box and Sutil 90 seconds. To make matters worse, the sticking wheelnuts that had caused all the trouble then failed anyway, leaving the reigning champions with a double-DNF. It was still Button from Hülkenberg and Pérez up front, but things were about to change in the third round of pit stops. Pérez managed to undercut the Sauber for second place, but his teammate had a much worse time of it as a malfunction in the traffic-light system caused Button to depart his box too soon. The 4-time champion was dragged back to the box to get the errant wheel attached properly, by which time he'd spent nearly 2 minutes in the pit lane and dropped from the lead of the race to 7th. Pérez was now in the lead with Hülkenberg second, but a sizable gap to third allowed the reigning champion to make a free 4th stop to put the pressure on. On lap 54 of 56, Hülkenberg made his move at turn 4 and claimed the lead - a lead that he kept to the flag, taking victory ahead of Pérez and Vergne. Bottas, Gutiérrez, Bianchi, Pic, van der Garde, Chilton, and Button completed the points, with Button's race ending in the pit lane on lap 54.

### Round 3- China

Not for the first time, qualifying in China produced a surprise result thanks to the tyre rules meaning that only one of the F1.5 drivers who made it to Q3 actually set a time. In this case, it gave Ricciardo his first pole position, with Button second technically setting a lap time 30 seconds slower around the Shanghai circuit. Hülkenberg and di Resta took the second row ahead of Pérez and Sutil.

Ricciardo maintained his advantage off the line, but his weakened tyres meant he was the first one in the pits on only lap 4. The start also saw Force India consolidate their difficulties maintaining their Melbourne form, as this time their drivers touched at the start, leaving di Resta on a trip through the gravel. Strategy played an important role for much of the race, with Hülkenberg and then Button taking the lead at various points throughout the race. Hülkenberg and Ricciardo were on a traditional three-stop, while Button and di Resta were attempting a two-stop. By lap 40, it was Button leading di Resta and Hülkenberg, with Ricciardo having just made his final stop and emerging 5th. He quickly dispatched Pérez before passing Hülkenberg for a podium place on lap 46. Di Resta took the lead on lap 50 of 56, but his driving had taken its toll and he was forced to pit just a few laps from home. That left Button free to claim his first F1.5 victory in 7 years, with Ricciardo a career-best second and di Resta third. Hülkenberg, Pérez, Vergne, Bottas, Maldonado, Bianchi, and Pic completed the points.

### Round 4- Bahrain

It had been a strong return to F1.5 for McLaren as the circus came to Bahrain. On Saturday, though, it was Force India that took the honours as di Resta took pole ahead of Sutil. Button and Pérez followed, with Ricciardo and Hülkenberg completing the top six.

Di Resta kept the lead off the start, but it wasn't such smooth running for his teammate, as Sutil was caught in a tangle with Vergne and van der Garde that left him at the back of the field. As the two McLarens dived into the pits early, di Resta stayed out on an apparent two-stop. Any attempt to stop the Force India ahead was scuppered when the McLaren duo started scrapping with each other after Pérez got ahead in their pit stops. Some hard racing and a bit too much contact followed, with Button ultimately retaking second. But when Button had to make an extra pit stop at the end of the race, he ended up a long way back. Di Resta had a much easier time of it to claim his first victory of the season, with Pérez and Button completing the podium. Maldonado, Hülkenberg, Sutil, Bottas, Ricciardo, Pic, and Gutiérrez completed the points.

### Round 5- Spain

The European season got started with a very tight contest at the top of the championship. Pérez got the best chance to build his own lead with pole position at Barcelona ahead of di Resta. The Toro Rossos of Ricciardo and Vergne took the second row, with Sutil and Button making the third row.

Pérez made a flying start from pole, with Sutil also getting off the line rapidly. But with tyre wear looking to be a major factor in the race, pit strategies would be key. Sutil was first in, but a minute in the pits meant another difficult race for the Australia winner. Di Resta pitted on lap 9, with Pérez following a lap later. But when the Mexican stayed out longer before his second stop, it was enough for di Resta to get past and into the lead. Before long, he was looking for Button in his mirrors rather than di Resta in front. Button had got a terrible start and was put on a three-stop strategy compared to the others' four, and it had paid off as Pérez's final stop put him in third, behind Jenson. But for the second race in a row, the controversy at McLaren left di Resta free to take victory, this time with Button second and Pérez third. Ricciardo, Gutiérrez, Sutil, Maldonado, Hülkenberg, Bottas, and Pic completed the points.

### Round 6- Monaco

If the last two races had taught us anything, it was that McLaren needed to sort out their drivers pretty quickly or risk someone else taking the advantage. Pérez brought his best at the ever-important Monaco qualifying to take pole ahead of Sutil. Button and Vergne were behind, with Hülkenberg and Ricciardo completing the top six.

Pérez kept the lead off the start, with Button taking second from Sutil. Championship leader di Resta's difficult qualifying left him down in 8th in the opening laps, prompting Force India to take a gamble on his strategy with a pit stop on lap 9 after Pic suffered an engine failure, leaving him even further back. The Safety Car would not actually come out until an F1.0 incident on lap 31, by which time Button had passed Pérez for the lead. Not long after the restart, Pérez got past once again. The McLarens were still fighting hard - but at least this time it was for the lead! On lap 45, Maldonado ran into the back of Chilton, causing a red flag. Pérez led on the restart, and before long Button was passed by Sutil. After a final Safety Car following Ricciardo being taken out by an F1.0 driver, Pérez wanted to extend his lead and gain a few F1.0 positions in the process. But a bungled move at the Nouvelle Chicane would end his race on lap 73 of 78. That left Sutil free to take his second victory of the season ahead of Button and Vergne. Di Resta, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Gutiérrez, Chilton, van der Garde were the final finishers, with Pérez classified 10th for the final point.

### Round 7- Canada

A rain-affected qualifying in Montreal gave a lot of incidents for a Saturday, and a very unusual grid. A crash for an F1.0 car in Q2 caused a red flag, and in the rush to get back on track once things resumed, Ricciardo failed to line up in the proper fast lane, earning him a grid penalty. Pole position, though, went for the first time to Bottas, by a margin of more than half a second to Vergne. Sutil and Hülkenberg came behind, with Ricciardo demoted to 5th following his penalty ahead of Pérez.

A much dryer Sunday meant it was pretty unlikely for Bottas to retain his advantage, but that he managed anyway for five laps before Vergne took over at the front. From there, it was a mess of strategies. Vergne and Ricciardo stopped twice, while the Force Indias went very unusual. With di Resta starting 10th, he opted to start on the hard tyres and go long before stopping only once, while Sutil did the exact opposite; stopping early on a three-stop. Meanwhile, the McLarens were nowhere. While the Force India duo were able to make it back up to the front, Pérez and Button were mired in the midfield all afternoon. But nobody could stop Vergne from taking his first F1.5 victory, with di Resta and Sutil earning Force India the championship lead with a double podium. Pérez, Button, Bottas, Ricciardo, Maldonado, Bianchi, and Pic completed the points.

After the race, it was announced that track marshal Mark Robinson was killed after being run over by a recovery vehicle while removing Gutiérrez's retired car in the closing laps of the race. It was the first case of a trackside death since 2001.

### Round 8- Great Britain

Qualifying at Silverstone saw the new competitive order firmly established, as di Resta went fastest ahead of Ricciardo, with Sutil and Button third and fourth ahead of Vergne and Pérez. However, after the session, it was found that di Resta's car had been run underweight. As a result, he was excluded from the qualifying results and moved to the back of the grid, save for a later penalty for van der Garde. Ricciardo therefore inherited pole, with Hülkenberg moving up to sixth on the grid.

Off the start, Sutil surged into the lead, while Pérez was also quickly on the move up to fourth before passing Button for third on lap 5. Just a few laps later, several drivers began suffering punctures and tyre failures. While most were F1.0 drivers, Vergne suffered a left-rear failure at Stowe on lap 15. The Safety Car was brought out to deal with all the debris around, with Sutil continuing to lead Ricciardo and Pérez. That order stayed the same through the next stint before a second Safety Car came out for an F1.0 retirement. The order at the restart was Sutil leading Ricciardo, Pérez, Button, and di Resta. Immediately though, there was trouble at McLaren. Button's tyres had cooled too much under the Safety Car and he was powerless to stop di Resta, Hülkenberg, Maldonado, and Bottas from overtaking. Meanwhile, Pérez suffered a tyre failure and was forced to retire. That left Sutil free to claim his third victory of the season ahead of Ricciardo and di Resta. Hülkenberg, Maldonado, Bottas, Button, Gutiérrez, Pic, and Bianchi completed the points.

### Round 9- Germany

Following the tyre debacle last time out, Pirelli announced an immediate change to the tyre construction for the Nürburgring race, with a more comprehensive change coming at the next race. In a similar situation to China, Ricciardo claimed pole position by being the only driver who set a time in Q3. Button lined up alongside, with Hülkenberg and di Resta behind, and Pérez and Gutiérrez completing the top six.

Ricciardo kept the lead off the start, but was destined not to hold it for long as he was obliged to start on used tyres due to actually setting a time in Q3. Pérez had got an excellent start, and was once again in close combat with his teammate for second. By the time Ricciardo pitted on lap 5, Pérez had got past and claimed the lead. Differing strategies at McLaren meant that Pérez was soon in the pits himself while Button stayed out. Once Button eventually stopped on lap 21, he'd built enough of a gap to keep the lead, with Hülkenberg not far behind in third. The Safety Car then came out for Bianchi's car suffering an engine failure and rolling back across the track. Several drivers dived into the pits, including Pérez and the Force Indias. Button led Hülkenberg on the restart before the reigning champion took to the pits on lap 37, which got him stuck behind di Resta and put him out of contention for victory. Button's second stop put him behind Pérez, but only briefly, as an on-track pass on lap 51 put him back into the lead. After some difficult races for the Woking team, Button's second victory of the season led a McLaren 1-2, with Hülkenberg on the podium. Di Resta, Ricciardo, Sutil, Gutiérrez, Maldonado, Bottas, and Pic completed the points.

### Round 10- Hungary

The mid-way point of the season brought F1.5 to the Hungaroring, where Ricciardo once again took pole position, with Pérez on the front row. Sutil and Hülkenberg came behind, with Button and Vergne on row 3.

With overtaking always difficult in Budapest, it's crucial to get a good start. Button clearly agreed, as he passed Sutil and Hülkenberg before the first corner, went round the outside of Pérez at turn 2, and again on Ricciardo at the chicane to take the lead by the end of the first lap. Ricciardo once again had to pit early, putting him out of contention at the front. For McLaren and Force India it was now a complete reversal of the situation a few races ago; McLaren led 1-2 while Force India were nowhere. For Sutil, that became a bit too literal as he suffered hydraulic failure on lap 20. With Button a long way in the lead, it soon became a race for second place. Pérez's second stop put him in third behind Maldonado, who was driving an excellent race. Hülkenberg could have been there to capitalise too, but after a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane it looked unlikely. Maldonado's tyres couldn't hold out for the end of the race, so he had to make a third stop on lap 51, relinquishing second to Pérez. In the closing stages, di Resta, running a lowly sixth, suffered a hydraulic failure just like his teammate. With their closest rivals notching a double-DNF, McLaren got the best result possible with their second 1-2 in a row, Button again leading Pérez to retake the championship lead. Maldonado scored his and Williams' first podium of the season as well. Hülkenberg, Vergne, Ricciardo, van der Garde, Pic, Bianchi, and Chilton completed the points.

### Round 11- Belgium

Few things in F1.5 are more dramatic than a mixed-weather qualifying session at Spa. Q1 and Q3 were wet, but Q2 was just about dry enough for slicks, making it a very mixed-up grid. Ultimately, di Resta claimed pole position for the first time since Bahrain, with championship rival Button starting alongside. Hülkenberg and Sutil took the second row, with Pérez fifth alongside van der Garde with a remarkable 6th on the grid for Caterham.

As if to reflect the state of the season at this point, Button swiftly took the lead at the start. As if that wasn't enough, he didn't have to pit early like di Resta and Hülkenberg did. Button's return was finally coming good - this sort of dominance exemplified his first career, after all. Pérez went forward as well, but his charge was halted by a drive-through penalty for forcing an F1.0 car off-track. He was put on an ambitious one-stop following the penalty, but the true drama was just about to unfold. With Sutil, di Resta, and Hülkenberg all having made their second stops, they ended up sharing track position with the likes of Gutiérrez and Maldonado. On lap 27, the five cars entered the Bus Stop chicane very close together. Gutiérrez took Sutil and Maldonado for 4th, and Maldonado attempted a move on Sutil at the same moment. Clipping the Force India with his front wing, he tried to back out of the chicane and go to the pits for a replacement. Unfortunately, the outside of the corner was exactly where di Resta was. What happened next, you ask? Di Resta was out, as his title ambitions took another crushing blow. The whole thing turned out to be a bit unnecessary anyway, as Gutiérrez pitted on the next lap himself. Pérez was now the target for the chasing pack, as his worn tyres were the only defence of a podium place. Sutil passed for second on lap 35, and Ricciardo took advantage of a late second stop to claim third on lap 41. But all this was 30 seconds behind Button, who was untroubled by the chaos behind him to take his third win in a row, with Sutil and Ricciardo on the podium. Pérez, Vergne, Hülkenberg, Gutiérrez, Bottas, van der Garde, and Maldonado completed the points.

### Round 12- Italy

Qualifying for the finale of the European season at Monza saw Hülkenberg claim his first pole of the season with a great lap to beat Ricciardo. Pérez and Button lined up behind, with Vergne and Maldonado taking the third row after Sutil took a grid penalty from 6th for blocking an F1.0 car.

Di Resta's title chances had taken a massive blow in the last couple of races, and starting 7th he needed a good race here. It was not to be, though, as he hit the back of an F1.0 car on the first lap and found himself in the gravel missing a wheel. Hülkenberg kept the lead ahead of Ricciardo and Pérez, with Vergne passing Button off the start. The Frenchman was on for a good result until his transmission failed on lap 15, releasing Button to pursue Pérez. Button was able to leapfrog his teammate in the pit stops, taking albeit a long way off from Hülkenberg and Ricciardo ahead. Sutil, in the sole remaining Force India, was further back still, but when he pulled into the garage with brake troubles on the penultimate lap it cemented the team's troubles. He would still be classified, though. One lap later, Hülkenberg took his second victory of the year with Ricciardo and Button on the podium. Pérez, Gutiérrez, Maldonado, Bottas, Sutil, Pic, and van der Garde completed the points.

### Round 13- Singapore

The circuit at Marina Bay saw a pretty big change ahead of the 2013 event. The iconic "Singapore Sling" chicane was reprofiled to become a single corner, making the average lap about a second faster than before. Button took pole ahead of Ricciardo, with Gutiérrez's best-ever qualifying netting third ahead of Hülkenberg. Vergne and Pérez completed the top six.

Button kept the lead off the start as Ricciardo and Gutiérrez slipped back. Pérez started well to get up to third, but di Resta had moved up from 9th on the grid to 5th. The Scotsman would then stay out long on an unusual strategy, pitting on lap 20 compared to the others' lap 15ish. On lap 24, Ricciardo made an unforced error and crashed at turn 18, under the grandstand. The Safety Car was brought out as almost everyone came into the pits - but crucially, not di Resta. Desperate to get his championship back on track in the closing races, he needed to win. With another stop still to make, he tried to build a gap off the restart before pitting on lap 42. Button assumed the lead once again ahead of Pérez and Hülkenberg, with di Resta 5th behind Gutiérrez. Passing the Mexican quickly, di Resta had 10 laps to use his fresh rubber to chase down the pack. On lap 55 though, it was over. The Force India was in the barrier, and di Resta was baffled as to what had gone wrong. A fourth consecutive DNF left Button free to claim his fourth victory in five races, with Pérez second for another McLaren 1-2 ahead of Hülkenberg. Sutil, Maldonado, Gutiérrez, Bottas, Vergne, van der Garde, and Chilton completed the points.

### Round 14- South Korea

The championship looked to be well and truly in Button's hands now, with an incredible fifth F1.5 title on the cards. But it was Sauber, fresh off claiming P3 in the championship last time, that took the advantage on Saturday in Yeongam, with Hülkenberg taking pole ahead of Gutiérrez. Pérez and Button slotted in behind, with Ricciardo and Sutil on the third row.

Hülkenberg kept the lead off the start, but it was chaos behind. A spin for an F1.0 car at the tight turn 3 caused several cars to go off-track in avoidance. Gutiérrez and Button came together, damaging the championship leader's front wing and causing both to lose places. Button defended hard against Pérez despite his damage, but Ricciardo and Maldonado had moved up to second and third. Button finally pitted on lap 4 for a new front wing and found himself ahead of only Sutil - himself having had a difficult start and an early stop too. Before long, though, everyone was in as the tyres fell away, meaning Button and Sutil weren't actually at that big a disadvantage. On lap 30, with Hülkenberg having pitted for a second time and Pérez in the lead, his front-right tyre blew. The Safety Car was brought out to retrieve the debris as Pérez's best shot at an elusive victory this year fell away from him. Hülkenberg now led from Button and Maldonado, with nobody set to stop again. On the restart, Sutil span out of 5th place and hit an F1.0 car, which promptly caught fire and brought out another Safety Car - or was it? Maldonado quickly lost pace on the final restart, and was overtaken by Ricciardo, and then Gutiérrez, Pérez, and Bottas on the same lap. Pérez passed his compatriot on lap 46 before Ricciardo's race ended with brake trouble, losing a podium for it to boot. Hülkenberg had the only smooth day of anyone as he took his third victory of the season ahead of Button and Pérez. Gutiérrez, Bottas, Maldonado, Pic, van der Garde, Bianchi, and Chilton completed the points.

### Round 15- Japan

As the end of the season draws closer, the momentum seems to have swung once again. Hülkenberg won the title in 2012 with a late surge to victory - can he do it again this year? Qualifying at Suzuka put the German on pole for the third time in four races, ahead of Button. Pérez and di Resta took the second row, with Bottas and Gutiérrez completing the top six.

Hülkenberg again used pole to his advantage, keeping the lead as Button lost places to Pérez and the fast-starting Gutiérrez. Things stayed as they were until the first round of pit stops, where Gutiérrez managed to leapfrog Pérez as well. With Sauber leading 1-2 for the first time this season, McLaren decided to take a gamble on Button's strategy and put him on a 3-stop. With the 2-stoppers having finished their strategies by lap 41, Button had to pass the Force Indias as well as Pérez to get back to the podium. Ricciardo was also ahead, but on a 3-stop himself that got him out of the way. At that moment, Pérez suffered a puncture after contact with an F1.0 car, dropping him well down the order. After being held up by di Resta for a few laps, Button made his move back up to third. But it had once again been a masterful drive from Hülkenberg, leading home a Sauber 1-2 with Gutiérrez taking to the podium for the first time. Button settled for third ahead of di Resta (in the points for the first time since Germany!), Vergne, Ricciardo, Sutil, Pérez, Maldonado, and Bottas.

### Round 16- India

It may look like a done deal for Button's championship, but a lot can change quickly in F1.5. To prove it wasn't all over, Hülkenberg took pole once again in Delhi ahead of Pérez. Button and Ricciardo were next, with di Resta and Sutil taking the third row.

Hülkenberg once again kept the lead off the start, but his early pace meant little as the soft tyres he started on would not last long at all. Indeed, he was in on lap 5 to get onto the much more durable mediums. Meanwhile, Button had started on mediums, but a poor start meant he took an early stop as well, before stopping a second time on lap 12 to get off the softs and run the rest of the race on mediums. A valid strategy - but he was now right at the back. Pérez, Ricciardo, and Sutil assumed the lead for much of the early stages, as their tyres were playing nice. Pérez took his soft stint the earliest of these three, and was rewarded for his efforts as his second stop coincided with Hülkenberg's, meaning Pérez kept the net lead. Ricciardo took softs at this point, and fell down the order after his next stop. Sutil, meanwhile, stayed out till lap 41 and then took softs until the end of the race - the longest stint on those tyres of anyone. With Hülkenberg chasing Pérez for the lead, he suddenly made an extra stop on lap 54, and swiftly retired with reported brake issues. Pérez was therefore clear to take his first victory of the year with di Resta and Sutil on the podium. Ricciardo, Maldonado, Vergne, Button, Gutiérrez, Bottas, and Chilton completed the points.

Pérez's victory also secured McLaren the F1.5 Constructors' Championship for the first time in their history.

### Round 17- Abu Dhabi

Hülkenberg's woes in India meant things were even better for Button as the circus arrived in Abu Dhabi. Pérez needed to outscore Button by 5 points if he was going to keep the battle, while Hülkenberg was mathematically still there, but best-case needed a podium finish with Button not scoring. It was a good day on Saturday for the two challengers, as Hülkenberg's run of poles continued, ahead of Pérez on the front row. Ricciardo and di Resta lined up behind, with Button and Vergne completing the top six.

The start saw Hülkenberg, Pérez, and di Resta do well, with Ricciardo and particularly Button slipping back. Button's day got even worse when he picked up some front wing damage and had to pit for a new wing on the second lap. Once again though, it was strategy that would decide the results of this race. Hülkenberg and Pérez were set for a two-stop, while Force India going all in on a one-stop. Di Resta thus inherited the lead when Hülkenberg and Pérez took to the pits for the second time on lap 27, but an unsafe release for Hülkenberg landed the champion with a drive-through penalty. After serving the penalty, he'd dropped from a frontrunning position to 10th place. Di Resta now led from Vergne, Bottas, Sutil, and Pérez. As the race drew to a close, Vergne and Bottas were forced to accept that they couldn't make it to the end and abandoned their one-stop plans. Force India were hoping for their first 1-2 since Australia, but on the final lap Pérez got past Sutil for second - all the points he could get on Button mattered at this point. For di Resta, though, it was his first victory since Spain, with Pérez second and Sutil third. Maldonado, Button, Gutiérrez, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Ricciardo, and Vergne completed the points.

### Round 18- United States

With 50 points on offer for the rest of the season, Button just needed one 8th place in the final two races to have his fifth title guaranteed. Pérez therefore needed to win. As had become usual by this point, Hülkenberg took pole, and again Pérez joined him on the front row. Bottas and Ricciardo started from the second row ahead of di Resta and Vergne. Gutiérrez had qualified 4th but took a penalty for blocking Maldonado, while Button would have moved up to 6th from that but had a penalty of his own for a free practice red flag violation.

Off the line, the big mover was Gutiérrez - clearly his qualifying showed he had pace, and moving up to 6th on the first lap was a good demonstration of it. The Safety Car was on track on the first lap too, however, as Sutil and Maldonado came together, sending the Force India into the barrier on the back straight. Things didn't change much on the restart, although Gutiérrez was now down at the back after a puncture and an early stop. Pérez was all over the back of Hülkenberg, but couldn't get past - the outgoing champion was in no mood to make it easy for one of the men who could replace him. Speaking of the other, Button was having a lot more trouble than most; where Pérez was telling his team he had almost no tyre degredation, Button was brought in earlier and had to nurse it for the one-stop everyone wanted. If this did turn into a championship decider, it wasn't going to be flashy. With di Resta eventually giving up 4th place, requiring a second stop, Button now lay 5th behind Hülkenberg, Pérez, Bottas, and Ricciardo. On the penultimate lap, Button made the move to take 4th, but a long way off the podium. Hülkenberg was back on top with Pérez second and Bottas third for his first ever podium, but it was Button's 4th place that crowned him a five-time F1.5 Drivers' Champion. The rest of the points went to Ricciardo, Gutiérrez, di Resta, Vergne, Maldonado, and Bianchi.

### Round 19- Brazil

With both championships wrapped up, where better to finish things off than Interlagos? Rain on Saturday only added to the fun, with Toro Rosso maximising in the conditions, putting Ricciardo on pole and Vergne alongside. Hülkenberg and di Resta took the second row, with Bottas and Button completing the top six after Pérez was demoted for a gearbox penalty.

Things had dried up by Sunday, where the start saw Hülkenberg dive into the lead as Vergne and di Resta fell back. Button looked to have better race pace than qualifying almost immediately, passing Bottas on lap 2, Ricciardo on lap 8, and finally taking the lead from Hülkenberg on lap 14. Pérez had also made his way back up from 11th to sit third before the leading trio came in for their first stops. McLaren got Pérez out ahead of Hülkenberg, and now they led 1-2. The silver cars streaked away out front, and with Hülkenberg in his own world it became a race for 4th. Sutil had leapfrogged Ricciardo at the second stops, but a late third stop put paid to his chance of a good position. Up front, though, Button took victory in the final race of the season that cemented his place in the history books. Pérez second made it a perfect end to McLaren's season, while Hülkenberg in third meant the top three in the championship were also top three in the race. Ricciardo, di Resta, Gutiérrez, Sutil, Vergne, Maldonado, and Bianchi completed the points.