1994 Spanish Grand Prix
| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 16 in the 1994 Formula One season | ||
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| Date | May 29, 1994 | |
| Official name | XXXVI Gran Premio Marlboro de España | |
| Location | Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain | |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 4.747 km (2.966 mi) |
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| Distance | 65 laps, 308.555 km (192.846 mi) | |
| Weather | Sunny | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Time | 1:21.908 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Time | 1:25.155 on lap 18 | |
| Podium | ||
| First |  Damon Hill |
Williams-Renault |
| Second | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Third | Mark Blundell |
Tyrrell-Yamaha |
The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 29, 1994 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. It was the 36th Spanish Grand Prix to be held since the first was held at Guadarrama in 1913. It was the fourth to be held at Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fifth race of the 1994 Formula One season.
The race was won by British driver Damon Hill driving a Williams FW16 taking his first win of the season. It was also Williams first win of the season, and a cathartic win for the team still shocked from the death of Ayrton Senna a few weeks earlier at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Hill took an impressive 24 second over German driver Michael Schumacher in a Benetton B194. Third was British driver Mark Blundell driving a Tyrrell 022. It would be the third and final podium of Blundell's career and would be the season highlight for the Tyrrell team.
The Grand Prix was additionally notable for the season ending crash of debutant Italian driver Andrea Montermini in his Simtek S941 on the front straight. Montermini, elevated from test driver status after the death of Roland Ratzenberger at the San Marino Grand Prix crashed heavily into the pit wall.
Contents |
[edit] Report
[edit] Pre-Race
This was the first race for the newly formed Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA). Several top level names, including Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, and Gerhard Berger, were instrumental in the setup and running of the GPDA, and they took the decision to install a temporary chicane at the Nissan corner, to attempt to slow the cars down before the La Caixa Hairpin. This was an attempt to improve safety, a well as limit speeds around the track, as the Nissan corner was generally taken at near flat-out speeds[1]
[edit] Qualifying
Michael Schumacher took the second pole position in succession and the second of his career. Damon Hill also would line up on the front row, his time had been beaten by Schumacher's by over half a second yet, he was only one thousandth of a second ahead of Mika Häkkinen. The pair's respective Williams and McLaren teammates lined up eighth and ninth. Martin Brundle on the fourth row in front of a disappointed David Coulthard. Schumacher's Benetton teammate – JJ Lehto – had done a bit better for himself and lined up fourth. Rubens Barrichello's Jordan qualified in fifth, followed by the two Ferraris. Tyrrell driver Ukyo Katayama was the only other driver in the top ten, whilst at the back, Andrea Montermini failed to set a timed lap in the second session and failed to qualify.
[edit] Race
Coulthard climbed up to 6th, but his car stalled in the pits on lap 16. He managed to get back up to 12th, before retiring on lap 32. Despite the problems, DC said it was a "good debut overall".[2] While Williams notched up their first victory of the season, and first after the death of Ayrton Senna, championship leader Michael Schumacher finished a strong second, despite being stuck in fifth gear for most of the race.[2] Knowing that he had a major problem, he managed to make a pitstop (and get away from the pit stop in 5th gear), and as the race unfolded gave nothing to the leading Hill's pace. He changed his driving style around the twisty track, finding new trajectories and corner apexes.[3] His past experience as a World Sports Car driver for team Sauber helped him control the car effectively despite being stuck in one gear.
[edit] Post-Race
After the race, the Williams team were very emotional with Hill's win.
| “ | I don't think I have known such a difficult month. Everyone at Williams has been through a terrible time. This victory must go to them and to all the fans of Ayrton Senna who I met in Brazil. They wanted Williams to be successful. It was important to do well in this race and to win it is better than I expected to do. | ” |
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—Damon Hill speaking about Senna, Transcript of recording from Grand Prix Racing. |
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[edit] Classification
[edit] Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford | 1:23.426 | 1:21.908 | |
| 2 | 0 | Damon Hill |
Williams-Renault | 1:24.716 | 1:22.559 | +0.651 |
| 3 | 7 |  Mika Häkkinen |
McLaren-Peugeot | 1:24.580 | 1:22.660 | +0.752 |
| 4 | 6 | Jyrki Järvilehto |
Benetton-Ford | 1:25.587 | 1:22.983 | +1.075 |
| 5 | 14 |  Rubens Barrichello |
Jordan-Hart | 1:25.990 | 1:23.594 | +1.686 |
| 6 | 27 |  Jean Alesi |
Ferrari | 1:24.997 | 1:23.700 | +1.792 |
| 7 | 28 |  Gerhard Berger |
Ferrari | 1:26.121 | 1:23.715 | +1.807 |
| 8 | 8 | Martin Brundle |
McLaren-Peugeot | 1:26.614 | 1:23.763 | +1.855 |
| 9 | 2 | David Coulthard |
Williams-Renault | 1:27.428 | 1:23.782 | +1.874 |
| 10 | 3 |  Ukyo Katayama |
Tyrrell-Yamaha | 1:27.017 | 1:23.969 | +2.061 |
| 11 | 4 | Mark Blundell |
Tyrrell-Yamaha | 1:25.863 | 1:23.981 | +2.073 |
| 12 | 30 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
Sauber-Mercedes | 1:25.115 | 1:24.254 | +2.346 |
| 13 | 15 | Eddie Irvine |
Jordan-Hart | 1:26.368 | 1:24.930 | +3.022 |
| 14 | 24 |  Michele Alboreto |
Minardi-Ford | 1:26.595 | 1:24.996 | +3.088 |
| 15 | 10 | Gianni Morbidelli |
Footwork-Ford | 1:27.459 | 1:25.018 | +3.110 |
| 16 | 20 | Érik Comas |
Larrousse-Ford | 1:26.097 | 1:25.050 | +3.142 |
| 17 | 19 |  Olivier Beretta |
Larrousse-Ford | 1:28.011 | 1:25.161 | +3.253 |
| 18 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini |
Minardi-Ford | 1:25.502 | 1:25.247 | +3.339 |
| 19 | 26 | Olivier Panis |
Ligier-Renault | 1:27.872 | 1:25.577 | +3.669 |
| 20 | 25 | Éric Bernard |
Ligier-Renault | 1:28.289 | 1:25.766 | +3.858 |
| 21 | 9 | Christian Fittipaldi |
Footwork-Ford | 1:27.631 | 1:26.084 | +4.176 |
| 22 | 12 | Johnny Herbert |
Lotus-Mugen-Honda | 28:05.683 | 1:26.397 | +4.489 |
| 23 | 11 | Alessandro Zanardi |
Lotus-Mugen-Honda | 1:30.379 | 1:27.685 | +5.777 |
| 24 | 31 |  David Brabham |
Simtek-Ford | 1:30.797 | 1:28.151 | +6.243 |
| 25 | 34 | Bertrand Gachot |
Pacific-Ilmor | 1:34.318 | 1:28.873 | +6.965 |
| 26 | 33 | Paul Belmondo |
Pacific-Ilmor | 1:31.750 | 1:30.657 | +8.749 |
| DNQ | 32 | Andrea Montermini |
Simtek-Ford | 1:31.111 | no time | +9.203 |
[edit] Race
[edit] Standings after the race
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[edit] References
- ^ "YouTube – F1 – 1994 FIA Review – 05 Spain". Archived from the original on 2009-05-30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVUGs0lgaFY&feature=channel_page. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^ a b Spanish Grand Prix, Spanish GP
- ^ Grand Prix flashback: Spain 1994
| Previous race: 1994 Monaco Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1994 season |
Next race: 1994 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1993 Spanish Grand Prix |
Spanish Grand Prix | Next race: 1995 Spanish Grand Prix |
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