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The Encounter Down Under

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An alternate version of the 1994 Formula One season

By Christiaan W. Lustig


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Table of contents

Table of contents....................................................................................vii

Part II: the Fight-Back..............................................................................1

Chapter 5: The Monaco Grand Prix.................................................... 3

Chapter 6: The Spanish Grand Prix ................................................. 19


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Part II: the Fight-Back


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Chapter 5: The Monaco Grand Prix

The jewel in the crown that is Formula One was next on the F1 calen-

dar, the Grand Prix de Monaco. But this year the tragic events in Italy, a

fortnight earlier, cast a shadow over the race. Roland Ratzenberger had

been buried under massive media attention, and with many Grand Prix

drivers, past and present, as well as representatives from the FIA and the

Formula One Constructors’ Association (FOCA) attending.

Since the last race, the FIA had ordered an inquiry into the death of

Roland Ratzenberger. Italian magistrates had ordered a post-mortem on

the killed Austrian, while also confiscating Ratzenberger’s Simtek-Ford

and all available video footage of the accident. Prosecutors, meanwhile,

informed the managing director of the Imola track, Federico Bendinelli,

that he is under suspicion of culpable homicide.

On the Tuesday before the Monaco Grand Prix, Damon Hill called for

action to reduce the dangers of Grand Prix racing after the death of Roland

Ratzenberger and the severe crashes at the San Marino GP, amongst which

that of his Williams teammate Ayrton Senna. Hill said that the structure of

cars was such that drivers were unable to survive the shock of high-speed

crashes. “Drivers will drive in the most perilous conditions, because com-

petition is stupendously fierce and there are any number of hopefuls ready

to fill the void.”

Jean Alesi returned to the wheel for the Monaco Grand Prix. Expecta-

tions for him were high, because his substitute, Nicola Larini, had man-

aged to qualify the Ferrari in seventh and sixth, and had finished second to

Michael Schumacher at Imola.

For Monaco, the FIA decided to leave the first grid position empty,

painting an Austrian flag on the tarmac in honour of Roland Ratzenberger.

The late driver’s team, Simtek, ran a single car in the streets of Monte

Carlo, for regular David Brabham.



On Wednesday morning, Ayrton Senna gave his first interview after

his San Marino accident. “I am very happy to be here again,” said the Bra-

zilian to a gathering of newspaper journalists, magazine writers, and tele-

vision reporters, “especially after my crash in Imola. It was a heavy impact,

which knocked me unconscious, but professor Watkins and his team

worked hard to help me. On the Wednesday after the race, I was released

from the hospital by doctor Fiandri — whom I would like to thank for eve-

rything that she and her team have done — and I travelled by car back to

my apartment, here in Monaco. There I recovered and worked on my

physical condition, trained my neck muscles for the next race and so on.”

Senna also talked about his discussions with old rival Alain Prost over

the San Marino Grand Prix weekend: “Since Alain retired, we often spoke

on the telephone, usually about safety. We had a conversation on the Fri-

day, and I saw him again on the Sunday morning. I would like Alain to

keep involved with safety in Formula One. We were going to speak again

the following week, but since I was in hospital, that has not happened yet.

But we will meet again here in Monte Carlo.”

Lastly, Senna extended his condolences to the Ratzenberger family:

“It was a very sad weekend in Imola, because we lost Roland. My thoughts

are with those he left behind, and I pray to God that we, in Formula One,

learn from this, and that Roland will not have died for nothing.”

History

The Monaco Grand Prix was the seventh oldest GP, after the French,

Italian, Belgian, British, Spanish and German races. It is still considered

one of the three most important races in the world, together with the Le

Mans 24 hours race, and the Indianapolis 500. Held on a narrow circuit

through the streets of Monte Carlo, and with its many elevation changes

and tight turns, the race was one of the most demanding on the Formula

One calendar. The first Monaco Grand Prix, held in 1929, was won by Brit-

ish expatriate William Grover-Williams in a Bugatti. For the ‘33 event,

starting grid positions were decided by practice time for the first time,


5

rather than a ballot. The race was a round of the European Drivers’ Cham-

pionship in ‘36 and ‘37.

After the Second World War, in 1946, the newly formed Fédération

Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), established Formula One regula-

tions, to which the Monaco Grand Prix was first run in ‘48; the race was

won by Italian Nino Farina. In ‘50, the race through the streets of Monte

Carlo was included in the new World Drivers’ Championship. Juan Manuel

Fangio took his first Championship victory that year. After having been

run to Sports Car rules in 1951 and ’52, the race had been a continuous

part of the World Championship since ‘55. That year, double World Cham-

pion Alberto Ascari spectacularly crashed his car into the harbour. Ten

years later, Briton Paul Hawkins’ Lotus ended up in the water, too. A simi-

lar incident was included in the 1966 film Grand Prix.

The only native to ever win the Monaco Grand Prix, was Louis Chi-

ron, who took victory for Bugatti in 1931. In the World Championship era,

he came third in 1950, while in 1955 he came sixth, missing out on a point,

but, at 55, becoming the oldest driver to compete in a Grand Prix. In 1958

he entered his home race for the last time, but the then-58-year-old failed

to qualify.

Graham Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix a record five times in the

1960s and became known as “Mr. Monaco”. That record was only broken

in 1993, when Ayrton Senna lifted his sixth Monte Carlo victory, and his

fifth consecutive on the streets of the principality. The previous nine races,

only the Brazilian and his life-long rival Alain Prost had taken the honours.

The former team-mates had taken McLaren into shared first place with

most victories in Monaco, at 9 each. However, Ferrari had achieved those

from 1952 through 1981, while McLaren had taken only 10 editions to do

so, losing out only once, ironically to a Lotus-Honda driven by Ayrton

Senna.

Thursday practice and qualifying



As per tradition, the first practice and qualifying session for the Mon-

aco Grand Prix, are held on the Thursday prior to the race. This allows for

the public to be out and about again on Fridays, while the racing drivers

and team members mingle at social events. Another tradition, is the fact

that the race always starts at half past three — ninety minutes later than

most other Grands Prix.

Returning to the car in the competitive arena for the first time since

his crash at Imola, Ayrton Senna recorded the fastest time in Thursday

morning’s practice. He was followed by Michael Schumacher, almost a

second adrift, and Martin Brundle, who was a further second behind. Tyr-

rell-driver Mark Blundell surprised with fourth spot, ahead of equally as-

tonishing Érik Comas, for Larrousse. Mika Häkkinen led Gerhard Berger

and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, while Damon Hill and Jean Alesi completed

the top ten. J.J. Lehto was twelfth quickest, while Rubens Barrichello had

to settle for fifteenth spot.

Late in Thursday morning’s practice session, however, Karl Wendlin-

ger had a major accident at the Nouvelle Chicane. While exiting the tunnel,

the Sauber driver braked as much as thirteen meters later than on his pre-

vious lap, sliding the car with its nose pointing left, past the chicane’s turn-

in point, and sideways towards the barrier. Wendlinger hit with the wall,

which had a façade of impact-absorbing plastic, with the right sidepod, at

close to 280 km/h. The enormous forces caused the Austrian to lose con-

sciousness, while the car quickly slid to a halt, just right from the barrier,

on the escape road.

Marshals and doctors were quickly at the scene, and removed Wend-

linger from his stricken car. The team, led by professor Sid Watkins, exam-

ined the driver, and gave the all-clear to take him to Princesse Grace hospi-

tal in Monaco, from where he was soon moved to Saint Roch Hospital in

Nice. There he underwent examinations by medical specialists, who con-

cluded he had not broken any bones, nor sustained back injuries. Wend-

linger was, however, diagnosed with cerebral contusion. His condition was

critical, but stable, said one of the doctors: “We are reserving judgment on


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his progress in the coming hours. The prognosis is very serious.” Robi

Quet, director of Public Relations at the Nice facility, added: “It’s very seri-

ous. We don’t know if he will live.” The Broker Sauber Mercedes team de-

cided to withdraw from the Monaco Grand Prix after their driver’s acci-

dent.

That afternoon, the cars took to the track again, for the first qualify-

ing session, with Senna in the lead once more. Schumacher was second

fastest again, with the gap having grown to over a second. McLaren drivers

Brundle and Häkkinen were third and fourth respectively, closely followed

by the Ferraris of Berger and Alesi. Damon Hill was sixth, in turn over half

a second faster than Pierluigi Martini’s Minardi. Comas and Blundell were

ninth and tenth respectively. Lehto again disappointed in twelfth, as did

Barrichello in as low a position as seventeenth.

“I am happy to be quickest, today,” said Senna afterwards, “but it

means very little, knowing that Wendlinger is in the hospital after another

accident. This is not a good sign for Formula One, after what happened in

Imola. We have to learn from this, and make sure the cars and circuits be-

come safer.” On his performance, Senna added: “We have to change quite

a few things on the car. We have a lot to go on and hopefully, if it is dry on

Saturday, we will improve.” Schumacher said of his day: “Our car is suited

to this circuit and the times show that very clearly. Basically, we have a

good package and the revisions to the engine mapping work really well.”

Mika Häkkinen was happy with his quickest lap, but would have like to go

even faster. “I am happy of course,” said the Finn, “but I don’t really like

being fourth. I didn’t race Formula One here last year and it took me a lit-

tle time to get used to the special nature of the track. Still, I live here and I

know the streets so I was able to find the right racing line quickly.”

The FIA announced on Thursday afternoon that it would perform a

complete review of all Formula One safety precautions. During a meeting



with all F1 teams and FOCA representatives, an 80 km/h speed limit in the

pit lane was agreed. It would be imposed with immediate effect.

Friday

On Friday morning, Ayrton Senna announced the re-formation of the

GPDA: “At the drivers’ meeting today, we agreed to form the Grand Prix

Drivers’ Association. It was agreed that the representatives of the GPDA

will be myself, Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger, and Christian Fitti-

paldi. The GPDA requests representation and recognition within the FIA to

improve the safety of Formula One, after the accidents of Rubens Bar-

richello, Roland Ratzenberger, and myself at Imola, and Karl Wendlinger,

yesterday. At our meeting, we discussed to take immediate action to look

at the next three Grand Prix circuits, together with the FIA, for possible

improvements.”

In the Nice Saint Roch Hospital, Karl Wendlinger remained in an ar-

tificially inducted coma. Doctors said his condition was stable, and they

were hopeful the Austrian would recover. Head of Mercedes-Benz’ motor

sport division, Norbert Haug, added: “We have good reason to believe he

will soon be okay.”

FIA President Max Mosley announced sweeping safety reforms on

Friday: “For the next Grand Prix, which is Barcelona, we’re going to reduce

the size of the diffuser, we’re going to raise the front wing end plates, and

we’re going to restrict the size of the front wings. The effect of that, for

those who are not technical, is that the downforce on the car will immedi-

ately be reduced by something in the order of fifteen per cent.”

Mosley also publicized measures for the Canadian Grand Prix, four

weeks from the Monaco race: “We’re going to, firstly, increase the lateral

protection for the driver’s head, by increasing the size of the sides of the

cockpit. Secondly, in order to allow the teams to do that, without any diffi-

culty from the point of view of weight and strength, we’re going to increase


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the minimum weight limit with effect from Canada, by 25 kilos. Thirdly we

are going to bring in provisions for strengthening the front wishbones in a

technical way, which I won’t trouble you with, the effect of which will be to

make it much less likely that the front wheel will become partially de-

tached and strike the driver. Fourthly, we are going to lengthen the cock-

pits, and try to avoid drivers striking their heads forward on the cockpit.

Fifthly, we are going to change the fuel regulation and impose the use of

pump petrol. And, finally, we are going to remove the airboxes from the

engines. This will have an additional effect on horsepower, because, as you

probably appreciate, the airboxes are put there to encourage the air to go

into the engine.”

Saturday practice and qualifying

On Saturday morning, practice resumed. Senna took top spot for Wi-

liams-Renault, with Schumacher having closed the gap to the Brazilian to

half a second. Häkkinen and Berger, in third and fourth, were half a sec-

ond adrift from the Benetton driver, while Hill had to allow a gap of an-

other full second. Tyrrel driver Mark Blundell beat Jean Alesi to sixth, with

Fittipaldi and Morbidelli in eight and ninth respectively, for Footwork.

Minardi’s Pierluigi Martini and Andrea De Cesaris, on his second and last

outing replacing Eddie Irvine, refused Barrichello a top ten spot, while J.J.

Lehto struggled in fifteenth.

Saturday’s second qualifying session saw an unchanged top five:

Senna led Schumacher by almost a second, with Häkkinen and Berger an-

other second back. Damon Hill had reduced his gap to just over one tenth.

Alesi managed sixth spot, and was the last driver within a three-second

margin. Footwork drivers Fittipaldi and Morbidelli were seventh and

eight, while Brundle disappointed in ninth. Martini again completed the

top ten, while Barrichello and Lehto lapped only sixteenth and eighteenth

respectively.



Ayrton Senna on his pole position: “This is my sixth pole in Monte

Carlo, and my first since ’91, so I am naturally very pleased. The car was

quite good, but there is still room for improvement in the next races.”

Schumacher added being “happy with the way everything has worked out”,

stating: “We came here with a good set-up and, really, all we have done is

concentrate on making small changes — all of which have worked.” Despite

qualifying third, Mika Häkkinen was “disappointed not to have got closer

to Schumacher and Senna.”

Footwork driver Christian Fittipaldi enthused: “This is my best ever

grid position, so naturally I’m pleased,” while team-mate Gianni Mor-

bidelli added: “The team did a fantastic job. It’s great to have two cars well

up the grid. […] I’m very happy with my grid position and I’m looking for-

ward to a good race.”

Martin Brundle voiced his disappointment with a mere ninth spot on

the grid, while the Briton had been quick in most sessions. He blamed “a

combination of engine problems at the end of the morning session, and

subsquent engine change, and my hitting the wall when on my first set of

tyres, which damaged the rear suspension”.

Thursday’s and Saturday’s times combined, made for the following

starting grid for the race:

1. Ayrton Senna Williams-Renault

2. Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford

3. Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Peugeot

4. Gerhard Berger Ferrari

5. Damon Hill Williams-Renault

6. Jean Alesi Ferrari

7. Christian Fittipaldi Footwork-Ford

8. Gianni Morbidelli Footwork-Ford

9. Martin Brundle McLaren-Peugeot

10. Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Ford

11. Mark Blundell Tyrrell-Yamaha


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12. Ukyo Katayama Tyrrell-Yamaha

13. Michele Alboreto Minardi-Ford

14. Érik Comas Larrousse-Ford

15. Andrea De Cesaris Jordan-Hart

16. Rubens Barrichello Jordan-Hart

17. Johnny Herbert Lotus-Mugen-Honda

18. J.J. Lehto Benetton-Ford

19. Olivier Beretta Larrousse-Ford

20. Pedro Lamy Lotus-Mugen-Honda

21. Olivier Panis Ligier-Renault

22. Éric Bernard Ligier-Renault

23. David Brabham Simtek-Ford

24. Bertrand Gachot Pacific-Ilmor

25. Paul Belmondo Pacific-Ilmor

The absence of the second Simtek car, combined with Sauber-

Mercedes’ withdrawal, allowed the Pacific team to qualify both cars for the

race for the first time.

Some time after qualifying, Benetton boss Flavio Briatore announced

that his team had taken over rivals Ligier, guaranteeing the future of the

French team. Ligier’s activities would remain in France and both teams

would continue to race independently during the 1994 season. Briatore

said he would focus on “greater stability” and a “more advanced technical

programme” for Ligier.

Race day

While Wendlinger remained in a coma, all drivers took to the track

on Sunday morning, to test their cars in race trim and on race fuel. Pre-

dictably, Senna was fastest once more, by eight tenths of a second, while

Schumacher led Häkkinen by another three tenths. Damon Hill was fourth



for Williams-Renault, while Martin Brundle showed his racing form for

McLaren-Peugeot, in fifth.

In memory of Roland Ratzenberger, all the Formula One drivers,

along with many team members, FIA officials and members of the press,

gathered on the starting grid, next to pole position, which was left empty

for the perished Simtek driver. A minute’s silence was observed, while

Gerhard Berger, with several Austrians working for various teams, held

their country’s flag, carrying a sign saying ‘Aufwiedersehen Roland’.

At 15.30 o’clock sharp, all twenty-five cars departed from the grid for

their formation lap. Some two-and-a-half minutes later, the principality of

Monaco held its breath for its 52nd Grand Prix. As the lights went from red

to green, Ayrton Senna made the most of his pole position and had a clean

getaway in the Williams. On his tail was Michael Schumacher in his Benet-

ton. Racing towards the narrow Ste. Devote right-hander, the F1 field

squeezed itself along the barriers. Damon Hill had made a stunning start,

passing Gerhard Berger into fourth spot, but then hit Mika Häkkinen’s car

from behind. This sent the McLaren driver into a spin, onto the run-off,

and into retirement. Hill did make the first corner, but had hit the armco,

breaking his left front suspension. The Englishman retired only a few hun-

dred meters on, at Casino Square. Behind Häkkinen and Hill, Gianni Mor-

bidelli and Pierluigi Martini, who had started a promising eighth and tenth

respectively, tangled and retired on the spot.

The mêlée behind Senna and Schumacher left the two protagonists

an impressive gap of some four seconds to Berger and Alesi, who were in

third an fourth. Senna, though, quickly picked up his pace to increase his

lead over Schumacher to some 15 seconds in the first ten laps. The German

himself went over twelve seconds faster than Berger. By the time the first

pit stops came in sight, Senna led Schumacher by 28 seconds. The Brazil-

ian pitted on lap 23, allowing his Benetton adversary in the lead, but only

briefly, because a lap later Schumacher pitted, too. After their stops, Senna

again drove a stunningly fast stint, with the lap record shattered again and


13

again, to the point where the three-time World Champion lapped the

Monte Carlo streets almost three seconds quicker than his old rival Alain

Prost had done the previous year.

On lap 40 Senna held a massive gap of some 50 seconds on Schu-

macher, while the latter led third-placed Berger by 28 seconds. But then

Mark Blundell experienced engine trouble in his Tyrrell-Yamaha, the Eng-

lishman’s car spitting oil onto the track at Ste. Devote corner. While Senna

had already lapped Blundell, Schumacher briefly lost control of his Benet-

ton in the slippery first turn, nearly hitting the armco on the outside.

Berger was less lucky, however, seeing the oil flags too late, spinning off

the track and onto the short run-off. This allowed Martin Brundle to come

close enough for the Briton to pass Berger into third at Mirabeau. The

Briton stopped for fresh tyres and fuel shortly afterwards, giving Berger

back his third position, only for the Ferrari driver to lose it again by the

time he had to pit himself. On lap 50, Schumacher visited the pits for a

second time, easily retaining second over Berger. A lap later, Senna also

pitted for the last time, and he too kept his position.

After an unequalled Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna took the chequered

flag for Williams: his first for the team, his first of the season, and an un-

precedented seventh victory in the Monaco GP. Michael Schumacher

needed a full minute more to finish the race in second, the German being

the only driver Senna hadn’t lapped. Brundle was third for Mclaren, while

Berger, in fourth, led Eddie Irvine substitute Andrea De Cesaris’s Jordan

in fifth. An exhausted Jean Alesi, returning after two races away due to his

neck injury, took the final point with sixth place.

After the race, Senna said: “This was a great race for me and the Wil-

liams-Renault team. I am happy to have finally scored points. I am now on

ten points, and Michael is still far ahead, but I still have a good chance to

win the title.” “It’s a great feeling to come second in Monte Carlo,” stated

Schumacher, complaining about backmarkers: “The most dangerous mo-

ment was when someone’s engine blew up at the end of the pit straight. I

saw there was going to be a problem and braked early, but I didn’t expect it



to be so slippery. I nearly lost the car; I was very lucky.” Third-placed

Brundle added: “The car ran perfectly and I had no particular problems.

The decision to make an early stop was a brilliant move by the team: it was

a significant factor in my winning the third place.”

The finishing order:


2. Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford +1’02,953

3. Martin Brundle McLaren-Peugeot -1 lap

4. Gerhard Berger Ferrari -1 lap

5. Andrea De Cesaris Jordan-Hart -1 lap

6. Jean Alesi Ferrari -1 lap

7. Michele Alboreto Minardi-Ford -2 laps

8. J.J. Lehto Benetton-Ford -2 laps

9. Olivier Beretta Larrousse-Ford -2 laps

10. Olivier Panis Ligier-Renault -2 laps

11. Érik Comas Larrousse-Ford -3 laps

12. Pedro Lamy Lotus-Mugen-Honda -5 laps

Did not finish

13. Johnny Herbert Lotus-Mugen-Honda Gearbox (lap 68)

14. Paul Belmondo Pacific-Ilmor Physical (53)

15. Bertrand Gachot Pacific-Ilmor Gearbox (49)

16. Christian Fittipaldi Footwork-Ford Gearbox (47)

17. David Brabham Simtek-Ford Collision (45)

18. Mark Blundell Tyrrell-Yamaha Engine (40)

19. Ukyo Katayama Tyrrell-Yamaha Gearbox (38)

20. Éric Bernard Ligier-Renault Spun off (34)

21. Rubens Barrichello Jordan-Hart Electrical (27)

22. Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Peugeot Collision (1)

23. Damon Hill Williams-Renault Collision (1)

24. Gianni Morbidelli Footwork-Ford Collision (1)


15

25. Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Ford Collision (1)

As was to be expected, Ayrton Senna recorded the fastest lap of the

race.

The Championship

Senna had scored his first points of the season, but with Schumacher

taking 6 points for second place, the German increased his lead in the

Drivers’ Championship to 26 points over Senna, with Berger in third, one

further point adrift:

1. Michael Schumacher 36 points

2. Ayrton Senna 10

3. Gerhard Berger 9

4. Damon Hill 7

5. Rubens Barrichello 7

6. Nicola Larini 6

7. Jean Alesi 5

8. Mika Häkkinen 4

9. Karl Wendlinger 4

10. Ukyo Katayama 4

11. Martin Brundle 4

12. Christian Fittipaldi 3

13. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2

14. Andrea De Cesaris 2

15. Érik Comas 1

Benetton held a lead of 16 points in the Constructors’ standings over

Ferrari, with Williams now in third:

1. Benetton-Ford 36 points

2. Ferrari 20



3. Williams-Renault 17

4. Jordan-Hart 9

5. McLaren-Peugeot 8

6. Sauber-Mercedes 7

7. Tyrrell-Yamaha 4

8. Footwork-Ford 3

9. Larrousse-Ford 1

Aftermath

On Thursday, May 18th, the Sauber-Mercedes team announced that

doctors would start bringing Karl Wendlinger out of his induced coma.

“Wendlinger is being woken up slowly over several days by reducing his

medications”, a spokesman said. “Further prognoses are not possible in

the present stages.” Two days later, however, Dr. Domonique Grimaud, of

the Nice St. Roch Hospital, stated that the attempts had been halted due to

brain swelling. Grimaud remained hopeful, though, saying: “The neurolo-

gial signs have slightly bettered but the patient is still in a critical condi-

tion.”

As if the tragedies that had struck at Imola and Monaco weren’t

enough, on May 24th, Pedro Lamy crashed in the fast Abby corner at Sil-

versone, where he had been testing. The Portuguese lost the rear wing of

his Lotus-Mugen-Honda, his car vaulting into the barriers. Lamy received

treatment at the scene, and was airlifted to Northampton General Hospi-

tal, where he was diagnosed as having broken both kneecaps and a thigh.

Ironically, Lotus were testing modifications aimed at reducing cornering

speeds.

Furthermore, Belgian Interior Minister Louis Tobback threatened, on

May 20th, to ban the Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, in late August, if

the track would not adopt more safety measures: “If no effort is made in

the coming weeks to improve security, the race will not take place,” said


17

Tobback. Track official André Maes replied that the race organisers were

working on improvements.


19

Chapter 6: The Spanish Grand Prix

With Michael Schumacher having scored three impressive victories,

and Ayrton Senna having won the Monaco Grand Prix in a most dominant

manner, 1994 promised a stunning championship battle between these

two protagonists. The next stage where the Formula One circus took their

battle, was the Circuit de Catalunya, just north of Barcelona, Spain.

Simtek Ford, who had so tragically lost their driver Roland Ratzen-

berger at Imola, had named Italian Andrea Montermini and Frenchman

Jean-Marc Gounon as his replacements. The two drivers would alternate

the second seat at the new team until the end of the season, with Monter-

mini debuting in Spain.

Sauber-Mercedes, meanwhile, would run only a single car at the

Spanish Grand Prix. Karl Wendlinger, who had crashed at the previous

race, was still in a coma. The team had, however, signed Andrea De Cesaris

to drive Wendlinger’s car from the Canadian GP, in two weeks time. De

Cesaris had, of course, already driven two races for Jordan, this season,

replacing Eddie Irvine. He had scored two points for the team, with his

fifth place at the Monaco Grand Prix. Irvine’s three-race ban had ended,

and the Northern-Irishman was back at his team for the Spanish race.

While Pedro Lamy was in stable condition after his testing crash,

Alessandro Zanardi would replace him at Lotus. A preliminary operation

had been successful, and Lamy was expected to be transferred home in a

week, after another operation on his right knee, which was planned for the

Spanish GP weekend. Zanardi had driven for the Lotus team during 1993,

having scored a valuable point for them at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Prior to the GP at the Catalonia circuit, Martin Brundle and Mark

Blundell voiced fears over the new ‘safer’ cars. The Britons, former team

mates at both Brabham and Ligier, found their cars “a bit of a culture

shock” with all the modifications mandated by the FIA because of the San



Marino and Monaco accidents. They opined that a power reduction should

go with the reduction of downforce by as much as 25 per cent.

The Benetton-Ford team went a step further by attacking the govern-

ing body over their changes. Managing Director, Flavio Briatore, believed

that chances of an accident occurring had in fact increased under the new

rules. The flamboyant Italian made his remarks in an open letter to FIA

President Max Mosley, stating that initial tests showed that the changes

“will decrease car safety in the future”. The team, however, risked being

banned from the Spanish Grand Prix, because Briatore had also said he

was not happy that his cars had not been properly tested after having been

modified to the new safety standards, and that he could not guarantee the

safety of the Benetton-Ford cars. The FIA promptly kicked the team out of

the race, with officials saying Benetton could not race unless they con-

firmed their cars had undergone testing.

The Circuit de Catalunya had witnessed a change to its layout after a

number of top drivers had threatened to pull out of the Grand Prix. GPDA

representatives Senna, Schumacher, Berger and Fittipaldi examined the

fast right-hand Nissan corner, where there was deemed to be insufficient

run-off. They subsequently had a tyre chicane put up in order to slow the

cars down, which Berger tested by running his Ferrari through it a number

of times. Also, more plastic, water and tyre barriers were placed along the

walls surrounding the circuit.

History

The Spanish Grand Prix was the fifth oldest Grands Prix, and one of

the original ‘Grandes Épeuvres’. The first edition of the race, however, in

1913, had not actually been run to the Grand Prix formula of the day, but to

touring car rules. It was held on a massive, 300-kilometre road circuit at

Guadarrama, near Madrid.

The Catalonia region had a strong racing tradition, stemming from

the 1908 and ‘09 Catalan Cup on the roads around Sitges. A first perma-

nent circuit was built near the same town to host the ‘23 Spanish Grand


21

Prix. The race moved to the Circuito Lasarte, on the Bay of Biscay, how-

ever, only a year later. There, the Spanish GP was part of the ‘27 World

Manufacturers’ Championship.

Grand Prix racing was absent from the Iberian Peninsula during the

1936-’39 Spanish civil war, but when it returned, in ’46, it was Catalonia

that held the ‘Penya Rhin GP’ at the Pedralbes circuit in Barcelona. Five

years later, the Spanish Grand Prize returned to the international calendar,

with Juan Manuel Fangio winning the race, again at Pedralbes, for Alfa

Romeo. In ‘54 Mike Hawthorn won for Ferrari, while a year on, the pedes-

trian-lined street track was cancelled in the wake of a tragic accident at the

24 Hours of Le Mans, where as many as 84 spectators were killed when a

car flew into the crowd.

Only in 1967 did the Grand Prix return, as a non-championship race

at the newly-built Jarama circuit, north of Madrid, which was won by Jim

Clark, for Lotus. A year later, the circuit hosted a World Championship

race, after which the Grand Prix alternated between Jarama and the Mont-

juïc Park circuit in Barcelona. There, in 1975, tragedy struck as Rolf Stom-

melen’s car crashed, killing four spectators. The Grand Prix was then con-

fined to Jarama until 1981, after which it disappeared from calendar.

On what was another new circuit, in Jerez de la Frontera, on the

Costa de la Luz, a furious battle between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell

unfolded in 1986. Both men finished side by side, with Senna taking vic-

tory by only 0.014 seconds. Four years later, during practice, Martin Don-

nelly’s car was destroyed in a high-speed collision. The Briton was severely

injured, but survived. By then, work on the Circuit de Catalunya was un-

derway, and the circuit hosted its first Spanish Grand Prix in 1991. The ‘92

race was advertised as the Grand Prix of the Olympics, which were held in

Barcelona that year.

As many as four drivers shared top spot on the most wins list, being

Monegasque Louis Chiron, who won three times, pre-World War II, Jackie

Stewart, who took the honours in three consecutive times from 1969, Nigel



Mansell, winning in ‘87, ‘91 and ‘92, and, finally, Alain Prost, who won the

race in ‘88, ‘90 and ‘93.

Lotus was the most successful constructor in Spain, with seven wins

from 1967 through ‘86. Williams took the Spanish GP five times, in ‘80,

‘87, and ‘91 through ‘93. Ferrari and McLaren shared third spot with four

wins each.

Friday practice and qualifying

On Friday, the FIA cleared Benetton-Ford to take part in Sunday’s

Grand Prix, after the team had provided in writing that their cars had been

properly tested. However, Michael Schumacher was forced to sit out the

morning practice session, while several other teams refused to practice,

because of safety fears. While only nine cars went out onto the track, team

bosses met several times to try to solve the safety issues. Only Ferrari, Tyr-

rell, Sauber, Minardi and Larrousse sent their drivers into practice, Mark

Blundell being fastest, followed by Jean Alesi and Pierluigi Martini.

That afternoon’s first qualifying session saw all drivers doing their

laps to determine the starting positions for the race. Quickest was Michael

Schumacher, with Ayrton Senna a mere two tenths of a second behind.

Mika Häkkinen was third, almost a full second behind the two title pro-

tagonists, while Damon Hill had to settle for fourth, and Alesi for fifth.

Frentzen was sixth, ahead of Pierluigi Martini and J.J. Lehto, in the second

Benetton. Mark Blundell continued his good form of the morning, by re-

cording the ninth fastest time, while Rubens Barrichello completed the top

ten.

Saturday practice and qualifying

In Saturday morning’s practice, a serious accident happened. While

negotiating the final corner of the circuit, onto the main straight, Andrea


23

Montermini ran wide. The Simtek debutant ran across the kerbs, which

pushed his car to the left, forcing the driver to make steering corrections.

Montermini’s car soon picked up grip again, however, sending him head-

on into the concrete wall lining the gravel bed, impacting at some 160

km/h. With a severely damaged nose cone, the Simtek-Ford span across

the straight, shedding bits and pieces all over the tarmac, and coming to a

halt with Montermini unconscious in the cockpit. Medical personnel

quickly arrived at the scene, and cut the Italian from his car. Montermini

was then airlifted to a hospital, where a broken toe and cracked heel were

diagnosed.

On the track, Senna beat Schumacher to the fastest time, being the

first breaking into one minute and 21 seconds, with Hill only three tenths

behind. McLaren drivers Häkkinen and Brundle were fourth and fifth re-

spectively. Both Ferraris disappointed, with 16th place for Alesi and 21st

for Berger.

The second and last qualifying session, that afternoon, would deter-

mine who would start form pole position. Lap times had dropped by as

much as four seconds from Friday’s first practice until Saturday morning’s

session, and with a clear sky and comfortable temperature, it was expected

that the main contenders would go faster still.

Senna proved to be the master of the qualifying lap, by recording the

67th pole position of his career. Schumacher, however, got as close as

three tenths off the Brazilian’s time, in second. Hill was third, six tenths

behind, Häkkinen fourth, while J.J. Lehto equalled his best grid position,

scored in San Marino, in fifth. Barrichello had to allow a gap of over half a

second, but pipped Ferrari drivers Alesi and Berger to sixth spot. Brundle

would start ninth for McLaren, with Tyrrell’s Ukyo Katayama behind him.

Because all drivers improved on their Friday times, the Saturday

qualifying results determined the starting order for the race:




2. Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford

3. Damon Hill Williams-Renault

4. Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Peugeot

5. J.J. Lehto Benetton-Ford

6. Rubens Barrichello Jordan-Hart

7. Jean Alesi Ferrari

8. Gerhard Berger Ferrari

9. Martin Brundle McLaren-Peugeot

10. Ukyo Katayama Tyrrell-Yamaha

11. Mark Blundell Tyrrell-Yamaha

12. Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber-Mercedes

13. Eddie Irvine Jordan-Hart

14. Michele Alboreto Minardi-Ford

15. Gianni Morbidelli Footwork-Ford

16. Érik Comas Larrousse-Ford

17. Olivier Beretta Larrousse-Ford

18. Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Ford

19. Olivier Panis Ligier-Renault

20. Éric Bernard Ligier-Renault

21. Christian Fittipaldi Footwork-Ford

22. Johnny Herbert Lotus-Mugen-Honda

23. Alessandro Zanardi Lotus-Mugen-Honda

24. David Brabham Simtek-Ford

25. Bertrand Gachot Pacific-Ilmor

26. Paul Belmondo Pacific-Ilmor

Andrea Montermini had of course not qualified his Simtek-Ford,

while Sauber competed with a single car.


25

Race day

Sunday was a sunny and warm day. J.J. Lehto found himself on top

of the time sheets in race trim in the morning’s warm-up practice, in what

was only his second race for Benetton-Ford. Team-mate and Champion-

ship leader Michael Schumacher was a mere nine hundredths of a second

behind, while Senna was a close third. Mika Häkkinen took fifth place, and

Jean Alesi was fifth quickest. Damon Hill took 7th, Berger 9th, and

Frentzen was back in 13th.

On the starting grid, tension mounted as two o’clock neared. The

drivers were strapped into their racing cars, and the parade lap began.

Some two minutes later, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher lined up

on the front row, waiting for the red lights to go green. When they did,

Schumacher got away quickest, beating Senna to the first corner. Häkki-

nen, Hill, Alesi and Lehto followed, in that order. Barrichello and Berger

touched while battling for sixth place, and the Austrian dropped back to

twelfth.

A little later, Berger ran wide at turn one, on lap 14, damaging the

underside of his Ferrari. This allowed Ukyo Katayama to pass him for

twelfth, but the Japanese had to retire with engine trouble only four laps

later. He was soon followed by Érik Comas on lap 19 and Gianni Morbidelli

on lap 24. Gerhard Berger had to pull off the track with gearbox problems

after 27 laps.

At the front, though, Schumacher stretched his lead to as much ten

seconds in the first fifteen laps. The first scheduled pit stops started taking

place. Senna was the first to stop for fuel and fresh tyres, on lap 19, fol-

lowed by Alesi, who was running fifth at the time, on the same lap.

Schumacher planned to come into the pits on lap 21. However, when

he approached the temporary tire chicane in his Benetton, the German

encountered a problem. Every previous lap, Schumacher pushed a button

on his steering wheel, commanding the car to go from the current gear



back to second. However, this time the Benetton’s gearbox didn’t respond,

and, while accelerating out of the improvised obstruction, Schumacher

found himself stuck in fifth gear. Coming around the circuit, however,

Schumacher pitted, with the just-lapped Johnny Herbert right on his tail.

All went well at the stop, and Schumacher left his team’s spot in the pit

lane again, having been given fuel and fresh tyres. Once he switched off the

80 km/h speed limiter at the end of the pit lane, however, the race leader

could not get up to speed. Herbert’s Lotus was visibly quicker, but dared

not overtake Schumacher before the first corner. Schumacher briefly led

Herbert and Ligier driver Olivier Panis through turns two, three and four,

after which Herbert passed the Benetton leader on the outside of turn five,

immediately followed by Panis on the short sprint towards seventh corner.

On lap 23, Schumacher was overtaken for the lead by charging Mika

Häkkinen. Then, the world witnessed Schumacher’s predicament on their

TV screens: while showing on-board images from the Benetton-Ford, also

displayed were the car’s current speed, revs, and accelerator pressure, and

a circle next to them, containing the gear number: five. Meanwhile, the

Benetton team had looked at the data from Schumacher’s car. The engi-

neers opted to get a new steering wheel, which contains a lot of electronics,

and they hoped it would solve the gear-changing problem. However,

Schumacher himself radioed his pit crew that he preferred to keep going,

running only 3.5 seconds slower than the race leaders, Häkkinen and

Senna, and confident he could go faster, still.

On lap 23 Senna took second spot form stricken Schumacher. Not

having pitted, yet, Häkkinen saw his lead over the Brazilian stretch to

some seven seconds. On lap 30, though, the McLaren driver did stop for

fresh tyres and fuel, dropping back to third. This left the order: Senna,

Schumacher, Häkkinen, with Lehto in a lonely fourth place, followed by

Hill and Brundle. Two laps later, though, Damon Hill had to retire from

fifth place, with electrical problems.

Soon afterwards, Alesi and Senna pitted again, on lap 38 and 41 re-

spectively. This gave Schumacher the lead, who left his pit stop late. He


27

came into the pit lane together with Häkkinen, who was running some five

seconds behind, in third. Senna subsequently retook the lead, with Schu-

macher just over ten seconds adrift — the World Championship leader

upped his pace lap by lap, to the point where he was only a second off his

fastest lap of the day — and Häkkinen running in the German’s shadow.

Sadly, on lap 48, McLaren driver Häkkinen saw his Peugeot engine give up

the ghost, allowing fellow Finn Lehto into third spot. He too hit engine

trouble, though, on lap 52, giving Martin Brundle third, almost forty sec-

onds adrift. The Englishman only held on to his podium spot until six laps

from the end, though, allowing countryman and former team-mate Mark

Blundell onto the podium.

So, Senna took his second win of the season, partly due to Schu-

macher’s gearbox problems. The German finished a strong second, again

scoring valuable points. Blundell was third for Tyrrell, with Alesi in fourth,

Pierluigi Martini picking up two points for Minardi, and Eddie Irvine fin-

ishing sixth upon his return from a three-race ban. Although Brundle

didn’t finish the race, he was still classified eleventh.

“I am very happy with this victory”, said Senna after the race. “We

were a little bit lucky, because Michael had technical difficulties, but we

were always running not too far behind him. This gives me confidence for

the rest of the season.” Schumacher commented on his second place: “I

never would have imagined to finish that race, and then even in second

position. For me, that is something like a victory. In the beginning it was a

bit difficult, running with this fifth gear [only], through all the corners, but

then I managed to find a good line and keep up the lap times. […] I’m still

very happy to get these points.” Third-placed Mark Blundell was thrilled

with his best result since the ‘93 German Grand Prix, stating his team Tyr-

rell “have reacted very competently to the changes that have been intro-

duced, giving us a package, which is still very driveable. I’m just over the

moon and very happy for my mechanics who have a tough time.”

The complete finishing order:




2. Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford +31.272

3. Mark Blundell Tyrrell-Yamaha +1’33.074

4. Jean Alesi Ferrari -1 lap

5. Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Ford -1 lap

6. Eddie Irvine Jordan-Hart -1 lap

7. Olivier Panis Ligier-Renault -2 laps

8. Éric Bernard Ligier-Renault -3 laps

9. Alessandro Zanardi Lotus-Mugen-Honda -3 laps

10. David Brabham Simtek-Ford -4 laps

Not finished, but classified

11. Martin Brundle McLaren-Peugeot Gearbox (lap 59)

Did not finish

12. J.J. Lehto Benetton-Ford Engine (53)

13. Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Peugeot Engine (48)

14. Johnny Herbert Lotus-Mugen-Honda Spun off (41)

15. Rubens Barrichello Jordan-Hart Spun off (39)

16. Christian Fittipaldi Footwork-Ford Engine (35)

17. David Coulthard Williams-Renault Electrical (32)

18. Bertrand Gachot Pacific-Ilmor Wing (32)

19. Gerhard Berger Ferrari Gearbox (27)

20. Gianni Morbidelli Footwork-Ford Fuel system (24)

21. Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber-Mercedes Gearbox (21)

22. Érik Comas Larrousse-Ford Radiator (19)

23. Ukyo Katayama Tyrrell-Yamaha Engine (16)

24. Michele Alboreto Minardi-Ford Engine (4)

25. Paul Belmondo Pacific-Ilmor Spun off (2)

26. Olivier Beretta Larrousse-Ford Engine (0)

Before he ran into gear-changing trouble, Michael Schumacher had

recorded the fastest lap of the race.


29

The Championship

Ayrton Senna took another 10 points for his title charge, reducing the

gap to Schumacher to 22 points. Amazingly, as many as 18 drivers had

scored points in the first five Grands Prix. Only eight of them finished in

the points more than once, though.

1. Michael Schumacher 42 points

2. Ayrton Senna 20

3. Gerhard Berger 9

4. Jean Alesi 8

5. Damon Hill 7

6. Rubens Barrichello 7

7. Nicola Larini 6

8. Mika Häkkinen 4

9. Martin Brundle 4

10. Karl Wendlinger 4

11. Ukyo Katayama 4

12. Mark Blundell 4

13. Christian Fittipaldi 3

14. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2

15. Andrea De Cesaris 2

16. Pierluigi Martini 2

17. Érik Comas 1

18. Eddie Irvine 1

Senna’s second win of the season moved Williams-Renault into sec-

ond place in the World Constructors’ Championship standings, 15 points

behind Benetton, who profitted from Schumacher’s second place.

1. Benetton-Ford 42 points

2. Williams-Renault 27



3. Ferrari 23

4. Jordan-Hart 10

5. McLaren-Peugeot 8

6. Tyrrell-Yamaha 8

7. Sauber-Mercedes 7

8. Footwork-Ford 3

9. Minardi-Ford 2

10. Larrousse-Ford 1

Aftermath

On June 1st, it was announced that the Argentine Grand Prix would

not take place in October. Improvements to the Buenos Aires track were

not expected to be finished in time. Formula One Constructors’ Associa-

tion President Bernie Ecclestone said: “We decided to postpone the race

for this year. It would be stupid to rush things.” The circuit had not been

used for some years. It was agreed to move the race to the Spanish Circuito

de Jerez de la Frontera, under the European Grand Prix banner.

Karl Wendlinger regained consciousness in Saint Roch Hospital in

Nice, on June 4th. He had been in a semi-artificial coma for more than

three weeks, after his massive accident during Monaco GP practice. The

25-year-old Austrian was now able to talk to relatives. “We are very re-

lieved and pleased for the relatives”, said a Sauber spokesman. “It’s a very

important step but we shall have to wait to know more.” On June 7th,

Wendlinger returned to Innsbruck, Austria, for further treatment. Two

days later, doctors said they expected Wendlinger to fully recover from his

injuries, the driver now fully awake and able to speak, eat and read. “It is

expected he will recover as far as possible, maybe completely. He will be

just the way his family have always known him," Wendlinger’s physician

stated.

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