The story will follow the adventures of an amateur Hungarian racing driver, who takes the chance of his life and buys himself into Formula 1, in one of the most complicated seasons of all time - 1994.
This is the history of one of the four major characters I created since I found the first Formula 1 racing game on a floppy disk. I cared a big deal of all of them, made backstories, families, good and bad characteristics for them. Now I decided to share them with you, first, my oldest and my favorite Character, retelling his story now with F1 Challenge.
This will be a narrative semi-sandbox After Action Report with a limited butterfly-effect, which means that some thing may and others may not be influenced by the facts that there is a new driver on the grid. Results will be different of course, but things like the weather during the events, the performance of the rest of the field, the talent of other drivers won't change. That of course doesn't mean determinism, so Villeneuve won't be granted to win the '97 championship for instance, or if Lotus gets lucky and manages to score several points, it could avoid bankruptcy in '94.
The story won't focus only on the races but also on the events in the pits and outside the track, articles and interviews from all around the world which shape and introduce the life and the career of our hero in Formula 1.
Chapter 1 - 1994: On the waves of the Pacific
Prologue
1994 - Season introduction
Round 1 - Brazilian Grand Prix: First toe into the water
Round 2 - Pacific Grand Prix: The first chance
Round 3 - San Marino Grand Prix: Darkest Day
Round 4 - Monaco Grand Prix: The show must go on
Round 5 - Spanish Grand Prix: Restart
Round 6 - Canadian Grand Prix: Business as usual
Round 7 - French Grand Prix: Clouds, covering the sky
Round 8 - Biritsh Grand Prix: Encoe
Round 9 - German Grand Prix: Treachery
Round 10 - Hungarian Grand Prix: At home
Round 11 - Belgian Grand Prix: Rumors
Round 12 - Italian Grand Prix: Italian Job
Round 13 - Portuguese Grand Prix: Bitter reality
Intermezzo - SCANDAL!
Round 14 - European Grand Prix: Drivers and advocates
Round 15 - Japanese Grand Prix: Verdict
Round 16 - Australian Grand Prix: Finale
1994-1995 Silly Season
Chapter 2 - 1995: Baptism of Fire
Round 1 - Brazilian Grand Prix: Brutal Beginning
Round 2 - Argentine Grand Prix: Chaotic Continuation
Round 3 - San Marino Grand Prix: San Marino uphill
Round 4 – Spanish Grand Prix: Inoue’s intervention
Round 5 – Monaco Grand Prix: Boredom of Monaco
Round 6 – Canadian Grand Prix: Crises in Canada
Round 7 – French Grand Prix: Boring, business as usual
Round 8 – British Grand Prix: British Brawl
Round 9 – German Grand Prix: Grudges in Germany
Round 10 - Hungarian Grand Prix: Heroes of the Hungaroring
Rider of the Carpathians – Heroes of the Hungaroring
Rider of the Carpathians – Heroes of the Hungaroring
Last edited by Julien on 31 Mar 2015, 18:41, edited 38 times in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Merse Kovácsházi’s F1 career
Chapter 1 – 1994
On the waves of the Pacific
Prologue
Don't worry, there will be more action in the next issue
On the waves of the Pacific
Prologue
Keith Wiggins – Interview, BBC, 2011 May 21 wrote:It was January 1994. Our new team was coming together. We had Bertrand [Gachot] as the first driver, but we needed another one with a lot of money. We had several options. We had Oliver Gavin, who was our test driver, we had Paul Belmondo who offered a big stack for driving, we had Aguri Suzuki with a good deal of experience and a promise that we may get Yamaha engines for the next season, and we had Andrea Montermini in the picture, who had a lot of experience with different racing cars. But honestly, only Belmondo offered anything close enough to make our budget comfortable until the end of the season. And honestly… we expected the speed and experience from Bertrand and only money from whoever would be our second driver in the first season.
And then I got a phone call. It was from a totally unknown driver from Central-Europe. He told me “I give you some money if you give me a chance to test with you. And if I’m proven good enough to drive for your team, I’ll pay more.” This guy was Merse Kovacshazi, a totally unknown fellow in motor racing who made only a few races in German F3 and won Formula Eastern, which was a noname championship of the former Eastern Bloc… But if he wants to pay enogh to rent Silverstone for a whole day, only for making a few laps in a racing car, who was I to stop him? He was practically offering me free money!
To be fair, we organized a little shoot-out for our candidates. We gave them our F3000 cars and two days in Silverstone. And Merse… He was just amazing. He never driven anything like that machinery, and he was well behind the others in the first morning, but by the end of the first day, he was only a few tenths behind Paul, and by the end of the second day, he was almost two seconds faster than anybody! It was incredible! He was constantly analyzing the results and the responses of the car, even as he was driving. Every time he came to the pit he had some ideas how he could improve his lap times, he had ideas how to setup the car… I remember that Ian [Dawson, team manager] was there observing their efforts too. When the test was over he turned to me and he said “We may just found a raw diamond.”
It was a very hard choice. I had to choose between Belmondo who paid a lot, but clearly, he was slower, or Kovacshazi, who was a shining talent, but he didn’t offer enough to secure the budget of the team for a whole season… Then I made one of the hardest choices of my life, and I offered a contract to Merse.
Maria, Merse’s elder younger sister wrote:When I heard how he wanted to spend his winning, at first I was furious. Then I just thought he was crazy.
Who is Who? – Merse Kovacshazi (Auto Motor und Sport, 1994 august) wrote:Merse was totally unknown when he arrived to Formula 1. He had no racing experience in big Formula categories (participated only 3 races in German F3), he had no references, no sponsors, all he had were five lucky numbers. But these numbers happened to worth jackpot in the Hungarian National Lottery, and he decided to invest his winnings to make his dream come true: to race in Formula 1.
Don't worry, there will be more action in the next issue
Last edited by Julien on 15 May 2013, 18:34, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Merse Kovácsházi’s F1 career
I rarely pay much attention to these diaries,but the way how Kovacshazi got his drive,added to the fact he is having a good drive in Pacific and this story is very interesting,this is one I'm going to follow.
My friend's USB drive spoiled, spilled tea on her laptop and had a bird poo in her hand.
What did she do in her past life to deserve this?
Signup for the Random Racing League, Season TWO!!!
What did she do in her past life to deserve this?
Signup for the Random Racing League, Season TWO!!!
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Merse Kovácsházi’s F1 career
Season intorduction
I won't spend time on introducing 1994, everyone knows it too well. The ban of electronic gadgets which drove the cars by themselves, the controversy during the testings about some teams may still use certain computer programs, Senna's concern about the security risks the new regulations may hold, the struggle of Williams during the winter tests and the ascension of Benetton and Schumacher. During the season I'll mostly skip those events you may find in different sources and I'll introduce those which differ to the historical events. So I won't write much about the cheating controversy during the season but you'll read Merse's opinion about it as well as how this affects Pacific.
Technically speaking, every race weekend will be simulated in F1 Challenge with David Marques' awesome 1994 mod, with some bugfixes and serious rebalance I made for making the performances as close to real life results as possible. Race distance is 100%, AI strength is 115%, AI aggression is 100%, weather conditions are historical, technical problems are time scaled (rebalanced as well).
To eliminate 2 cars form the qualifying, after the first two practice there is a pre-qualifying session with all 28 cars. Top 26 advances to qualifying and the race.
Merse fit into the team very quicky. The first day he visited the factory he spent two hours on memorizing everyone’s name and what they are doing, even the gatekeeper and the cleaning women! He visited every department in the factory, examining what the workers do, how they plan and construct an F1 car, how they prepare for the races, how the pit crew practices pitstops… He talked to everyone a little, he asked various questions, he was interested in everything!
The team also started to like him quickly. He was really fun to work with. He always smiled, he was pretty exciting for working for a Formula 1 team. He wanted to know everything about everything, so he asked a lot. And he loves practical jokes and has an incredible humor too, so it is always fun to be with him.
Pacific Grand Prix prepared to the first round in Brazil in a great mood, but behind schedule. They had only one chassis ready for racing by the time the team had to ship the equipment, and even that car made only a few laps with Merse at the wheel, so the first event seemed to be a real rollercoaster.
I promise, next time it will be the Brazilian Grand Prix
I won't spend time on introducing 1994, everyone knows it too well. The ban of electronic gadgets which drove the cars by themselves, the controversy during the testings about some teams may still use certain computer programs, Senna's concern about the security risks the new regulations may hold, the struggle of Williams during the winter tests and the ascension of Benetton and Schumacher. During the season I'll mostly skip those events you may find in different sources and I'll introduce those which differ to the historical events. So I won't write much about the cheating controversy during the season but you'll read Merse's opinion about it as well as how this affects Pacific.
Technically speaking, every race weekend will be simulated in F1 Challenge with David Marques' awesome 1994 mod, with some bugfixes and serious rebalance I made for making the performances as close to real life results as possible. Race distance is 100%, AI strength is 115%, AI aggression is 100%, weather conditions are historical, technical problems are time scaled (rebalanced as well).
To eliminate 2 cars form the qualifying, after the first two practice there is a pre-qualifying session with all 28 cars. Top 26 advances to qualifying and the race.
Keith Wiggins – Interview, BBC, 2011 May 21 wrote:So we agreed on signing this totally unknown guy for the second car. However, as he had no Formula 1 experience, he had to meet the conditions to get the superlicense. Today, this is unimaginable. We managed to secure a 1991 Coloni with a custom Judd engine and we sent him back to Silverstone to drive. And guess what? After a few hours of testing he was faster than what Chaves ever was with that car. It is true though that he used ’94 specification Goodyears and the custom Judd engine was slightly stronger than the original Ford, but it still was impressive.
Then that car broke down, and we had to give him our nearly still unfinished car to make the last 50 kms. In fact, that was the only test we made before we went to Brazil...
Merse fit into the team very quicky. The first day he visited the factory he spent two hours on memorizing everyone’s name and what they are doing, even the gatekeeper and the cleaning women! He visited every department in the factory, examining what the workers do, how they plan and construct an F1 car, how they prepare for the races, how the pit crew practices pitstops… He talked to everyone a little, he asked various questions, he was interested in everything!
The team also started to like him quickly. He was really fun to work with. He always smiled, he was pretty exciting for working for a Formula 1 team. He wanted to know everything about everything, so he asked a lot. And he loves practical jokes and has an incredible humor too, so it is always fun to be with him.
Pacific Grand Prix prepared to the first round in Brazil in a great mood, but behind schedule. They had only one chassis ready for racing by the time the team had to ship the equipment, and even that car made only a few laps with Merse at the wheel, so the first event seemed to be a real rollercoaster.
Autosport – Season ’94 lineup wrote:Pacific
Full name: Pacific Grand Prix
Chassis: Pacific PR01
Engine: Ilmor V10 (1992 spec.)
Gearbox: Reynard
Suspension: Penske
Brakes: AP
Fuel/Lubricants: Elf/Igol
Team boss: Keith Wiggins
Manager: Ian Dawson
Driver #33: Merse Kovacshazi
Driver #34: Bertrand Gachot
One of the black horses of the new season is Pacific Grand Prix. Keith Wiggins definitely knows how to organize a team, he already won everything possible in lower categories, and now he is focusing on Formula 1. The new team is short on cash and on manpower, but what they lack in material resources they hope to compensate with skill and enthusiasm.
Their car was built in association with Adrian Reynard which is itself a guarantee for an effective aerodynamics package, but they definitely will have problems with the lack of horsepower with the two years old Ilmor engines.
The driver duo is maybe the most bizarre in the current field. Bertrand Gachot, shareholder in the team hopes to re-boost his once promising racing career, while the totally unknown Merse Kovacshazi was obviously a choice because of his money.
They didn’t make any tests with the car, so we’re not expecting miracles from them. They are our top candidates for the wooden spoon.
I promise, next time it will be the Brazilian Grand Prix
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – First toe into the water
Round 1 - Brazilian Grand Prix
First toe into the water
The Brazilian Grand Prix meant to be an advent of a new era in Formula 1. The ban of the electrical gadgets was a new challenge for everybody. The smaller teams hoped that now they would catch up on the leaders, newcomers hoped to set foot in the top category of motor racing, and championship contenders hoped that the new regulations will turn the balance to their favor.
For the Pacific Grand Prix, Brazil meant the first taste of real Formula 1, and it surely was a bitter one. While Kovacshazi was fascinated about virtually everything and everybody (in his diary he wrote three pages about meeting the first time with his fellow drivers), some fundamental flaws were already visible after the practices. The cars were brand new. So new in fact that Gachot’s car was only finished Friday, a few hours before the first practice, so the Frenchman (at least he was driving under French license) had to use the first practice to make shakedown tests on his car.
Both drivers blew one engine each, and by the end of the first day the engineers already had to replace both the front and the rear suspensions because they couldn’t take the stress the bumpy Interlagos circuit meant for them. The car itself was very difficult to drive. It had oversteer in slow corners and understeer in fast corners, and it seemed to change its balance from lap to lap, while it was “bouncing around on the track like goat”, according to Gachot.
Still, when Sunday came, thanks to some miracle both Pacifics were on the grid on the 24th (Merse) and 26th (Bertrand) positions respectively. They outqualified not only their fellow debutants, the Simteks, but also Larrousse’s newbie Olivier Beretta, who had constant troubles with the steering of his car, while his team mate, Erik Comas scored a fabulous 10th place.
Brazilian Grand Prix, starting grid
1. Senna – Williams
2. Hill – Williams
3. Schumacher – Benetton
4. Berger – Ferrari
5. Verstappen - Benetton
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Comas - Larrousse
11. Fittipaldi - Footwork
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Wendlinger - Sauber
14. Katayama - Tyrrell
15. Panis - Ligier
16. Alboreto - Minardi
17. Blundell - Tyrrell
18. Barrichello - Jordan
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Bernard - Ligier
21. Herbert - Lotus
22. Irvine - Jordan
23. Lamy - Lotus
24. Kovacshazi - Pacific
25. Ratzenberger - Simtek
26. Gachot – Pacific
DNQ:
27. Brabham - Simtek
28. Beretta - Larousse
At the Start Senna came away smoothly driven by the choir of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian supporters. Behind him, Schumacher, Hill, Alesi – who made an excellent start and challenged Hill for 3rd for a while - Berger and Verstappen completed the first lap. Senna pulled away slowly from Schumacher who couldn’t leave Hill behind, while Berger took over 4th from Alesi.
The Brazilians were ecstatic, but they couldn’t cheer for long, because in Lap 8, Senna’s engine started to cough, and finally stopped. Schumacher took the lead, followed by Hill only 1.5 seconds behind, then the two Ferraris.
The re-introduced pitstops didn’t change the order much, and until halfway, while Schumacher and Hill were pulling away from the rest of the field, we could see some pretty good fights in the midfields. Then in Lap 36 Kovacshazi, who already made an extra stop because of a broken front wing, crashed heavily coming out form the third corner, covering the track with debris and liquids. Although after seeing the first few drivers pass the yellow flag zone without any problem the race wasn’t stopped, it seemed like a sign for the gremlins in the cars to start working. Within 3 laps Hakkinen, Alesi and Verstappen were all out, handing over their places to Frentzen, Morbidelli and Comas, who drove brilliantly and now was 4th.
Schumacher was in the lead but Hill was close behind him, constantly looking for a little gap to pass, when the real drama started in Lap 57. Coming to Juncao, the last braking before the long lefthander which leads to the finish line, Hill’s brake disks exploded, the Williams rammed into the Benetton, writing off both cars instantly. And suddenly Berger was in the lead, followed by Comas, who definitely run the race of his life, and Frentzen! Of course, now everyone smelled the perfect opportunity for an excellent result, so the whole field stepped on the brake pedal and they slowly finished the race. Gerhard Berger won the Brazilian Grand Prix and of course he’s leading the championship, followed by Comas, Frentzen, Morbidelli, Wendlinger and Katayama.
The Pacifics made a great start, Kovacshazi was up to 19th in the first corner, while Gachot was 24th. But lap 7 shattered any hope for a good result: Gachot was rapidly falling behind, struggling with his gearbox, so the leaders were already all around him, when at Ferradura his rear wing suddenly detached. The Pacific became uncontrollable and it almost knocked out Hill from the race while smashing into the wall. In the very same lap Kovacshazi was trying to overtake Blundell for the 16th place at the end of Reta Oposta, but the Englishman suddenly changed direction well within the braking zone, leaving the young Hungarian nowhere to go. The Pacific lost his front wing, while the Tyrrell was out immediately.
Form there, there was not much to do: Kovacshazi went back to the pits, and came back, one lap behind the leaders. Still, he showed some good speed, when in lap 36 coming out from the Third Corner his car suddenly made a sharp corner, smashed into the wall, then slid back to the track, covering it with debris and liquids, but the race wasn’t stopped.
The balance of the team: A lot of experience, some serious reliability issues and two crashed cars, while their closest rival, Ratzenberger finished 12th. Definitely not an ideal first week-end…
1994 Brazilian Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari 1:30:45.093
2. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +0:45.912
3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
4. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
5. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
6. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
7. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
8. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
10. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
11. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
12. Roland Ratzenberger – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
DNFs: Brundle L60, Lamy L58, Schumacher L57, Hill L57, Alboreto L51, Hakkinen L43, Verstappen L42, Alesi L41, Kovacshazi L36, Martini L18, Senna L8, Blundell L7, Gachot L6, Irvine L1
DNQs: Brabham, Beretta
Drivers Championship - after Round 1:
1. Berger 10
2. Comas 6
3. Frentzen 4
4. Morbidelli 3
5. Wendlinger 2
6. Katayama 1
Constructors championshi - after Round 1:
1. Ferrari 10
2. Larrousse 6
3. Sauber 6
4. Footwork 3
5. Tyrrell 1
And what really happened behind the scenes?
Race debriefing at Pacific:
Bertrand: “The car was horrible! And that rear wing?! A Formula 1 car shouldn’t do things like that!”
Merse: “It was almost undriveable! Oversteer in slow corners, then understeer it the fasts? It wasn’t even consistent, it changed balance in the middle of the corner.
Jerry Bond, chief mechanic: “We still need more testing with the car. We have to face it, we don’t understand how it works yet. Or attempts to stabilize it, all failed.”
Humphrey Corbett, main engineer: “Two wrecks... We have to rebuild both cars. We should focus on testing and preparing the cars, not repairing them! And we have to find some cure on the broken suspensions. We have to trash three of them during the weekend. They simply can't take the stress as they are now!”
Kovacshazi and Blundell was summoned to the FIA board to examine the collision, but the case was declared a racing accident. No further action was taken.
First toe into the water
The Brazilian Grand Prix meant to be an advent of a new era in Formula 1. The ban of the electrical gadgets was a new challenge for everybody. The smaller teams hoped that now they would catch up on the leaders, newcomers hoped to set foot in the top category of motor racing, and championship contenders hoped that the new regulations will turn the balance to their favor.
For the Pacific Grand Prix, Brazil meant the first taste of real Formula 1, and it surely was a bitter one. While Kovacshazi was fascinated about virtually everything and everybody (in his diary he wrote three pages about meeting the first time with his fellow drivers), some fundamental flaws were already visible after the practices. The cars were brand new. So new in fact that Gachot’s car was only finished Friday, a few hours before the first practice, so the Frenchman (at least he was driving under French license) had to use the first practice to make shakedown tests on his car.
Both drivers blew one engine each, and by the end of the first day the engineers already had to replace both the front and the rear suspensions because they couldn’t take the stress the bumpy Interlagos circuit meant for them. The car itself was very difficult to drive. It had oversteer in slow corners and understeer in fast corners, and it seemed to change its balance from lap to lap, while it was “bouncing around on the track like goat”, according to Gachot.
Still, when Sunday came, thanks to some miracle both Pacifics were on the grid on the 24th (Merse) and 26th (Bertrand) positions respectively. They outqualified not only their fellow debutants, the Simteks, but also Larrousse’s newbie Olivier Beretta, who had constant troubles with the steering of his car, while his team mate, Erik Comas scored a fabulous 10th place.
Brazilian Grand Prix, starting grid
1. Senna – Williams
2. Hill – Williams
3. Schumacher – Benetton
4. Berger – Ferrari
5. Verstappen - Benetton
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Comas - Larrousse
11. Fittipaldi - Footwork
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Wendlinger - Sauber
14. Katayama - Tyrrell
15. Panis - Ligier
16. Alboreto - Minardi
17. Blundell - Tyrrell
18. Barrichello - Jordan
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Bernard - Ligier
21. Herbert - Lotus
22. Irvine - Jordan
23. Lamy - Lotus
24. Kovacshazi - Pacific
25. Ratzenberger - Simtek
26. Gachot – Pacific
DNQ:
27. Brabham - Simtek
28. Beretta - Larousse
At the Start Senna came away smoothly driven by the choir of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian supporters. Behind him, Schumacher, Hill, Alesi – who made an excellent start and challenged Hill for 3rd for a while - Berger and Verstappen completed the first lap. Senna pulled away slowly from Schumacher who couldn’t leave Hill behind, while Berger took over 4th from Alesi.
The Brazilians were ecstatic, but they couldn’t cheer for long, because in Lap 8, Senna’s engine started to cough, and finally stopped. Schumacher took the lead, followed by Hill only 1.5 seconds behind, then the two Ferraris.
The re-introduced pitstops didn’t change the order much, and until halfway, while Schumacher and Hill were pulling away from the rest of the field, we could see some pretty good fights in the midfields. Then in Lap 36 Kovacshazi, who already made an extra stop because of a broken front wing, crashed heavily coming out form the third corner, covering the track with debris and liquids. Although after seeing the first few drivers pass the yellow flag zone without any problem the race wasn’t stopped, it seemed like a sign for the gremlins in the cars to start working. Within 3 laps Hakkinen, Alesi and Verstappen were all out, handing over their places to Frentzen, Morbidelli and Comas, who drove brilliantly and now was 4th.
Schumacher was in the lead but Hill was close behind him, constantly looking for a little gap to pass, when the real drama started in Lap 57. Coming to Juncao, the last braking before the long lefthander which leads to the finish line, Hill’s brake disks exploded, the Williams rammed into the Benetton, writing off both cars instantly. And suddenly Berger was in the lead, followed by Comas, who definitely run the race of his life, and Frentzen! Of course, now everyone smelled the perfect opportunity for an excellent result, so the whole field stepped on the brake pedal and they slowly finished the race. Gerhard Berger won the Brazilian Grand Prix and of course he’s leading the championship, followed by Comas, Frentzen, Morbidelli, Wendlinger and Katayama.
The Pacifics made a great start, Kovacshazi was up to 19th in the first corner, while Gachot was 24th. But lap 7 shattered any hope for a good result: Gachot was rapidly falling behind, struggling with his gearbox, so the leaders were already all around him, when at Ferradura his rear wing suddenly detached. The Pacific became uncontrollable and it almost knocked out Hill from the race while smashing into the wall. In the very same lap Kovacshazi was trying to overtake Blundell for the 16th place at the end of Reta Oposta, but the Englishman suddenly changed direction well within the braking zone, leaving the young Hungarian nowhere to go. The Pacific lost his front wing, while the Tyrrell was out immediately.
Murray Walker: “This is incredible! Kovacshazi simply can’t keep it together and slams into Blundell’s back”
James Hunt: “Well, that’s exactly the problem with paying drivers, Murray. They have no experience, they lack the skill, they have no knowledge about high speed racing… They are just not Formula 1 material! Like look at this kid! He has no results whatsoever, and because of a huge paycheck he is allowed to come here and ruin the race of the others!”
Form there, there was not much to do: Kovacshazi went back to the pits, and came back, one lap behind the leaders. Still, he showed some good speed, when in lap 36 coming out from the Third Corner his car suddenly made a sharp corner, smashed into the wall, then slid back to the track, covering it with debris and liquids, but the race wasn’t stopped.
The balance of the team: A lot of experience, some serious reliability issues and two crashed cars, while their closest rival, Ratzenberger finished 12th. Definitely not an ideal first week-end…
1994 Brazilian Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari 1:30:45.093
2. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +0:45.912
3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
4. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
5. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
6. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
7. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
8. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
10. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
11. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
12. Roland Ratzenberger – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
DNFs: Brundle L60, Lamy L58, Schumacher L57, Hill L57, Alboreto L51, Hakkinen L43, Verstappen L42, Alesi L41, Kovacshazi L36, Martini L18, Senna L8, Blundell L7, Gachot L6, Irvine L1
DNQs: Brabham, Beretta
Drivers Championship - after Round 1:
1. Berger 10
2. Comas 6
3. Frentzen 4
4. Morbidelli 3
5. Wendlinger 2
6. Katayama 1
Constructors championshi - after Round 1:
1. Ferrari 10
2. Larrousse 6
3. Sauber 6
4. Footwork 3
5. Tyrrell 1
Race commentaries wrote:Gerhard Berger (1st): “After the qualifying I’ve couldn’t dream about winning the race. I was very much satisfied with the car. I lost one place at the start but after that the car was good. I’m so glad we showed some good reliability, but it seems that we have to work on our pace if we want to fight for the Championship.”
Erik Comas (2nd): “This is Incredible! I can’t find words for how I feel now! The car was awesome during the whole weekend, I’m 100% satisfied with it. Sure, we needed some luck for this result, but we were very strong on this race. We were right behind the top 3 teams. If we can keep this up, we are looking forward to a very good year.”
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (3rd): “I had a good start, I gained some positions. From there I was fighting with Kalr (Wendlinger), Morbidelli, Brundle and Hakkinen, but they are all fell back later. After the pitstop I got some vibration, I was afraid if the car could make it to the finish line so I didn’t push it too hard, I was concentrating on taking the car home.”
Keith Wiggins: “This isn’t exactly the result we were hoping for. It still was a good weekend, we made a good impression. It seems that we have to work on our reliability, but our pace was satisfactory and I’m sure we’ll be even stronger in Aida.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “My star was great. I could fight with the other cars, but when I tried to overtake Blundell, he suddenly changed direction while we were already standing on the break! You cannot do that! After the pitstop my pace was good, but then, when I came out from a corner, the left rear suspension broke, my car suddenly turned aggressively to the right and I couldn’t stop it before it smashed into the fences.”
Bertrand Gachot (DNF): “I was satisfied with the car until my gearbox started to fail. First I lost sixth, then second gear, and finally it suck in fifth. Then my rear wing just detached and my race was over. I think someone pushed me at the start and that caused it. I hope we’ll be better in Japan.”
And what really happened behind the scenes?
Race debriefing at Pacific:
Bertrand: “The car was horrible! And that rear wing?! A Formula 1 car shouldn’t do things like that!”
Merse: “It was almost undriveable! Oversteer in slow corners, then understeer it the fasts? It wasn’t even consistent, it changed balance in the middle of the corner.
Jerry Bond, chief mechanic: “We still need more testing with the car. We have to face it, we don’t understand how it works yet. Or attempts to stabilize it, all failed.”
Humphrey Corbett, main engineer: “Two wrecks... We have to rebuild both cars. We should focus on testing and preparing the cars, not repairing them! And we have to find some cure on the broken suspensions. We have to trash three of them during the weekend. They simply can't take the stress as they are now!”
Kovacshazi and Blundell was summoned to the FIA board to examine the collision, but the case was declared a racing accident. No further action was taken.
Last edited by Julien on 05 Jun 2013, 17:49, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – First Chance
Round 2 - Pacific Grand Prix
The first chance
After the Brazilian Grand Prix everyone considered that the season will truly begin in Aida. This was especially true to Williams and Benetton who left Brazil without any points, and even more to Pacific who, instead of testing their cars during the ten days break between the two events, were busy with rebuilding the two crashed cars.
With no simulator and no cars to test, the engineers of Pacific tried to solve the numerous issues of the PR01 by leading extended consultations with the drivers, and spending some extra time in the wind tunnel hired from Williams.
“You could always find something to do there” Merse said in an interview months later “If you were not discussing with the engineers about the design or with your chief mechanic about the tracks and setups, or you’re not tortured by your trainer to become fit for a very demanding F1 race, you always could bring some coffee, take out the trash, swipe the rooms, refill the printers, help the mechanics completing the cars etc. Anything that makes the job of the team more easily helps you to perform better during race weekends in the end.”
This excited attitude of Merse became virulent and soon Oliver Gavin, Paul Belmondo, even the shareholder Bertrand Gachot were present 8 hours long every day in the Thetford headquarters, doing various tasks from training and participating in operative discussions to sponsor hunting and cooking.
“Paul (Belmondo) makes excellent Pasta” Ian Dawson said “We didn’t know it until one day he appeared at lunchtime with a huge pot of Italian food and some plates. We made a big team lunch in the middle of the factory. Today you would say it was a huge HR-event” (laughs).
Ferrari announced the first driver change in the season before the beginning of the second round. Jean Alesi suffered a minor neck injury while he was testing the car. This was the chance of a lifetime for test driver Nicola Larini who got the opportunity to ride the Prancing Horse at least in Aida, but possibly in San Marino as well.
The newly built Tanaka International circuit was totally unknown to everybody. The lack of experience and the fresh asphalt on the track of high elevations meant that we could see many spins and even a few heavy crashes during the weekend, especially in the first corner, which turned out to be the trickiest and most problematic part of the track.
The track wasn’t too popular among the drivers with its twisty layout and narrow corners. The exceptions were Damon Hill, who was fastest during the whole weekend, indicating that if the chance is given, he may cause some headache even to Williams’ No. 1. driver, Senna, and Kovacshazi, who was the first to really feel the track and it seemed that the PR01 also likes the smooth and sometimes slippery corners. It boosted the morale of the debutant team more. When Keith Wiggins was asked about their performance, he was answered laughing: “Well this is the Pacific Grand Prix and we ARE the Pacific Grand Prix, so you should say this is our home event. Of course we’re good!”
So Hill scored the Pole Position, his third one in his career. Behind him was Senna and surprisingly Verstappen, who outqualified his team mate Schumacher, who was only fifth. Saturday was ambivalent to Pacific though. Kovacshazi with an astonishing effort qualified 16th, but Gachot’s car was barely finished and the Frenchman could make only two, really slow hot laps, and of course was DNQd alongside Roland Ratzenberger. David Brabham was also very impressive on the tight circuit qualifying as high as 22nd on the grid, beating Katayama and Fittipaldi too.
Pacific Grand Prix starting gird
1. Hill – Williams
2. Senna – Williams
3. Verstappen – Benetton
4. Berger – Ferrari
5. Schumacher – Benetton
6. Larini – Ferrari
7. Hakkinene – McLaren
8. Wendlinger - Sauber
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Barrichello - Jordan
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Blundell - Tyrrell
14. Alboreto - Minardi
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Kovacshazi - Pacific
17. Frentzen - Sauber
18. Comas - Larrousse
19. Panis - Ligier
20. Beretta - Larrousse
21. Herbert - Lotus
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Bernard - Ligier
24. Katayama - Tyrrell
25. Lamy - Lotus
26. Fittipaldi – Footwork
DNQ:
27. Ratzenberger – Simtek
28. Gachot - Pacific
Hill lead the pack into the first corner, but the best start was performed without question by Verstappen, who left Senna standing and it was only thanks to the aggressive defense of Hill that he didn’t take 1st. This raised the suspicions of Benetton using illegal traction control.
So Hill led the pack ahead of Verstappen, Senna, Schumacher, Berger, Larini and Hakkinen. Senna was trying to pass Verstappen as soon as possible, but the Dutchman made it clear that he won’t be intimidated by the three-times world champion. They fought an exciting battle which unfortunately finished the bad way, when Senna was too optimistic in the hairpin and Verstappen aggressively closed the door. The result was a collision, Verstappen found himself upside down in the gravel, and Senna had to go to the pits for a new front wing. He rejoined 5th.
Hill pulled away from Berger, who was closely followed by Schumacher, but he wasn’t close enough to attack the Ferrari, while Senna was closing up fast on Larini. Way behind Hakkinen, Morbidelli in 7th held up a pack of 6 drivers (Wendlinger, Kovacshazi, Irvine, Brundle, Blundell and Barrichello). This pack provided the show for the first 20 laps with continuous overtaking and wheel-on-wheel battles. The order has changed olap by lap, except one thing: Nobody could pass the Footwork.
Meanwhile the dreadful first corner started to collect its victims. In Lap 19 Alboreto and Frentzen performed a dual spin, and Comas arriving behind them could barely avoid them, crashing heavily into the tire barriers. Then, on Lap 22 Fittipaldi tangled with Beretta, making the Monacon spin on the same place. But this was only the beginning of the long list of victims of the first corner. Hakkinen was lapping Brabham in the very next lap, the Simtek driver miscalculated the braking distance and rammed into the McLaren. Mika was out, and David was due to a front wing change. But it wasn’t over yet!
On lap 31 Hill lapped Bernard but the Ligier didn’t let enough room to the Williams in the same corner. Damon lightly touched the kerbs, which was enough for the Williams to spin and shunt into the tire barrier. By this time Berger, who was on a two stop strategy, already pitted, giving the now first position to Schumacher and the second to Senna.
Schumacher was pushing very hard, trying to get enough gap to come back ahead of Senna and block him before the Willams makes its second pitstop, but he didn’t make it. An incredible chase begun, Senna pulling away by 0.7-1.1 seconds per lap (keep in mind that Aida is the shortest track in the season!) , but Schumacher tired everything to keep the gap under the critical 20-23 seconds which was the necessary time for a pitstop. We barely noticed as Fittipaldi blocked his brakes at the hairpin, smashing out Panis and himself from the track in the process.
Senna arrived to the Williams garage on lap 54 with a lead of 22 seconds. But his pitstop was a bit too slow, and as he rejoined Schumacher blitzed ahead of him at the exit of the pitlane, forcing the Brazilian to block his brakes in the first corner, slipping into the gravel. Although he managed to get back on the track, Senna lost the advantage of the fresh tires and now he was 5 seconds behind Schumacher on the track.
This of course didn’t stop the Brazilian from trying, but being in control now, Schumi didn’t give him a chance to overtake in the last 30 laps. The German scored his first victory in the season, while Senna was finishing 2nd. A quiet 3rd position for Berger meant that he kept his leading position in the driver’s championship, while Larini performed well, finishing 5th behind Barrichello and ahead of Katayama.
From 16th Kovacshazi made a good start, coming up to 12th by the end of the first lap. And when Blundell and Irvine almost collided in the opening of the Attwood corner, he exploited the opportunity and passed both of them, followed by Brundle. From here however he was facing with Wendlinger who was a bit slower than him in the first sector, but the raw power of the Mercedes engine was enough to hold back the horribly underpowered Pacific in the back straight. Kovacshazi tried everything to pass the Sauber, but there was no room in the first sector, the Sauber was too fast in the back straight, and they were rather equal in the last section of the track. This battle could have continued forever, if the engine of the Sauber wouldn’t have thought otherwise. Wendlinger got gradually slower, falling back and finally stopping in Lap 29. But Kovashazi wasn’t in the race either by then. He crashed out when on Lap 24 his left rear suspension collapsed in the last corner, and that was it. In retrospect, he could have been on 5-6th place based on his laptimes and the fact that Katayama was some 20 seconds behind him by the time he had to give up the race. But as we all know there is no “if” in motor racing…
1994 Pacific Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michale Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:43:43.169
2. Ayrton Senna – Williams Renault +0:10.132
3. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +1 lap
4. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
5. Nicola Larini – Ferrari +2 laps
6. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +3 laps
7. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +4 laps
8. Olivier Beretta – Larousse-Ford +4 laps
9. Pedro Lamy – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +5 laps
10. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
DNFs: Irvine (L71), Fittipaldi (L59), Panis (L59), Blundell (L42), Bernard (L47), Alboreto (L32), Frentzen (L30), Wendlinger (L29), Brundle (L29), Morbidelli (L27), Hill (L26), Kovacshazi (L24), Hakkinen (L23), Comas (L19), Martini (L4), Verstappen (L2)
DNQs: Ratzenberger, Gachot
Aftr the race the stewards disqualified Brabham, and banned him for one race for causing an accident and the retirement of Hakkinen who was lapping him. Simetek team appealed against the decision to WMSC which means that Brabham will be there in San Marino.
Drivers Championship – after Round 2:
1. Berger 14
2. Schumacher 10
3. Senna 6
4. Frentzen 4
5. Barrichello 3
6. Morbidelli 3
7. Wendlinger 2
8. Larini 2
9. Katayama 2
Constructors Championship – after Round 2:
1. Ferrari 16
2. Benetton 10
3. Williams 6
4. Sauber 6
5. Jordan 3
6. Footwork 3
7. Tyrrell 2
Next time, it's the San Marino Grand Prix, and you know what this means?
That's right Pasta, beautiful girls, and finally racing in our own time zone! The European season of Formula 1 finally begins!
Technical notes: I don't know why, but in every F1 simulator I love the TI Aida circuit. After the Brazilian GP I was shocked how much easier it was to drive the car. But later you will see, it very much depends on the track how the PR01 performs. David Marques' mod has some flaws, but its main merit is that every track with every car feels very different. I can assure you, there will be some real suffering
The first chance
After the Brazilian Grand Prix everyone considered that the season will truly begin in Aida. This was especially true to Williams and Benetton who left Brazil without any points, and even more to Pacific who, instead of testing their cars during the ten days break between the two events, were busy with rebuilding the two crashed cars.
With no simulator and no cars to test, the engineers of Pacific tried to solve the numerous issues of the PR01 by leading extended consultations with the drivers, and spending some extra time in the wind tunnel hired from Williams.
“You could always find something to do there” Merse said in an interview months later “If you were not discussing with the engineers about the design or with your chief mechanic about the tracks and setups, or you’re not tortured by your trainer to become fit for a very demanding F1 race, you always could bring some coffee, take out the trash, swipe the rooms, refill the printers, help the mechanics completing the cars etc. Anything that makes the job of the team more easily helps you to perform better during race weekends in the end.”
This excited attitude of Merse became virulent and soon Oliver Gavin, Paul Belmondo, even the shareholder Bertrand Gachot were present 8 hours long every day in the Thetford headquarters, doing various tasks from training and participating in operative discussions to sponsor hunting and cooking.
“Paul (Belmondo) makes excellent Pasta” Ian Dawson said “We didn’t know it until one day he appeared at lunchtime with a huge pot of Italian food and some plates. We made a big team lunch in the middle of the factory. Today you would say it was a huge HR-event” (laughs).
Ferrari announced the first driver change in the season before the beginning of the second round. Jean Alesi suffered a minor neck injury while he was testing the car. This was the chance of a lifetime for test driver Nicola Larini who got the opportunity to ride the Prancing Horse at least in Aida, but possibly in San Marino as well.
The newly built Tanaka International circuit was totally unknown to everybody. The lack of experience and the fresh asphalt on the track of high elevations meant that we could see many spins and even a few heavy crashes during the weekend, especially in the first corner, which turned out to be the trickiest and most problematic part of the track.
The track wasn’t too popular among the drivers with its twisty layout and narrow corners. The exceptions were Damon Hill, who was fastest during the whole weekend, indicating that if the chance is given, he may cause some headache even to Williams’ No. 1. driver, Senna, and Kovacshazi, who was the first to really feel the track and it seemed that the PR01 also likes the smooth and sometimes slippery corners. It boosted the morale of the debutant team more. When Keith Wiggins was asked about their performance, he was answered laughing: “Well this is the Pacific Grand Prix and we ARE the Pacific Grand Prix, so you should say this is our home event. Of course we’re good!”
So Hill scored the Pole Position, his third one in his career. Behind him was Senna and surprisingly Verstappen, who outqualified his team mate Schumacher, who was only fifth. Saturday was ambivalent to Pacific though. Kovacshazi with an astonishing effort qualified 16th, but Gachot’s car was barely finished and the Frenchman could make only two, really slow hot laps, and of course was DNQd alongside Roland Ratzenberger. David Brabham was also very impressive on the tight circuit qualifying as high as 22nd on the grid, beating Katayama and Fittipaldi too.
Pacific Grand Prix starting gird
1. Hill – Williams
2. Senna – Williams
3. Verstappen – Benetton
4. Berger – Ferrari
5. Schumacher – Benetton
6. Larini – Ferrari
7. Hakkinene – McLaren
8. Wendlinger - Sauber
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Barrichello - Jordan
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Blundell - Tyrrell
14. Alboreto - Minardi
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Kovacshazi - Pacific
17. Frentzen - Sauber
18. Comas - Larrousse
19. Panis - Ligier
20. Beretta - Larrousse
21. Herbert - Lotus
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Bernard - Ligier
24. Katayama - Tyrrell
25. Lamy - Lotus
26. Fittipaldi – Footwork
DNQ:
27. Ratzenberger – Simtek
28. Gachot - Pacific
Hill lead the pack into the first corner, but the best start was performed without question by Verstappen, who left Senna standing and it was only thanks to the aggressive defense of Hill that he didn’t take 1st. This raised the suspicions of Benetton using illegal traction control.
So Hill led the pack ahead of Verstappen, Senna, Schumacher, Berger, Larini and Hakkinen. Senna was trying to pass Verstappen as soon as possible, but the Dutchman made it clear that he won’t be intimidated by the three-times world champion. They fought an exciting battle which unfortunately finished the bad way, when Senna was too optimistic in the hairpin and Verstappen aggressively closed the door. The result was a collision, Verstappen found himself upside down in the gravel, and Senna had to go to the pits for a new front wing. He rejoined 5th.
Hill pulled away from Berger, who was closely followed by Schumacher, but he wasn’t close enough to attack the Ferrari, while Senna was closing up fast on Larini. Way behind Hakkinen, Morbidelli in 7th held up a pack of 6 drivers (Wendlinger, Kovacshazi, Irvine, Brundle, Blundell and Barrichello). This pack provided the show for the first 20 laps with continuous overtaking and wheel-on-wheel battles. The order has changed olap by lap, except one thing: Nobody could pass the Footwork.
Meanwhile the dreadful first corner started to collect its victims. In Lap 19 Alboreto and Frentzen performed a dual spin, and Comas arriving behind them could barely avoid them, crashing heavily into the tire barriers. Then, on Lap 22 Fittipaldi tangled with Beretta, making the Monacon spin on the same place. But this was only the beginning of the long list of victims of the first corner. Hakkinen was lapping Brabham in the very next lap, the Simtek driver miscalculated the braking distance and rammed into the McLaren. Mika was out, and David was due to a front wing change. But it wasn’t over yet!
On lap 31 Hill lapped Bernard but the Ligier didn’t let enough room to the Williams in the same corner. Damon lightly touched the kerbs, which was enough for the Williams to spin and shunt into the tire barrier. By this time Berger, who was on a two stop strategy, already pitted, giving the now first position to Schumacher and the second to Senna.
Schumacher was pushing very hard, trying to get enough gap to come back ahead of Senna and block him before the Willams makes its second pitstop, but he didn’t make it. An incredible chase begun, Senna pulling away by 0.7-1.1 seconds per lap (keep in mind that Aida is the shortest track in the season!) , but Schumacher tired everything to keep the gap under the critical 20-23 seconds which was the necessary time for a pitstop. We barely noticed as Fittipaldi blocked his brakes at the hairpin, smashing out Panis and himself from the track in the process.
Senna arrived to the Williams garage on lap 54 with a lead of 22 seconds. But his pitstop was a bit too slow, and as he rejoined Schumacher blitzed ahead of him at the exit of the pitlane, forcing the Brazilian to block his brakes in the first corner, slipping into the gravel. Although he managed to get back on the track, Senna lost the advantage of the fresh tires and now he was 5 seconds behind Schumacher on the track.
This of course didn’t stop the Brazilian from trying, but being in control now, Schumi didn’t give him a chance to overtake in the last 30 laps. The German scored his first victory in the season, while Senna was finishing 2nd. A quiet 3rd position for Berger meant that he kept his leading position in the driver’s championship, while Larini performed well, finishing 5th behind Barrichello and ahead of Katayama.
From 16th Kovacshazi made a good start, coming up to 12th by the end of the first lap. And when Blundell and Irvine almost collided in the opening of the Attwood corner, he exploited the opportunity and passed both of them, followed by Brundle. From here however he was facing with Wendlinger who was a bit slower than him in the first sector, but the raw power of the Mercedes engine was enough to hold back the horribly underpowered Pacific in the back straight. Kovacshazi tried everything to pass the Sauber, but there was no room in the first sector, the Sauber was too fast in the back straight, and they were rather equal in the last section of the track. This battle could have continued forever, if the engine of the Sauber wouldn’t have thought otherwise. Wendlinger got gradually slower, falling back and finally stopping in Lap 29. But Kovashazi wasn’t in the race either by then. He crashed out when on Lap 24 his left rear suspension collapsed in the last corner, and that was it. In retrospect, he could have been on 5-6th place based on his laptimes and the fact that Katayama was some 20 seconds behind him by the time he had to give up the race. But as we all know there is no “if” in motor racing…
1994 Pacific Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michale Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:43:43.169
2. Ayrton Senna – Williams Renault +0:10.132
3. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +1 lap
4. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
5. Nicola Larini – Ferrari +2 laps
6. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +3 laps
7. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +4 laps
8. Olivier Beretta – Larousse-Ford +4 laps
9. Pedro Lamy – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +5 laps
10. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
DNFs: Irvine (L71), Fittipaldi (L59), Panis (L59), Blundell (L42), Bernard (L47), Alboreto (L32), Frentzen (L30), Wendlinger (L29), Brundle (L29), Morbidelli (L27), Hill (L26), Kovacshazi (L24), Hakkinen (L23), Comas (L19), Martini (L4), Verstappen (L2)
DNQs: Ratzenberger, Gachot
Aftr the race the stewards disqualified Brabham, and banned him for one race for causing an accident and the retirement of Hakkinen who was lapping him. Simetek team appealed against the decision to WMSC which means that Brabham will be there in San Marino.
Drivers Championship – after Round 2:
1. Berger 14
2. Schumacher 10
3. Senna 6
4. Frentzen 4
5. Barrichello 3
6. Morbidelli 3
7. Wendlinger 2
8. Larini 2
9. Katayama 2
Constructors Championship – after Round 2:
1. Ferrari 16
2. Benetton 10
3. Williams 6
4. Sauber 6
5. Jordan 3
6. Footwork 3
7. Tyrrell 2
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “This was a very exciting race. After the start I was only 4th but then our strategy worked out for us when Senna had to stop twice. It was very difficult because I had to push very hard to stay ahead of him, but we did it, and I’m glad that we’re ahead of Williams in the championship.
Ayrton Senna (2nd): “This wasn’t the result we were hoping for. The car was better than in Brazil, and we had a great performance. My start was good, but the Benetton is just unbelievable at the starts. Then Verstappen shut the door on me and I had to get a new front wing. From there I was pushing as hard as I could but first I was stuck behind a Ferrari and from there it was almost impossible to catch Schumacher. I almost did it, but he forced me off the track, so I’m second now. But we’ll do better in Imola, I’m sure of it.
Gerhard Berger (3rd): “If someone would have said at the beginning of the season that I’m gonna lead the championship after the first two races, I would have very excited of it. But it was a bit frustrating to see how much the Williams and the Benetton are ahead of us at the moment. We have a long way to go if we want to be real contenders for the championship.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “It was a great weekend. The car was nothing like on the first race, and we could find great setups almost instantly. We know we are competitive, so I tried to make the most of it. I had a very exciting race with Wendlinger, but then he fell back and I was following Morbidelli when my suspension broke. I think maybe I’m responsible for this too, because I hit the suspensions on the kerbs very hard a few laps earlier. We’ll try to build on this performance.”
Next time, it's the San Marino Grand Prix, and you know what this means?
That's right Pasta, beautiful girls, and finally racing in our own time zone! The European season of Formula 1 finally begins!
Technical notes: I don't know why, but in every F1 simulator I love the TI Aida circuit. After the Brazilian GP I was shocked how much easier it was to drive the car. But later you will see, it very much depends on the track how the PR01 performs. David Marques' mod has some flaws, but its main merit is that every track with every car feels very different. I can assure you, there will be some real suffering
Last edited by Julien on 05 Jun 2013, 17:49, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Darkest Day
Round 3 - San Marino Grand Prix
Darkest Day
After Aida, Pacific returned to Europe with hopes high and hands full of work. The unexpected crashes and suspension failures dropped the team back on its development schedule which meant that only one new set of parts arrived to Imola: A reinforced rear suspension which hopefully would be able to make it to the end of the race. This would be crucial because the PR01 desperately needed as much track time as possible.
While the rest of the field was busy with disputing about driving aids and traction control, Pacific focused on finally fielding two equally prepared car, so they spent most of their time in the headquarters garage. Only Oliver Gavin made a short straight run test on the local airfield to stress test some aerodynamic parts still under development.
Coming to Imola, Benetton announced that their original No. 2 driver, Lehto retured from his injury, while Verstappen spent the whole week at Misano, testing the car. Jean Alesi didn’t recover completely, so Larini had a unique opportunity: He could drive a Ferrari on home soil.
The Friday first practice was proven to be the harbinger of the dark future. Bernard’s brakes failed before the Rivazza corner, but he was leaving his totaled Ligier unharmed. Then Barrichello run wide in Variante Bassa and hit the barriers very hard. The Brazilian suffered concussion and two cracked ribs, and was out of the weekend.
But the real horror started on Saturday. With Barrichello out, only one drive was eliminated at the first qualifying session, and that would be Gachot, who was 1 second off the pace compared to Ratzenberger in P26 and almost 3 from Kovacshazi finishing 21st. Then, on the second qualifying, this happened...
Everyone was shocked by the accident, but maybe, it was the hardest for the rookies. Panis spent the rest of the afternoon in a chapel. Beretta had to drink on it so hard, that he was dragged out from a bar at midnight. It was doubtful if he could race next day. Brabham and the whole Simtek team retreated to their motorhome to decide if they would retire from the race. They decided not to.
It was Kovacshazi, who took it the worst. Ratzenberger’s death showed that he still was a kid. He was too young and the championships he participated in were too slow to experience death from first hand. He had to face the mortality of man the very first time. He and Roland were somehow close. They talked a lot, and in Aida the camera showed them on the grid for almost a minute making fun and as Roland wishing good luck to Merse.
San Marino Grand Prix starting gird
1. Senna - Williams
2. Hill - Williams
3. Schumacher - Benetton
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Larini - Ferrari
6. Lehto - Benetton
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Wendlinger - Sauber
10. Panis - Ligier
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Fittipaldi - Footwork
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. Bernard - Ligier
16. Morbidelli - Footwork
17. Martini - Minardi
18. Comas - Larrousse
19. Kovacshazi - Pacific
20. Herbert - Lotus
21. Irvine - Jordan
22. Lamy - Lotus
23. Beretta - Larrousse
24. Alboreto - Minardi
25. Brabham - Simtek
DNS:
26. Ratzenberger - Simtek
DNQ:
27. Gachot - Pacific
28. Barrichello - Jordan
So the field lined up on the grid on Sunday afternoon, with nobody retiring from start after all. At the start Senna took P1 challenged by Schumacher all the way up to Tosa, while Hill fell back behind Berger. Lehto stalled his car on the grid and Lamy couldn’t avoid him, hitting the Benetton at almost full throttle. Irvine made an unimaginable start, profiting from the turmoil at the start/finish line and soon he was in the fabulous 9th position from 21st! Safety Car was deployed and left only on Lap 5, leaving Senna in P1, with Schumacher behind. It seemed like we’re out of the water but then in Lap 6…
The race was stopped immediately.
At the restart Berget took P1 followed by Schumacher, Hill, Hakkinen, Larini, Irvine, Frentzen, Katayama, and Wendlinger. He slowly pulled away from the pack, giving something to the tifosi to cheer about. But only for a short while, because on Lap 12 he parked his Ferrari in the pits, giving up the race. He heard about how grave Senna’s injury was and he couldn’t race any more. In hindsight, knowing the strategy of every car and seeing his pace, he most likely gave up the victory.
Now Schumaher in P1 was under a lot of pressure from Hill, but he blocked every attempt of the Williams, while Irvine was challenged by Frentzen for P5 until the Sauber’s right rear suspension broke at the entrance of Variante Bassa. The car spun, collecting Katayama as well. At the same time Brundle lost it braking at Rivazza and crashed into the wall, making Wendlinger 5th and Blundell 6th. Lap 17 saw Schumacher making a pirouette at the Variante Alta, dropping down to P3 behind Hill and Hakkinen.
The first round of pitstops was started by the McLaren in Lap 21. Hill stopped in Lap 26, but Schumacher and Larini went on. They seemed to trick everyone with only one stop! Meanwhile a rogue wheel got loose from Alboreto’s Minardi in the crowded pitlane, hitting a Ferrari mechanic. Truly a horrible weekend…
On the track, Hakkinen made an excellent run after his early pitstop, and with the others struggling with lapping the backmakers, he found himself in P2 10 seconds behind Schumacher who didn1t stop yet! Hill was lapping behind him 1 second faster than anyone else, but his charge was stopped by Beretta who did not pay attention, and hit the Williams on the braking line at Rivazza. He got away with a broken front wing, but Hill was out of the race, third time in a row with a collision he couldn’t do anything about!
Schumacher and Larini made their stop at the same time, but the Benetton crew was slightly slower, giving enough time for Ferrari to pass them. After the first round of stops Hakkinen was leading, 15 seconds ahead of the duo of Larini and Schumacher, followed from the distance by Wendlinger, and almost a lap down by Herbert, Martini, and Fittipaldi.
Schumacher couldn’t find a gap behind Larini, who was lapping slightly slower than Hakkinen, so it looked like an easy victory for the Finn, but the Peugeot engine thought otherwise and cought out its soul in Lap 47. Larini stopped in Lap 45 from the lead, and Schumacher knew that this is his chance. He made two flying lap, registering the fastest lap, before pitting for the second time. This time the Benetton crew worked perfectly and they were back in P1 ahead of the Ferrari, Wendlinger, Herbert, Martini, Fittipaldi, Kovacshazi and Panis. The standings didn’t change until lap 56 when Herbert parked his Lotus, handing over a very valuable 4th place to Martini, 5th to Fittipaldi and 6th to Kovacshazi!
The Hungarian was struggling with his one stop strategy during the race and he had a very hard time keeping Panis with fresh tyres behind, but somehow he managed to do it!
Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix, followed by Larini and Wendlinger to the podium, but this time, nobody really cared about it. There was no champagne, no smiling faces. Everyone was just glad that this nightmarish weekend was over.
Kovacshazi almost stalled at the first start so he was dead last when the race was stopped. The second time however he was pulling away nicely, turning 17th at Tosa. He climbed even higher, passing Panis, Fittipaldi, Martini and Herbert, getting to 9th position. On Lap 15 the midfielders got stuck behind Katayama’s limping Tyrrell who made it clear that he won’t let anyone pass until he gets back to the pits. This forced everyone to make some hard braking and sometimes even to take some gravel adventure to avoid collision. Kovacshaz had to go wide at the exit of Rivazza, and by the time he was back on track, he was down to 12th again. After the first round of pitstops he found himself battling with the two Ligiers who were on a two stop strategy, while the Pacific was due to only one. The goal was simple: Not to let Panis pull away more than 20 seconds! After the second round of pitstops Kovacshazi found himself in P7, but Panis was right on his diffuser with new tyres and 20 laps to go! The pressure was enormous, and it increased when Herbert’s Mugen-Honda engine gave it up only two laps from the finish and Merse suddenly found himself in P6! It was a hell of two laps, but in the end the Pacific crossed the finish line 1.3 seconds ahead of the Ligier! Kovacshazi scored his first point in Formula 1!
He was screaming and punching into the air as he crossed the finish line.
1994 San Marino Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:21:38.395
2. Nicola Larini – Ferrari +0:02.751
3. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Mercedes+0:42.764
4. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford + 1 Lap
5. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford + 1 Lap
6. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor + 1 Lap
7. Olivier Panis – Ligier Renault + 1 Lap
8. Eric Bernanrd – Ligier-Renault + 1 Lap
9. Eddie Irvine – Jordan Hart + 1 Lap
DNFs: Herbert (L58), Hakkinen (L47), Beretta (L32), Hill (L29), Alboreto (L25), Brabham (L24), Blundell (L19), Morbidelli (L19), Katayama (L16), Brundle (L15), Frentzen (L15), Senna (L6), Lamy (L1), Lehto (L1)
DNS: Ratzenberger
DNQs: Gachot, Barrichello
Drivers Championship – after Round 3:
1. Schumacher 20 (+1)
2. Berger 14 (-1)
3. Larini 8 (+2)
4. Senna 6 (-1)
5. Wendlinger 6 (+2)
6. Frentzen 4 (-2)
7. Barrichello 3 (-2)
8. Morbidelli 3 (-2)
9. Martini 3
10. Fittipaldi 2
11. Katayama 2 (-2)
12. Kovacshazi 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 3:
1. Ferrari 22 (-)
2. Benetton 20 (-)
3. Sauber 10 (+1)
4. Williams 6 (-1)
5. Footwork 5 (+1)
6. Jordan 3 (-1)
7. Minardi 3
8. Tyrrell 2 (-1)
9. Pacific 1
Don’t worry, he didn't
Notes:
The weekend was mostly orchestrated up to Lap 6 of the race, but the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix had too much impact on the sport that I had to do it.
This report had to be this long so I could introduce the emotions and conflicts in Merse, because they'll ahve important role in the future.
Feel free to ask or comment if you wish by the way
Darkest Day
After Aida, Pacific returned to Europe with hopes high and hands full of work. The unexpected crashes and suspension failures dropped the team back on its development schedule which meant that only one new set of parts arrived to Imola: A reinforced rear suspension which hopefully would be able to make it to the end of the race. This would be crucial because the PR01 desperately needed as much track time as possible.
While the rest of the field was busy with disputing about driving aids and traction control, Pacific focused on finally fielding two equally prepared car, so they spent most of their time in the headquarters garage. Only Oliver Gavin made a short straight run test on the local airfield to stress test some aerodynamic parts still under development.
Coming to Imola, Benetton announced that their original No. 2 driver, Lehto retured from his injury, while Verstappen spent the whole week at Misano, testing the car. Jean Alesi didn’t recover completely, so Larini had a unique opportunity: He could drive a Ferrari on home soil.
The Friday first practice was proven to be the harbinger of the dark future. Bernard’s brakes failed before the Rivazza corner, but he was leaving his totaled Ligier unharmed. Then Barrichello run wide in Variante Bassa and hit the barriers very hard. The Brazilian suffered concussion and two cracked ribs, and was out of the weekend.
But the real horror started on Saturday. With Barrichello out, only one drive was eliminated at the first qualifying session, and that would be Gachot, who was 1 second off the pace compared to Ratzenberger in P26 and almost 3 from Kovacshazi finishing 21st. Then, on the second qualifying, this happened...
Everyone was shocked by the accident, but maybe, it was the hardest for the rookies. Panis spent the rest of the afternoon in a chapel. Beretta had to drink on it so hard, that he was dragged out from a bar at midnight. It was doubtful if he could race next day. Brabham and the whole Simtek team retreated to their motorhome to decide if they would retire from the race. They decided not to.
It was Kovacshazi, who took it the worst. Ratzenberger’s death showed that he still was a kid. He was too young and the championships he participated in were too slow to experience death from first hand. He had to face the mortality of man the very first time. He and Roland were somehow close. They talked a lot, and in Aida the camera showed them on the grid for almost a minute making fun and as Roland wishing good luck to Merse.
Merse Kovacshazi – Interview, What happened at Imola? (1997) wrote:I was lurking in the paddock, refusing to talk to anybody. I saw it. I knew it was terrible, I knew it will be very serious, if not fatal. I was scared. So very scared… If it happened to him, how do I know it won’t be me next time? I was scared of death, scared of motor racing the first time in my life. Then I saw Senna coming back. He went to the scene of the accident right away. I tried to stop him but he was storming by me, pushing me away.
“Did you see his eyes?” somebody asked. “I think he was crying…” That was the moment when I started crying the first time on that weekend.”
I was depressed, I couldn’t look at the cars, or at the track. I didn’t want to drive, I wanted to escape somehow. I knew I didn’t want to race tomorrow, but I felt that I need the approval of someone… I barely slept that night, then I went to a church at around 4am and spent the rest of the night there.
Sunday I went to the track very early. I made a walk around the track, I tried to get used to the thought that I’m gonna race. But I couldn’t get rid of the fear of death and despair. I felt horribly alone, I wanted to leave this whole farce behind, go home and be with my mom. Childish, I know.
When I arrived back to the pits, Ayrton came down to me. Somehow I felt that if someone, then he could help me, that he would understand me. He surely won’t race after this incident and if the greatest one won’t race, it gives me the absolution too!
He wanted to pass by me, but I stopped him. „Ayrton, will you race?” I asked. He nodded. I really was hoping that he will give me approval not to participate on this race with his own absence. I started crying. Then suddenly he reached out and hugged me. He hugged me so strong… (starts sobbing) Then he took my face in his hands and looked deep into my eyes.
„Listen to me!” he said „God loves you and He protects you. Trust in Him because He destined you for great things!” And suddenly, somehow all my fear seemed to disappear… (chuckles and goes silent for a while) I knew what I have to do, I felt that nothing could harm us now. I started crying again as Ayrton hugged me once more, but this wasn’t a cry of despair. I cried because I felt like I finally got rid of a horrible burden. And that moment I knew, that Ayrton Senna was indeed the messenger of God among us. (wipes his tears)
He soon left me alone with my rebuilding hopes. And... we never talked again.
San Marino Grand Prix starting gird
1. Senna - Williams
2. Hill - Williams
3. Schumacher - Benetton
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Larini - Ferrari
6. Lehto - Benetton
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Wendlinger - Sauber
10. Panis - Ligier
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Fittipaldi - Footwork
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. Bernard - Ligier
16. Morbidelli - Footwork
17. Martini - Minardi
18. Comas - Larrousse
19. Kovacshazi - Pacific
20. Herbert - Lotus
21. Irvine - Jordan
22. Lamy - Lotus
23. Beretta - Larrousse
24. Alboreto - Minardi
25. Brabham - Simtek
DNS:
26. Ratzenberger - Simtek
DNQ:
27. Gachot - Pacific
28. Barrichello - Jordan
So the field lined up on the grid on Sunday afternoon, with nobody retiring from start after all. At the start Senna took P1 challenged by Schumacher all the way up to Tosa, while Hill fell back behind Berger. Lehto stalled his car on the grid and Lamy couldn’t avoid him, hitting the Benetton at almost full throttle. Irvine made an unimaginable start, profiting from the turmoil at the start/finish line and soon he was in the fabulous 9th position from 21st! Safety Car was deployed and left only on Lap 5, leaving Senna in P1, with Schumacher behind. It seemed like we’re out of the water but then in Lap 6…
The race was stopped immediately.
At the restart Berget took P1 followed by Schumacher, Hill, Hakkinen, Larini, Irvine, Frentzen, Katayama, and Wendlinger. He slowly pulled away from the pack, giving something to the tifosi to cheer about. But only for a short while, because on Lap 12 he parked his Ferrari in the pits, giving up the race. He heard about how grave Senna’s injury was and he couldn’t race any more. In hindsight, knowing the strategy of every car and seeing his pace, he most likely gave up the victory.
Now Schumaher in P1 was under a lot of pressure from Hill, but he blocked every attempt of the Williams, while Irvine was challenged by Frentzen for P5 until the Sauber’s right rear suspension broke at the entrance of Variante Bassa. The car spun, collecting Katayama as well. At the same time Brundle lost it braking at Rivazza and crashed into the wall, making Wendlinger 5th and Blundell 6th. Lap 17 saw Schumacher making a pirouette at the Variante Alta, dropping down to P3 behind Hill and Hakkinen.
The first round of pitstops was started by the McLaren in Lap 21. Hill stopped in Lap 26, but Schumacher and Larini went on. They seemed to trick everyone with only one stop! Meanwhile a rogue wheel got loose from Alboreto’s Minardi in the crowded pitlane, hitting a Ferrari mechanic. Truly a horrible weekend…
On the track, Hakkinen made an excellent run after his early pitstop, and with the others struggling with lapping the backmakers, he found himself in P2 10 seconds behind Schumacher who didn1t stop yet! Hill was lapping behind him 1 second faster than anyone else, but his charge was stopped by Beretta who did not pay attention, and hit the Williams on the braking line at Rivazza. He got away with a broken front wing, but Hill was out of the race, third time in a row with a collision he couldn’t do anything about!
Schumacher and Larini made their stop at the same time, but the Benetton crew was slightly slower, giving enough time for Ferrari to pass them. After the first round of stops Hakkinen was leading, 15 seconds ahead of the duo of Larini and Schumacher, followed from the distance by Wendlinger, and almost a lap down by Herbert, Martini, and Fittipaldi.
Schumacher couldn’t find a gap behind Larini, who was lapping slightly slower than Hakkinen, so it looked like an easy victory for the Finn, but the Peugeot engine thought otherwise and cought out its soul in Lap 47. Larini stopped in Lap 45 from the lead, and Schumacher knew that this is his chance. He made two flying lap, registering the fastest lap, before pitting for the second time. This time the Benetton crew worked perfectly and they were back in P1 ahead of the Ferrari, Wendlinger, Herbert, Martini, Fittipaldi, Kovacshazi and Panis. The standings didn’t change until lap 56 when Herbert parked his Lotus, handing over a very valuable 4th place to Martini, 5th to Fittipaldi and 6th to Kovacshazi!
The Hungarian was struggling with his one stop strategy during the race and he had a very hard time keeping Panis with fresh tyres behind, but somehow he managed to do it!
Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix, followed by Larini and Wendlinger to the podium, but this time, nobody really cared about it. There was no champagne, no smiling faces. Everyone was just glad that this nightmarish weekend was over.
Kovacshazi almost stalled at the first start so he was dead last when the race was stopped. The second time however he was pulling away nicely, turning 17th at Tosa. He climbed even higher, passing Panis, Fittipaldi, Martini and Herbert, getting to 9th position. On Lap 15 the midfielders got stuck behind Katayama’s limping Tyrrell who made it clear that he won’t let anyone pass until he gets back to the pits. This forced everyone to make some hard braking and sometimes even to take some gravel adventure to avoid collision. Kovacshaz had to go wide at the exit of Rivazza, and by the time he was back on track, he was down to 12th again. After the first round of pitstops he found himself battling with the two Ligiers who were on a two stop strategy, while the Pacific was due to only one. The goal was simple: Not to let Panis pull away more than 20 seconds! After the second round of pitstops Kovacshazi found himself in P7, but Panis was right on his diffuser with new tyres and 20 laps to go! The pressure was enormous, and it increased when Herbert’s Mugen-Honda engine gave it up only two laps from the finish and Merse suddenly found himself in P6! It was a hell of two laps, but in the end the Pacific crossed the finish line 1.3 seconds ahead of the Ligier! Kovacshazi scored his first point in Formula 1!
He was screaming and punching into the air as he crossed the finish line.
Car #33 radio conversation wrote:Pit: "Well done mate! You are in P6, you scored your first point. Awesome job!"
Driver: "Yeeeesh! Woohoo! Awesome job guys!” (short silence) „How is Ayrton?”
Pit: (silence)
Driver: „Err…. guys? Guys how is Senna?”
Pit: “It doesn’t look good mate…”
Driver: (silence)
1994 San Marino Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:21:38.395
2. Nicola Larini – Ferrari +0:02.751
3. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Mercedes+0:42.764
4. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford + 1 Lap
5. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford + 1 Lap
6. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor + 1 Lap
7. Olivier Panis – Ligier Renault + 1 Lap
8. Eric Bernanrd – Ligier-Renault + 1 Lap
9. Eddie Irvine – Jordan Hart + 1 Lap
DNFs: Herbert (L58), Hakkinen (L47), Beretta (L32), Hill (L29), Alboreto (L25), Brabham (L24), Blundell (L19), Morbidelli (L19), Katayama (L16), Brundle (L15), Frentzen (L15), Senna (L6), Lamy (L1), Lehto (L1)
DNS: Ratzenberger
DNQs: Gachot, Barrichello
Drivers Championship – after Round 3:
1. Schumacher 20 (+1)
2. Berger 14 (-1)
3. Larini 8 (+2)
4. Senna 6 (-1)
5. Wendlinger 6 (+2)
6. Frentzen 4 (-2)
7. Barrichello 3 (-2)
8. Morbidelli 3 (-2)
9. Martini 3
10. Fittipaldi 2
11. Katayama 2 (-2)
12. Kovacshazi 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 3:
1. Ferrari 22 (-)
2. Benetton 20 (-)
3. Sauber 10 (+1)
4. Williams 6 (-1)
5. Footwork 5 (+1)
6. Jordan 3 (-1)
7. Minardi 3
8. Tyrrell 2 (-1)
9. Pacific 1
Merse Kovacshazi – Interview, What happened at Imola? (1997) wrote:When I passed the crash site I thought at first that it was a Tyrrell. I hear only on the grid that it was Ayrton. That point I was so fed off of everything that I wanted to go give up. My team held me back somehow, so I was there at the restart. And you know what? When the lights went out, suddenly my doubts and despair was washed away. I was racing, and I could fully focus on driving.
But as soon as I crossed the finish line suddenly the emotions threw me over again. I asked about Senna on the radio. And they told me he may die… I couldn’t hold back my tears – not the first time on that weekend. I should have been happy but I was fed off! I knew somewhere inside that although it is not official yet, Ayrton is dead. He quit F1 forever. And I knew that I want to quit too.
Don’t worry, he didn't
Notes:
The weekend was mostly orchestrated up to Lap 6 of the race, but the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix had too much impact on the sport that I had to do it.
This report had to be this long so I could introduce the emotions and conflicts in Merse, because they'll ahve important role in the future.
Feel free to ask or comment if you wish by the way
Last edited by Julien on 13 Jun 2013, 11:25, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – San Marino: Darkest Day is up
Finding this really well-written and interesting, looking forward to seeing how Merse's career pans out!
Better than 'Tour in a suit case' Takagi.
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AustralianStig
- Posts: 1206
- Joined: 21 Apr 2013, 00:26
- Location: Adelaide, Australia
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – San Marino: Darkest Day is up
I'm also enjoying this - was hoping to see an alternate reality with Senna still alive but wasn't to be 
A bit off topic, but I've actually somehow never come across F1 Challenge before. Was just doing some reading online and I've seen somewhere mods have been made so it's possible to drive in every season from 1979 to 2011! I discovered the http://www.race4sim.com/ website which seems to have a lot of mods on there, but with so many mods I feel like I'm drowning a little. Does anyone have any tips? (Apologies if there's already a thread on this - I tried to search "F1 Challenge" but of course the forum only searched for challenge, which brought up 98 pages of posts...)
A bit off topic, but I've actually somehow never come across F1 Challenge before. Was just doing some reading online and I've seen somewhere mods have been made so it's possible to drive in every season from 1979 to 2011! I discovered the http://www.race4sim.com/ website which seems to have a lot of mods on there, but with so many mods I feel like I'm drowning a little. Does anyone have any tips? (Apologies if there's already a thread on this - I tried to search "F1 Challenge" but of course the forum only searched for challenge, which brought up 98 pages of posts...)
Join the GP Rejects league at Fantasy F1: https://fantasy.formula1.com/join/?=2a1f25
CoopsII wrote:Biscione wrote:To the surprise of no-one, Daniil Kvyat wins ROTR for Sochi, by a record margin that may not be surpassed for some time.
I always knew Marko read this forum.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – San Marino: Darkest Day is up
I was really troubled about killing Senna or not. But the San Marino weekend changed so much in F1 (engines, aerodynamics, pit stops, cockpit safety, driver's organization, politics, track safety regulations etc.) that I couldn't find anything less than the death of a legendary champion and a lovable backmaker which could force such changes.
Off: I have some mods form '86 to '09. There were a few "Mega mods" with seasons from the 60s to 2012 which aren't available any more. Plus they were horribly buggy and most of the seasons were totally unplayable, unbalanced and unrealistic.
Off: I have some mods form '86 to '09. There were a few "Mega mods" with seasons from the 60s to 2012 which aren't available any more. Plus they were horribly buggy and most of the seasons were totally unplayable, unbalanced and unrealistic.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – San Marino: Darkest Day is up
I enjoy reading this. 1994 is one of the most thrilling seasons of Formula 1 and it is nice to see that someone is taking that season for a story.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – The show must go on
Round 4 - Monaco Grand Prix
The show must go on
The aftermath of the San Marino Grand Prix were enormous. Re-formed GPDA urged the FIA to take steps immediately to improve driver safety. New regulations were introduced, effective after the Monaco GP with a only three weeks for the teams to completely redesign their cars.
Meanwhile FIA tried to show a firm hand and banned Beretta from three races for causing a collision with Hill. The WMSC ruled against Simtek’s appeal and disqualified the New-Zealander form the Pacific Grand Prix and banned him from one race for causing collision. The execution was postponed by once race as the team couldn’t sign a second driver yet, and so they wouldn't be able fulfill their obligation towards the Formula One Management of showing up on every race weekend.
Senna was buried on May 5th 1994, Ratzenberger was buried two days later. FIA President Max Mosley was there, despite the overwhelming attention on Senna's funeral, both in the world of motorsport and worldwide. In a press conference ten years later Mosley said, "'Roland had been forgotten. So I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his." Other members of the Formula 1 community who attended were Ratzenberger's compatriots Karl Wendlinger, Gerhard Berger and Merse Kovacshazi,who arrived last and left first to avoid any attention.
One point means a lot in Formula 1. One point means not only you’re registered in the official standings, but also you get more money form the result prices, you get points reward at the end of the season, you transportation costs are paid by FIA for one whole year. One point could turna small team on the verge of bankruptcy intoto a stable midfielder. Scoring a point has another benefit: It attracts sponsors. And so by Monaco, some of the vawes on the PR01 were replaced with the logos of Ursus, an Icelandic mineral water and vodke bottling company. Keith Wiggins knew well that the best way to use the newly earned money is to invest it, that’s why he decided to stay in Italy and make a 3 days test. So Benetton was out, Pacific was in at Misano, where the Thetford outfit was trying to get back on schedule with the development of the PR01 as well as trying to figure out why Gachot and Belmondo were always slower by seconds than Kovacshazi.
As an old saying says, the show must go on, so the F1 cars conquered the streets of Monte-Carlo two weeks after the tragedy in Imola. Alesi was back in his Ferrari. McLaren test driver Philippe Alliot replaced Beretta in Larrousse, while Williams and Simtek fielded only one car each. Despite being determined to retire and barely driving in Misano, Kovacshazi was there in Monaco as “a last favor” to the team. But the shadows of Imola still haunted: On the first practice Karl Wendlinger lost control over his Sauber at the exit of the tunnel and hit the barriers so hard that he fell into coma. Sauber immediately withdrew Frentzen’s entry, and that was the point when Merse really had enough. When he went back to the pits he was about to storm out from Monte-Carlo, never to return again, when he accidentally bumped into Niki Lauda. Let us let the most well known Kovacshazi biography to tell what happened:
This weekend Hill seemed to be more determined than ever and scored Williams’ fourth consecutive Pole Position. Besides him in the second row (the first was left empty in the memory of Senna and Ratzenberger) was Schumacher, behind them came the two Ferraris, Barrichello, Lehto, Hakkinen and Irvine. Martini scored a very strong 10th, and with Herbert 11th and Kovacshazi 12th, we saw a rather unusual grid. Brundle had issues with his gearbox and was only 23rd.
Monaco Grand Prix – Starting grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Berger - Ferrari
4. Alesi - Ferrari
5. Barrichello - Jordan
6. Lehto - Bentton
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Martini - Minardi
11. Herbert - Lotus
12. Kovacshazi - Pacific
13. Lamy - Lotus
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. Panis - Ligier
16. Katayama - Tyrrell
17. Comas - Larrousse
18. Alboreto - Mianrdi
19. Bernard - Ligier
20. Fittipaldi - Footwork
21. Brabham - Simtek
22. Allito - Larrousse
23. Brundle - McLaren
24. Gachot - Pacific
Hill set off clearly from the Pole followed by Schumacher Berger and Alesi. Leaving the front row empty doesn’t seem to make overtaking any easier at the start despite what some thought. The Williams driver built up the gap quickly to Schumacher, who left Berger and Alesi behind fighting with Hakkinen and the Jordans. A gearbox problem cut Lehto’s second race short, he managed to make only 9 laps in the season so far…
One lap later Herbert’s rear brakes blocked at Mirabeau and the Lotus was out from P8, soon followed by his team mate at the very same corner. In Lap 21 we lost Berger making Barrichello third, who passed Alesi after an unimaginable multi-corner battle. The Brazilian pushed his Jordan besides the Ferrari at Mirabeau Haute, but he couldn’t finish he maneuver before Loew’s, where Alesi was in advantage, and tried to push Barrichello towards the wall but he held the ground and suddenly he was again in advantage arriving down to the entrance of the tunnel, where Ferrari’s Frenchman had nothing more to do than let him pass.
It seemed that the drivers paid extra attention, not to make any foolish move, but a short dramatic event still occurred. On lap 31 Gachot let Hakkinen to lap him in the first chicane, but the Finn almost lost it coming out from the Tabac corner. While he was recovering his car he was almost came to a standstill and when the Pacific arrived, there was nothing to go. The Pacific front right tire hit the left rear of the McLaren and flew high into the air. It passed the security fences and crashed into the water of the Mediterranean, upside-down. The car was sinking fast, but coast guards managed to rescue Gachot, who was unharmed. He didn’t just survive the crash, he also avoided the yachts anchored in the bay.
Surprisingly the race wasn’t stopped and Safety Car wasn’t deployed either, and from there it quickly became total boredom. Hill, thanks to the lapped cars built up an advantage of 40 seconds, while Schumacher was settling down behind Brundle for a 15 laps, lapping about one seconds slower than his rival. Barrichello was 20 more seconds behind him, being in a safe distance from Alesi who simply couldn’t find the grip during the race. Irvine and Morbidelli completed the Top 6.
It was clear that everyone had one thing in mind: to get home safe and sound. There was only one person who tried to show the crowd that they are watching a Formula 1 race: Brundle He showed some real spirit, made some spectacualr overtaking maneuvers and he saw the checkered flag in 7th position. Pretty impressive, starting from 23th!
Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix with half a minute ahead of Schumacher, and one lap ahead of Barrichello. A very important victory for the team just after losing their star, and without doubt, the most influential figure of Formula One. Hill now had the task to pick up where Senna left, and fight for the world championship title with Schumacher.
As you may now presume, Monaco was a nightmare for Pacific. They knew that the car acts nervous on bumpy surface, but Interlagos was nothing compared to Monte-Carlo. The car was simply undrivable. According to Gachot it was „like the wings wouldn’t be there and we would run on wet tires”. The grip was so bad that every braking was a risk of losing control and pouncing into the wall. So was every acceleration, or every slight movement on the steering wheel. Gachot crashed his car three times before the qualifying. Kovacshazi made it up to 4!
„Ok, we will qualify. But there is no way we could make 78 laps without crashing out! We can't make it.” Kovacshazi said on the team briefing. It was a shame, because they both seemed to be very competitive if they managed to do an undisrupted hot lap. So competitive, that Kovacshazi scored a fabulous 12th place on the grid before crashing at the Piscine. Gachot wasn’t so lucky, he damaged is PR01 badly on his first hot lap and could make only a very slow lap 3 minutes before the end of the session.
On the race, Merse’s prediction became reality. After a good qualifying Kovacshazi’s start was good as well, climbing to 10th, but he lost it, when his car was bouncing away at Mirabeau. He still recovered from that incident and tried to keep up a steady pace of he felt driving safely, but he was so slow, that he was literally pushed off the road by Lamy on one occasion, and when he tried to increase the speed, he quickly ended up in the wall. Gachot was sticking to the original plan and was lapping dead last, about 2 seconds off the pace even to Alliot, but this didn’t save him, when he crashed into Hakkinen and took a swim in the Monte-Carlo Bay. The car was later salvaged, but of course, it was declared damaged beyond repair.
1994 Monaco Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:55:57.353
2. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford +0:33.817
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
4. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +1 lap
5. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
6. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +2 laps
7. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +3 laps
8. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +3 laps
9. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +3 laps
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +3 laps
11. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +3 laps
12. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +4 laps
13. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
14. Philippe Alliot – Larrousse-Ford +6 laps
DNF: Hakkinen (L31), Gachot (L28), Berger (L21), Kovacshazi (L13), Lamy (L11), Blundell (L10), Herbert (L10), Lehto (L9), Alboreto (L9)
DQ: Brundle*
DNS: Frentzen, Wendlinger
Drivers Championship – after Round 4:
1. Schumacher 26 (-)
2. Berger 14 (-)
3. Hill 10
4. Larini 8 (-1)
5. Barrichello 7 (+3)
6. Senna 6 (-2)
7. Wendlinger 6 (-2)
8. Frentzen 4 (-2)
9. Alesi 4
10. Morbidelli 4 (-2)
11. Martini 3 (-2)
12. Fittipaldi 2 (-2)
13. Irvine 2
14. Katayama 2 (-3)
15. Kovacshazi 1 (-3)
Constructors Championship – after Round 4:
1. Ferrari 26 (-)
2. Benetton 26 (-)
3. Williams 16 (+1)
4. Jordan 11 (+2)
5. Sauber 10 (-2)
6. Footwork 6 (-1)
7. Minardi 3 (-)
8. Tyrrell 2 (-)
9. Pacific 1 (-)
*After the race stewards ruled that Brundle did not let Schumacher pass for several laps, despite seeing the blue flags on several occasions. For this, he was disqualified from the Monaco Grand Prix and received a one race ban. McLaren didn’t appeal, but the decision still made a lot of controversy. After issuing 3 bans in one weekend many feared that the stewards would kill the spirit of racing if they answer to every not completely clear case with a penalty. In Brundle’s case Schumacher didn’t show any sign of trying to pass. In fact, he was falling back a little, not even being close enough to Brundle for several laps.
Next time: New rules, new cars. Could Pacific profit from this? And when will Merse be able to focus on racing once again?
The show must go on
The aftermath of the San Marino Grand Prix were enormous. Re-formed GPDA urged the FIA to take steps immediately to improve driver safety. New regulations were introduced, effective after the Monaco GP with a only three weeks for the teams to completely redesign their cars.
Meanwhile FIA tried to show a firm hand and banned Beretta from three races for causing a collision with Hill. The WMSC ruled against Simtek’s appeal and disqualified the New-Zealander form the Pacific Grand Prix and banned him from one race for causing collision. The execution was postponed by once race as the team couldn’t sign a second driver yet, and so they wouldn't be able fulfill their obligation towards the Formula One Management of showing up on every race weekend.
Senna was buried on May 5th 1994, Ratzenberger was buried two days later. FIA President Max Mosley was there, despite the overwhelming attention on Senna's funeral, both in the world of motorsport and worldwide. In a press conference ten years later Mosley said, "'Roland had been forgotten. So I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his." Other members of the Formula 1 community who attended were Ratzenberger's compatriots Karl Wendlinger, Gerhard Berger and Merse Kovacshazi,who arrived last and left first to avoid any attention.
One point means a lot in Formula 1. One point means not only you’re registered in the official standings, but also you get more money form the result prices, you get points reward at the end of the season, you transportation costs are paid by FIA for one whole year. One point could turna small team on the verge of bankruptcy intoto a stable midfielder. Scoring a point has another benefit: It attracts sponsors. And so by Monaco, some of the vawes on the PR01 were replaced with the logos of Ursus, an Icelandic mineral water and vodke bottling company. Keith Wiggins knew well that the best way to use the newly earned money is to invest it, that’s why he decided to stay in Italy and make a 3 days test. So Benetton was out, Pacific was in at Misano, where the Thetford outfit was trying to get back on schedule with the development of the PR01 as well as trying to figure out why Gachot and Belmondo were always slower by seconds than Kovacshazi.
Life of a racing driver (Sutton, 2013) wrote:In retrospect, now we can see clearly, what was Kovacshazi’s advantage over his team mates. He have never driven a Formula One car before, but he drove cars with very similar characteristics to the PR01. No active suspension, minimal electronic help for stability, stiff dampers, low downforce at the back of the car. The PR01 was just like his previous cars, just bigger and stronger. The rest of the field however had to re-learn how to drive a Formula 1 car.
As an old saying says, the show must go on, so the F1 cars conquered the streets of Monte-Carlo two weeks after the tragedy in Imola. Alesi was back in his Ferrari. McLaren test driver Philippe Alliot replaced Beretta in Larrousse, while Williams and Simtek fielded only one car each. Despite being determined to retire and barely driving in Misano, Kovacshazi was there in Monaco as “a last favor” to the team. But the shadows of Imola still haunted: On the first practice Karl Wendlinger lost control over his Sauber at the exit of the tunnel and hit the barriers so hard that he fell into coma. Sauber immediately withdrew Frentzen’s entry, and that was the point when Merse really had enough. When he went back to the pits he was about to storm out from Monte-Carlo, never to return again, when he accidentally bumped into Niki Lauda. Let us let the most well known Kovacshazi biography to tell what happened:
Life of a racing driver (Sutton, 2013) wrote:“And where are you going?” Lauda stopped him.
“None of your business. I’m outta here” he answered and tried to pass the old champion, but he blocked the way.
“So, you’re giving up?”
“What do you think?!” Merse yelled “They can’t possibly except of me to continue after what happened!” But to everyone surprise Niki slapped him with full force and also started yelling.
“Foolish child! Do you think it is hard only for you?! David lost his team mate. Do you think it makes for him easier?”
Merse did not answer, maybe he didn’t even realize he was just slapped by a three times world champion.
“Look at Berger! He lost his countryman and his best friend in Imola, now another is in a coma! If you think it is hard for you, how do you think he feels? Did he quit?”
“I am… He is… It’s different…” Merse murmured obviously in shame. He indeed was so preoccupied with his own fear and desperation that he didn’t think about how others may feel about losing Ayrton and Roland. But Lauda haven't finish yet.
“Senna always had high hopes about you. Did you know he said to Frank Williams that if he ever leaves the team, he should sign you? And you want to thank him his trust by cowardly leaving everything behind?! Well go away! Go!!! The hell do I care! It seems you're nothing more than a spoiled child after all, not fir for racing.” and he was off, leaving a devastated Kovacshazi behind. Nobody ever heard Lauda yelling like that, and never did since then.
But it worked, as on Saturday merse showed up in the pits once again, with a slightly modified helmet: It said “For Ayrton” on the right side, and “For Roland and Karl” on the left.
This weekend Hill seemed to be more determined than ever and scored Williams’ fourth consecutive Pole Position. Besides him in the second row (the first was left empty in the memory of Senna and Ratzenberger) was Schumacher, behind them came the two Ferraris, Barrichello, Lehto, Hakkinen and Irvine. Martini scored a very strong 10th, and with Herbert 11th and Kovacshazi 12th, we saw a rather unusual grid. Brundle had issues with his gearbox and was only 23rd.
Monaco Grand Prix – Starting grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Berger - Ferrari
4. Alesi - Ferrari
5. Barrichello - Jordan
6. Lehto - Bentton
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Martini - Minardi
11. Herbert - Lotus
12. Kovacshazi - Pacific
13. Lamy - Lotus
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. Panis - Ligier
16. Katayama - Tyrrell
17. Comas - Larrousse
18. Alboreto - Mianrdi
19. Bernard - Ligier
20. Fittipaldi - Footwork
21. Brabham - Simtek
22. Allito - Larrousse
23. Brundle - McLaren
24. Gachot - Pacific
Hill set off clearly from the Pole followed by Schumacher Berger and Alesi. Leaving the front row empty doesn’t seem to make overtaking any easier at the start despite what some thought. The Williams driver built up the gap quickly to Schumacher, who left Berger and Alesi behind fighting with Hakkinen and the Jordans. A gearbox problem cut Lehto’s second race short, he managed to make only 9 laps in the season so far…
One lap later Herbert’s rear brakes blocked at Mirabeau and the Lotus was out from P8, soon followed by his team mate at the very same corner. In Lap 21 we lost Berger making Barrichello third, who passed Alesi after an unimaginable multi-corner battle. The Brazilian pushed his Jordan besides the Ferrari at Mirabeau Haute, but he couldn’t finish he maneuver before Loew’s, where Alesi was in advantage, and tried to push Barrichello towards the wall but he held the ground and suddenly he was again in advantage arriving down to the entrance of the tunnel, where Ferrari’s Frenchman had nothing more to do than let him pass.
It seemed that the drivers paid extra attention, not to make any foolish move, but a short dramatic event still occurred. On lap 31 Gachot let Hakkinen to lap him in the first chicane, but the Finn almost lost it coming out from the Tabac corner. While he was recovering his car he was almost came to a standstill and when the Pacific arrived, there was nothing to go. The Pacific front right tire hit the left rear of the McLaren and flew high into the air. It passed the security fences and crashed into the water of the Mediterranean, upside-down. The car was sinking fast, but coast guards managed to rescue Gachot, who was unharmed. He didn’t just survive the crash, he also avoided the yachts anchored in the bay.
Surprisingly the race wasn’t stopped and Safety Car wasn’t deployed either, and from there it quickly became total boredom. Hill, thanks to the lapped cars built up an advantage of 40 seconds, while Schumacher was settling down behind Brundle for a 15 laps, lapping about one seconds slower than his rival. Barrichello was 20 more seconds behind him, being in a safe distance from Alesi who simply couldn’t find the grip during the race. Irvine and Morbidelli completed the Top 6.
It was clear that everyone had one thing in mind: to get home safe and sound. There was only one person who tried to show the crowd that they are watching a Formula 1 race: Brundle He showed some real spirit, made some spectacualr overtaking maneuvers and he saw the checkered flag in 7th position. Pretty impressive, starting from 23th!
Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix with half a minute ahead of Schumacher, and one lap ahead of Barrichello. A very important victory for the team just after losing their star, and without doubt, the most influential figure of Formula One. Hill now had the task to pick up where Senna left, and fight for the world championship title with Schumacher.
As you may now presume, Monaco was a nightmare for Pacific. They knew that the car acts nervous on bumpy surface, but Interlagos was nothing compared to Monte-Carlo. The car was simply undrivable. According to Gachot it was „like the wings wouldn’t be there and we would run on wet tires”. The grip was so bad that every braking was a risk of losing control and pouncing into the wall. So was every acceleration, or every slight movement on the steering wheel. Gachot crashed his car three times before the qualifying. Kovacshazi made it up to 4!
„Ok, we will qualify. But there is no way we could make 78 laps without crashing out! We can't make it.” Kovacshazi said on the team briefing. It was a shame, because they both seemed to be very competitive if they managed to do an undisrupted hot lap. So competitive, that Kovacshazi scored a fabulous 12th place on the grid before crashing at the Piscine. Gachot wasn’t so lucky, he damaged is PR01 badly on his first hot lap and could make only a very slow lap 3 minutes before the end of the session.
On the race, Merse’s prediction became reality. After a good qualifying Kovacshazi’s start was good as well, climbing to 10th, but he lost it, when his car was bouncing away at Mirabeau. He still recovered from that incident and tried to keep up a steady pace of he felt driving safely, but he was so slow, that he was literally pushed off the road by Lamy on one occasion, and when he tried to increase the speed, he quickly ended up in the wall. Gachot was sticking to the original plan and was lapping dead last, about 2 seconds off the pace even to Alliot, but this didn’t save him, when he crashed into Hakkinen and took a swim in the Monte-Carlo Bay. The car was later salvaged, but of course, it was declared damaged beyond repair.
1994 Monaco Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:55:57.353
2. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford +0:33.817
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
4. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +1 lap
5. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
6. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +2 laps
7. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +3 laps
8. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +3 laps
9. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +3 laps
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +3 laps
11. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +3 laps
12. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +4 laps
13. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
14. Philippe Alliot – Larrousse-Ford +6 laps
DNF: Hakkinen (L31), Gachot (L28), Berger (L21), Kovacshazi (L13), Lamy (L11), Blundell (L10), Herbert (L10), Lehto (L9), Alboreto (L9)
DQ: Brundle*
DNS: Frentzen, Wendlinger
Drivers Championship – after Round 4:
1. Schumacher 26 (-)
2. Berger 14 (-)
3. Hill 10
4. Larini 8 (-1)
5. Barrichello 7 (+3)
6. Senna 6 (-2)
7. Wendlinger 6 (-2)
8. Frentzen 4 (-2)
9. Alesi 4
10. Morbidelli 4 (-2)
11. Martini 3 (-2)
12. Fittipaldi 2 (-2)
13. Irvine 2
14. Katayama 2 (-3)
15. Kovacshazi 1 (-3)
Constructors Championship – after Round 4:
1. Ferrari 26 (-)
2. Benetton 26 (-)
3. Williams 16 (+1)
4. Jordan 11 (+2)
5. Sauber 10 (-2)
6. Footwork 6 (-1)
7. Minardi 3 (-)
8. Tyrrell 2 (-)
9. Pacific 1 (-)
Race commentaries: wrote:Damon Hill (1st): “It’s a very important victory for us. After what happened in San Marino, the team really deserved this and I’m very glad that I could deliver this result for them. I want to offer my victory to Ayrton and I promise that we will fight for the championship.”
Michael Scumacher (2nd): “It was a very odd race today. It seemed that everybody was just focusing on finishing it as fast and as harmlessly as possible. But maybe that’s what we need now, a few quiet race without any drama. We have to focus now on the championship and live with what happened two weeks ago.”
Rubens Barrichello (3rd): “My race was very good. I could keep the pace of the Ferraris, and when Alesi was in trouble, I managed to pass him. I don’t know how could I keep the car on track in Loew’s though, but I did. After that I was only focusing on taking the car home. I want to offer this third place to the memory of Ayrton.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “It is no secret, our car was horrible during the whole weekend. It was quick, but very difficult to drive. It was a very bad weekend for the team. Fortunately Bertrand is OK, and now we’re looking forward to the next Grand Prix.”
*After the race stewards ruled that Brundle did not let Schumacher pass for several laps, despite seeing the blue flags on several occasions. For this, he was disqualified from the Monaco Grand Prix and received a one race ban. McLaren didn’t appeal, but the decision still made a lot of controversy. After issuing 3 bans in one weekend many feared that the stewards would kill the spirit of racing if they answer to every not completely clear case with a penalty. In Brundle’s case Schumacher didn’t show any sign of trying to pass. In fact, he was falling back a little, not even being close enough to Brundle for several laps.
Next time: New rules, new cars. Could Pacific profit from this? And when will Merse be able to focus on racing once again?
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Round 5: Restart
Round 5 - Spanish Grand Prix
Restart
Circuit de Catalunya usually doesn’t give us the most exciting race of the season. It did not this time either. But oh, how differently it started…
The fifth race of the season was coming up, but journalists declared the restart of the championship the second time. First in Aida after a surprise result in Interlagos, and now in Barcelona, when every team had to show up with a brand new aero package to fit the new regulations introduced after the San Marino Grand Prix and which caused some serious turmoil. With reduced front wing size and increased minimum weight, the rear wing got a lot of extra load they weren’t designed to bear. Pedro Lamy was the clearest example of what may happen. The Lotus driver lost his rear wing in Silverstone and injured so badly in the upcoming crash that he would be out for the rest of the season. Alessandro Zanardi jumped in for him, who was recovering from a previous serious accident himself.
Experts said that the new rules would benefit Benetton and Ligier the most, and hurt Ferrari and Lotus the worst. The latter had to completely redesign their still unreleased 109 car. But everybody forgot about Pacific who suffered even more from the changes.
More driver changes were introduced before the Spanish Grand Prix. With Alliot being in temporary service of Larousse (already dropping the bombshell about the upshifting device), McLaren signed veteran Andrea de Cesaris to fill in for Brundle during his one race ban. Sauber only entered one car for Frentzen, while Williams and Simtek signed David Coulthard and Andrea Montermini. With David Brabham’s one race ban however, Nick Wirth’s outfit still accounted only one car, and they were up to packing at Friday night already, after Montermin crashing violently in the last corner. In the view of the horrors of Imola and Monaco, it was a relief that Andrea suffered “only” two broken ankles. But with no replacement, this was it for Simtek for the weekend.
There was another matter making the drivers writhe: The question of the temporary chicane before the Nissan corner. Kovacshazi was arguing from the first briefing on Friday morning that the chicane was dangerous and couldn’t serve its purpose to slow drivers down. TO his own surprise too, he found support in some of the fellow drivers (Irvine, Herbert, de Cesaris, Martini and Alboreto), but their proposal was turned down. However, after both the Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup practice had to be stopped, and at the afternoon both Irvine and Fittipaldi crashed there, demolishing the tyre barrier each time, the opinion changed and on Saturday the drivers unanimously voted for removing the temporary chicane, which Mosley eventually agreed upon.
On a – finally – peaceful qualification Schumacher snatched the Pole from Hill. Couldhard made an impressive performance on his debuting race with qualifying third, followed by the Ferraris, Lehto and the two McLarens.
Spanish Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher – Benetton
2. Hill – Williams
3. Coulthard – Williams
4. Berger – Ferrari
5. Alesi – Ferrari
6. Lehto – Benetton
7. Hakkinen – McLaren
8. de Cesaris – McLaren
9. Barrichello – Jordan
10. Morbidelli – Footwork
11. Katayama – Tyrrell
12. Frentzen – Sauber
13. Irvine – Jordan
14. Martini – Minardi
15. Herbert – Lotus
16. Fittipaldi – Footwork
17. Alboreto – Minardi
18. Panis – Ligier
19. Comas – Larrousse
20. Blundell – Tyrrell
21. Kovacshazi – Pacific
22. Bernard – Ligier
23. Zanardi – Lotus
24. Alliot – Larrousse
25. Gachot - Pacific
Berger got a great start, battling Hill for the second place, giving the opportunity to Schumacher to get away clearly. Coulthard however was so nervous that he spun in the first corner and tangled with Hakkinen. The McLaren lost its front wing (so much for a good result for Mika) and the Williams fell back to 10th. It was Schumacher, Hill, Berger, Alesi, Lehto, Morbidelli, de Cesaris, Barrichello, Coulthard at the end of the first lap. The Benetton driver couldn’t enjoy his leading position for long. Hill was on his tail and when he had run wide in the long right hander, the Williams driver forced his way to the front.
Lap 9 showed the most exciting battle of the race. Kovacshazi in P12 profited from Frentzen being too precautious at Turn 7, the two cars were side by side for three corners, until Merse slightly slowed down before the Nissan corner, just enough to avoid, as Frentzen blitzed forward and then spun on the kerbs. The Sauber rejoined 14th, but had to stop a few laps later with a critical suspension failure.
Hill was pulling away from Schumacher who couldn’t keep the Ferraris behind, and fell back to 4th. He was followed by Lehto some 20 seconds behind, and the Morbidelli-de Cesaris-Coulthard-Barichello quartet. But he had one more ace in his sleeve.
Alesi stopped first among the leaders for fuel and a new set of tyres in Lap 24. He was followed by Berger two laps later. It turned out that Hill and Schumacher were on a one-stop strategy, while the others planned to stop twice. After everyone made his first stop, Alesi found himself in the lead, but Hill with his fresh tyres was closing up on him fast. Lehto was third and Berger was fourth after spinning a few laps earlier, Schumacher was fifth and Coulthard sixth.
Lap 31, and Kovacshazi fabulously crashed in the last corner. He had an incident with Alliot earlier and finally his suspension collapsed at a speed of 190 kph. Fortunately he walked away unharmed.
That was the last spectacle during the race. Hill was closing up on Alesi, Berger was closing up on Lehto, Coulthard was closing up on Schumacher, but neither of them got close enough to make anything of it. 20 laps before the end of the race, after everyone made their last pitstop, the final order of the race took shape. Hill scored his second consecutive victory, reducing the gap between him and Schumacher, who was finishing third. The two were accompanied by Alesi to the podium. Berger kept his championship hopes alive with his 4th position while both Lehto and Coulthard scored their first championship points in the season.
The weekend started well for Pacific. With three cars out, double qualification was secured. Again, Merse made the more of it and qualified 21st, beating Bernard in the Ligier. Gachot was 25th and last, but only a few tenths away from Alliot.
On the race, Kovacshazi made a good start, coming up 15th from 21st, then he passed Irvine and Fittipaldi while they were trying to get past the wingless Hakkinen, then joined the Martini-Katayama-Frentzen train for the next 20 laps. He passed the German with a spectacular maneuver, and was following Martini (the Minard had extraordinary top speed on this race) and Katayama, until in Lap 21 they lapped Alliot. The Frenchman didn’t pay attention and hit the Pacific’s front right Suspension with his left rear tyre. Merse angrily limped back to the pits, then rejoined 15th. After the first wave of pitstops he was back in 11th position when in Lap 31 he first spun at the Repsol right hander, then lsot it in the last corner and crashed.
Gachot had an exciting race, fighting all the way to the finish line with Alliot and finally beating him by 5 seconds, but in a race of low attrition this only meant a weak 19th position
1994 Spanish Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:34:58.923
2. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:10.057
3. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford +0:21.328
4. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:53.000
5. JJ Lehto – Benetton-Ford +1 lap
6. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +1 lap
7. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
8. Andrea de Cesaris – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap
9. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
10. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
11. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
12. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
13. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
14. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
15. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
16. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +3 laps
17. Erki Comas - Larrousse-Ford +3 laps
18. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
19. Bertrand Gachot – Pacific Ilmor +5 laps
20. Philippe Alliot – Larrousse-Ford +5 laps
DNF: Fittipaldi (L41), Herbert (L33), Kovacshazi (L31), Frentzen (L15), Blundell (L11)
DNS: Montermini
Drivers Championship – after Round 5:
1. Schumacher 30 (-)
2. Hill 20 (+1)
3. Berger 17 (-1)
4. Alesi 10 (+6)
5. Larini 8 (-1)
6. Barrichello 7 (-1)
7. Senna 6 (-1)
8. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
9. Frentzen 4 (-1)
10. Morbidelli 4 (-)
11. Martini 3 (-)
12. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
13. Irvine 2 (-)
14. Lehto
15. Katayama 2 (-1)
16. Kovacshazi 1 (-1)
17. Coulthard 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 5:
10. Ferrari 35 (-)
11. Benetton 32 (-)
12. Williams 27 (-)
13. Jordan 11 (-)
14. Sauber 10 (-)
15. Footwork 6 (-)
16. Minardi 3 (-)
17. Tyrrell 2 (-)
18. Pacific 1 (-)
Next time: Was it really a restart of the season? Will Hill continue his winning stake or the new regulations will benefit Benetton more? Does Pacific really suffers that bad of the new regulations? We'll see at the home of the curling, and a legendary racing family.
Notes: I had to remove the chicane because AI cars couldn't interpret it and sooner or later one was hooked up on it. And in the next lap everyone was slamming into the poor guy and in 5 laps only a handful of cars left.
I changed the aerodynamics and weight parameters of the cars slightly to represent the changes in the rules.
Restart
Circuit de Catalunya usually doesn’t give us the most exciting race of the season. It did not this time either. But oh, how differently it started…
The fifth race of the season was coming up, but journalists declared the restart of the championship the second time. First in Aida after a surprise result in Interlagos, and now in Barcelona, when every team had to show up with a brand new aero package to fit the new regulations introduced after the San Marino Grand Prix and which caused some serious turmoil. With reduced front wing size and increased minimum weight, the rear wing got a lot of extra load they weren’t designed to bear. Pedro Lamy was the clearest example of what may happen. The Lotus driver lost his rear wing in Silverstone and injured so badly in the upcoming crash that he would be out for the rest of the season. Alessandro Zanardi jumped in for him, who was recovering from a previous serious accident himself.
Experts said that the new rules would benefit Benetton and Ligier the most, and hurt Ferrari and Lotus the worst. The latter had to completely redesign their still unreleased 109 car. But everybody forgot about Pacific who suffered even more from the changes.
Keith Wiggins wrote:We already had issues with understeer in fast corners, and smaller front wings will make our job more difficult. The change of balance means we can’t use the special rear wing [used by several teams on high downforce tracks] without risking an accident. We should redesign the whole car to mount it. The increased weight means it will be very difficult to keep the car under control. It was already acting very nervous on braking anyway. And finally, we had one advantage over the others: we designed the car to be the lightest possible [hence the broken wishbones and the rumor in the paddock that the car has the rigidity of a paper bag]. We estimated that we’re 5-10 kg lighter than anyone else on the grid. Now this advantage is gone.
More driver changes were introduced before the Spanish Grand Prix. With Alliot being in temporary service of Larousse (already dropping the bombshell about the upshifting device), McLaren signed veteran Andrea de Cesaris to fill in for Brundle during his one race ban. Sauber only entered one car for Frentzen, while Williams and Simtek signed David Coulthard and Andrea Montermini. With David Brabham’s one race ban however, Nick Wirth’s outfit still accounted only one car, and they were up to packing at Friday night already, after Montermin crashing violently in the last corner. In the view of the horrors of Imola and Monaco, it was a relief that Andrea suffered “only” two broken ankles. But with no replacement, this was it for Simtek for the weekend.
There was another matter making the drivers writhe: The question of the temporary chicane before the Nissan corner. Kovacshazi was arguing from the first briefing on Friday morning that the chicane was dangerous and couldn’t serve its purpose to slow drivers down. TO his own surprise too, he found support in some of the fellow drivers (Irvine, Herbert, de Cesaris, Martini and Alboreto), but their proposal was turned down. However, after both the Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup practice had to be stopped, and at the afternoon both Irvine and Fittipaldi crashed there, demolishing the tyre barrier each time, the opinion changed and on Saturday the drivers unanimously voted for removing the temporary chicane, which Mosley eventually agreed upon.
On a – finally – peaceful qualification Schumacher snatched the Pole from Hill. Couldhard made an impressive performance on his debuting race with qualifying third, followed by the Ferraris, Lehto and the two McLarens.
Spanish Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher – Benetton
2. Hill – Williams
3. Coulthard – Williams
4. Berger – Ferrari
5. Alesi – Ferrari
6. Lehto – Benetton
7. Hakkinen – McLaren
8. de Cesaris – McLaren
9. Barrichello – Jordan
10. Morbidelli – Footwork
11. Katayama – Tyrrell
12. Frentzen – Sauber
13. Irvine – Jordan
14. Martini – Minardi
15. Herbert – Lotus
16. Fittipaldi – Footwork
17. Alboreto – Minardi
18. Panis – Ligier
19. Comas – Larrousse
20. Blundell – Tyrrell
21. Kovacshazi – Pacific
22. Bernard – Ligier
23. Zanardi – Lotus
24. Alliot – Larrousse
25. Gachot - Pacific
Berger got a great start, battling Hill for the second place, giving the opportunity to Schumacher to get away clearly. Coulthard however was so nervous that he spun in the first corner and tangled with Hakkinen. The McLaren lost its front wing (so much for a good result for Mika) and the Williams fell back to 10th. It was Schumacher, Hill, Berger, Alesi, Lehto, Morbidelli, de Cesaris, Barrichello, Coulthard at the end of the first lap. The Benetton driver couldn’t enjoy his leading position for long. Hill was on his tail and when he had run wide in the long right hander, the Williams driver forced his way to the front.
Lap 9 showed the most exciting battle of the race. Kovacshazi in P12 profited from Frentzen being too precautious at Turn 7, the two cars were side by side for three corners, until Merse slightly slowed down before the Nissan corner, just enough to avoid, as Frentzen blitzed forward and then spun on the kerbs. The Sauber rejoined 14th, but had to stop a few laps later with a critical suspension failure.
Hill was pulling away from Schumacher who couldn’t keep the Ferraris behind, and fell back to 4th. He was followed by Lehto some 20 seconds behind, and the Morbidelli-de Cesaris-Coulthard-Barichello quartet. But he had one more ace in his sleeve.
Alesi stopped first among the leaders for fuel and a new set of tyres in Lap 24. He was followed by Berger two laps later. It turned out that Hill and Schumacher were on a one-stop strategy, while the others planned to stop twice. After everyone made his first stop, Alesi found himself in the lead, but Hill with his fresh tyres was closing up on him fast. Lehto was third and Berger was fourth after spinning a few laps earlier, Schumacher was fifth and Coulthard sixth.
Lap 31, and Kovacshazi fabulously crashed in the last corner. He had an incident with Alliot earlier and finally his suspension collapsed at a speed of 190 kph. Fortunately he walked away unharmed.
That was the last spectacle during the race. Hill was closing up on Alesi, Berger was closing up on Lehto, Coulthard was closing up on Schumacher, but neither of them got close enough to make anything of it. 20 laps before the end of the race, after everyone made their last pitstop, the final order of the race took shape. Hill scored his second consecutive victory, reducing the gap between him and Schumacher, who was finishing third. The two were accompanied by Alesi to the podium. Berger kept his championship hopes alive with his 4th position while both Lehto and Coulthard scored their first championship points in the season.
The weekend started well for Pacific. With three cars out, double qualification was secured. Again, Merse made the more of it and qualified 21st, beating Bernard in the Ligier. Gachot was 25th and last, but only a few tenths away from Alliot.
On the race, Kovacshazi made a good start, coming up 15th from 21st, then he passed Irvine and Fittipaldi while they were trying to get past the wingless Hakkinen, then joined the Martini-Katayama-Frentzen train for the next 20 laps. He passed the German with a spectacular maneuver, and was following Martini (the Minard had extraordinary top speed on this race) and Katayama, until in Lap 21 they lapped Alliot. The Frenchman didn’t pay attention and hit the Pacific’s front right Suspension with his left rear tyre. Merse angrily limped back to the pits, then rejoined 15th. After the first wave of pitstops he was back in 11th position when in Lap 31 he first spun at the Repsol right hander, then lsot it in the last corner and crashed.
Gachot had an exciting race, fighting all the way to the finish line with Alliot and finally beating him by 5 seconds, but in a race of low attrition this only meant a weak 19th position
1994 Spanish Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:34:58.923
2. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:10.057
3. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford +0:21.328
4. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:53.000
5. JJ Lehto – Benetton-Ford +1 lap
6. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +1 lap
7. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
8. Andrea de Cesaris – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap
9. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
10. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
11. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
12. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
13. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
14. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
15. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
16. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +3 laps
17. Erki Comas - Larrousse-Ford +3 laps
18. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
19. Bertrand Gachot – Pacific Ilmor +5 laps
20. Philippe Alliot – Larrousse-Ford +5 laps
DNF: Fittipaldi (L41), Herbert (L33), Kovacshazi (L31), Frentzen (L15), Blundell (L11)
DNS: Montermini
Drivers Championship – after Round 5:
1. Schumacher 30 (-)
2. Hill 20 (+1)
3. Berger 17 (-1)
4. Alesi 10 (+6)
5. Larini 8 (-1)
6. Barrichello 7 (-1)
7. Senna 6 (-1)
8. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
9. Frentzen 4 (-1)
10. Morbidelli 4 (-)
11. Martini 3 (-)
12. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
13. Irvine 2 (-)
14. Lehto
15. Katayama 2 (-1)
16. Kovacshazi 1 (-1)
17. Coulthard 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 5:
10. Ferrari 35 (-)
11. Benetton 32 (-)
12. Williams 27 (-)
13. Jordan 11 (-)
14. Sauber 10 (-)
15. Footwork 6 (-)
16. Minardi 3 (-)
17. Tyrrell 2 (-)
18. Pacific 1 (-)
Race commentaries wrote:Damon Hill (1st): “My start wasn’t too good, I had to defend against the Ferrari, but then I managed to catch up on Michael and pass him. From there I only had to pay attention to the traffic and build up a lead big enough to stay ahead of the others when they stop. We scored two victories in a row, and we’re back in the fight for the championship.”
Jean Alesi (2nd): “Finishing 2nd form 5th is a good result. My first stint wasn’t the best, I was stuck behind Gerhard and Michael, but I made my stop earlier and that helped to get ahead of them I was even leading the race, but Damon was just too fast today for us. But I’m glad that I’m finally on the podium.”
Michael Schumacher (3rd): “Well, this definitely wasn’t our best race. My start was good, but then I had troubles with the grip so everyone passed me. I knew that I have the strategic advantage, but I got stuck in the traffic and lost a lot of time and Alesi managed to stay ahead of me. We have to find back to our winning way if we want to win the championship.”
Bertrand Gachot (19th): "It was a very exciting race. Although my car wasn't too competitive, I enjoyed the fight against Alliot. We were very close to each other and we changed positions several times, but I'M glad that in the end I was ahead. This is a result we can build upon in the future. I hope that in a few races both of our cars will fight in the midfield."
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “My start was good, my car was good too. I really enjoyed the battle against Frentzen, Katayama and the Minardi, but when we lapped a Larousse it came right back at me. We collided and my frint right suspension bent. I decided to go on, but the car was very difficult to drive and it became worse every lap. Then I lost it in the fourth corner. I knew something wasn’t OK, but I decided to go on. Then I just couldn’t turn in any more and I was out. It’s a shame, but we’re already looking forward to the next grand prix.”
Next time: Was it really a restart of the season? Will Hill continue his winning stake or the new regulations will benefit Benetton more? Does Pacific really suffers that bad of the new regulations? We'll see at the home of the curling, and a legendary racing family.
Notes: I had to remove the chicane because AI cars couldn't interpret it and sooner or later one was hooked up on it. And in the next lap everyone was slamming into the poor guy and in 5 laps only a handful of cars left.
I changed the aerodynamics and weight parameters of the cars slightly to represent the changes in the rules.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Canadian GP: Business as usua
Round 6 - Canadian Grand Prix
Business as usual
The Canadian Grand Prix was, after a very long time, the first event when nothing dramatic happened. The mood in the Montreal paddock was the best since the ’93 Australian GP, except of McLaren, who were fighting with Senna for the Championship one year ago failed to score any point so far due various mechanical failures, despite both Hakkinen and Brundle were proven to be competitive on many occasions.
Montreal was the place of the first appearance of Ursa, the plush ice bear who later became mascot of Pacific Racing. Ursus, impressed by the speed and promise their protégés has shown in the two previous Grand Prix, decided to invest more, and the team was competing from the Canadian event as Ursus Pacific Grand Prix. The company also started a merchandising campaign and the 30 cm tall plush polar bear wearing a Pacific T-shirt was part of it. One of the mechanics acquired one of those bears and took it into the team’s garage where it became everyone’s favorite toy immediately. Soon it became a tradition to make photos about Ursa doing things: Ursa is driving the car, Ursa is helping to change tyres, Ursa is having coffee with Mr. Ecclestone, Ursa is sneaking up to the podium, Ursa is pouring water on hostesses, Ursa is laughing with Kovacshazi and Irvine, Ursa is skydiving, you name it.
But the true moodmakers were the Simtek employees who organized a volleyball championship for everyone who was interested in the paddock. The event was a great success with the participation of more than 20 teams, including the most prominent “Leapfrogs” of Mika Hakkinen, JJ Lehto, Keith Wiggins, David Brabhan and Brian Robins, an engineer from Simtek. The tournament was won by a team of Williams mechanics by the way.
There was only a little debate Saturday morning tainting an otherwise flawless weekend, as Pacific drivers tried to get rid of the temporary chicane after the hairpin, but they couldn’t find support for their cause. Mark Blundell argued that the two are only concerned about the chicane because they are far the slowest at that part of the track – which was occasionally true and indeed played a role in their initiative.
As it was already natural in this season, the entry list changed once again. Brabham and Brundle returned from their one race ban, de Cesaris joined to Sauber to replace Wendlinger who fortunately woke up of his coma a few days earlier.
Schumaher scored the pole ahead of Hill, the two Ferraris and the two McLarens. Coulthatd was starting from 7th and Katayama from an excellent 8th. Lehto had a horrible Saturday with various mechanical issues and qualified only 24th. The Pacifics on the other hand were in great form, Kovacshazi qualifying 20th and Gachot a season high 23rd.
Canadian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher – Benetton
2. Hill – Williams
3. Alesi – Ferrari
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Brundle - McLaren
7. Coulthard - Williams
8. Katayama - Tyrrell
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Frentzen - Sauber
11. Panis - Ligier
12. Barrichello - Jordan
13. Irvine - Jordan
14. de Cesaris - Sauber
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Bernard - Ligier
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Blundell - Tyrrell
19. Comas - Larrousse
20. Kovacshazi - Pacific
21. Zanardi - Lotus
22. Fittipaldi - Footwork
23. Gachot - Pacific
24. Lehto - Benetton
25. Alliot - Larrousse
26. Alboreto - Minardi
DNQ: Brabham
Schumacher once again performed a spectacular start while Hill was falling back to 4th, but by the end of the first lap he climbed back to 3rd. Schumacher, Berger, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen and Coulthard were the top six in the first few laps. Hill chased down Berger in lap 17, but by this time Schumacher already had a comfortable lead of more than 15 seconds. Lehto was vehemently charging through the field and was running 15th when he overcooked it at the first corner and crashed, registering his third retirement in four races. No wonder that after the weekend rumors started that Benetton would sit Verstappen back into the #6 car.
In the midfield Frentzen, Panis, Herbert and Kovacshazi fought for 9th position within 2 seconds to each other. This battle showed clearly how much a chicane can change a track’s characteristic, as the Lotus and Ligier cars couldn’t profit so much of their more powerful engines in the third stint of the track. Panis and Zanardi were the first to pit in lap 23, but surprisingly nobody followed them for a long time, contradicting to the analysts who said that it is impossible to make the race with only one stop.
Schumacher kept his leading position, but Hill was slowly closing the gap while the two Ferraris were busy keeping Coulthard at bay. The Scotsman became regularly faster, after getting rid of Hakkinen, who once again, had to retire, this time with suspension failure. With Brundle already out, this meant that the Woking outfit was yet to score their first point in 1994 and they registered their fourth double DNF in the season.
Most of the drivers made their only pitstop around lap 40. Alesi was the first among the leaders to stop for fresh tyres in lap 42, and he was clearly fastest thereafter. Coulthard and Berger reacted only 4 laps later, but it was too late. By that time the Frenchman gained more than enough time to comfortably take 3rd position. Hill also tried to do the trick with Scumacher and pitted two laps earlier than the German, but this wasn’t enough to take the lead, but with only 10 laps to go he managed to narrow his lag to 3.5 seconds. He tried everything he could to find a way around the Benetton, but Schumacher was determined to prove that he is indeed a championship contender and not only the child of fortune. Somehow he managed to keep Damon behind him till the finish line and scored his third victory, and first ever hat-trick. Behind Hill, Alesi easily kept Berger and Coulthard under control and scored his second consecutive podium finish.
The dramatic ending was provided this time by the four car fighting for the last point. Panis was 6th, but he had to make his second pitstop at lap 48 and it seemed that he disappears in the midfield. Kovacshazi found himself in 6th position to his own surprise too, after making his only pitstop as early as lap 31, and gaining a lot of time thereafter. But his tyres were already worn, and soon Frentzen and Morbidelli were on his tail. The Footwork had the latest rubbers and Gianni literally pushed HHF aside to take 7th. Kovacshazi was so slow, that even Panis, who was some 10 seconds behind, could get back to the game, which mean that four drivers were within two seconds in the last five laps.
Finally, in Lap 58 of 60, Morbidelli found a way and passed Kovacshazi when the Pacific came out from Turn 7 slipping right and left. But he couldn’t sit back because the Ford engine silently started to smoke in the last lap. This encouraged the others so much that Frentzen even tried a kamikaze action at the temporary chicane just to pass Kovacshazi and catch him. But the engine was so generous and blew only after the car passed the finish line. Morbidelli registered his third point scoring position in the season.
1994 Canadian Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:30:04.152
2. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault + 0:05.411
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari + 0:11.591
4. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari + 0:17.850
5. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault + 0:19.147
6. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford + 1:07.613
7. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor + 1:11.577
8. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes + 1:11.710
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault + 1:11.901
10. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda + 1 lap
11. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart + 1 lap
12. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes + 1 lap
13. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault + 1 lap
14. Christian Fittipalid – Footwork-Ford + 1 lap
15. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford + 1 lap
16. Philippe Alliot – Larrousse-Ford + 5 laps
17. Bertrand Gachot – Pacific-Ilmor + 5 laps
DNF: Comas (L54), Hakkinen (L40), Zanardi (L33), Katayama (L24), Blundell (L11), Brundle (L6), Alboreto (L6), Lehto (L5), Barrichello (L2)
Drivers Championship – after Round 6:
1. Schumacher 40 (-)
2. Hill 26 (-)
3. Berger 20 (-)
4. Alesi 16 (-)
5. Larini 8 (-)
6. Barrichello 7 (-)
7. Senna 6 (-) (1x 2nd)
8. Wendlinger 6 (-)
9. Morbidelli 5 (+1)
10. Frentzen 4 (-1)
11. Martini 3 (-)
12. Coulthard 3 (+5)
13. Fittipaldi 2 (-1) (1x 5th, 1x 8th)
14. Irvine 2 (-1) (1x 5th, 1x 9th)
15. Lehto 2 (-1) (1x 5th, DNF)
16. Katayama 2 (-1) (2x 6th)
17. Kovacshazi 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 6:
1. Benetton 42 (+1) (3 wins)
2. Ferrari 42 (-1) (1 win)
3. Williams 35 (-)
4. Jordan 11 (-)
5. Sauber 10 (-)
6. Footwork 7 (-)
7. Minardi 3 (-)
8. Tyrrell 2 (-)
9. Pacific 1 (-)
Notes: Of course, as always, if you want to hear more (or less) about something, don't hold yourselves back
Next time: Reality kicks in. Hard!
Business as usual
The Canadian Grand Prix was, after a very long time, the first event when nothing dramatic happened. The mood in the Montreal paddock was the best since the ’93 Australian GP, except of McLaren, who were fighting with Senna for the Championship one year ago failed to score any point so far due various mechanical failures, despite both Hakkinen and Brundle were proven to be competitive on many occasions.
Montreal was the place of the first appearance of Ursa, the plush ice bear who later became mascot of Pacific Racing. Ursus, impressed by the speed and promise their protégés has shown in the two previous Grand Prix, decided to invest more, and the team was competing from the Canadian event as Ursus Pacific Grand Prix. The company also started a merchandising campaign and the 30 cm tall plush polar bear wearing a Pacific T-shirt was part of it. One of the mechanics acquired one of those bears and took it into the team’s garage where it became everyone’s favorite toy immediately. Soon it became a tradition to make photos about Ursa doing things: Ursa is driving the car, Ursa is helping to change tyres, Ursa is having coffee with Mr. Ecclestone, Ursa is sneaking up to the podium, Ursa is pouring water on hostesses, Ursa is laughing with Kovacshazi and Irvine, Ursa is skydiving, you name it.
But the true moodmakers were the Simtek employees who organized a volleyball championship for everyone who was interested in the paddock. The event was a great success with the participation of more than 20 teams, including the most prominent “Leapfrogs” of Mika Hakkinen, JJ Lehto, Keith Wiggins, David Brabhan and Brian Robins, an engineer from Simtek. The tournament was won by a team of Williams mechanics by the way.
There was only a little debate Saturday morning tainting an otherwise flawless weekend, as Pacific drivers tried to get rid of the temporary chicane after the hairpin, but they couldn’t find support for their cause. Mark Blundell argued that the two are only concerned about the chicane because they are far the slowest at that part of the track – which was occasionally true and indeed played a role in their initiative.
As it was already natural in this season, the entry list changed once again. Brabham and Brundle returned from their one race ban, de Cesaris joined to Sauber to replace Wendlinger who fortunately woke up of his coma a few days earlier.
Schumaher scored the pole ahead of Hill, the two Ferraris and the two McLarens. Coulthatd was starting from 7th and Katayama from an excellent 8th. Lehto had a horrible Saturday with various mechanical issues and qualified only 24th. The Pacifics on the other hand were in great form, Kovacshazi qualifying 20th and Gachot a season high 23rd.
Canadian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher – Benetton
2. Hill – Williams
3. Alesi – Ferrari
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Brundle - McLaren
7. Coulthard - Williams
8. Katayama - Tyrrell
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Frentzen - Sauber
11. Panis - Ligier
12. Barrichello - Jordan
13. Irvine - Jordan
14. de Cesaris - Sauber
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Bernard - Ligier
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Blundell - Tyrrell
19. Comas - Larrousse
20. Kovacshazi - Pacific
21. Zanardi - Lotus
22. Fittipaldi - Footwork
23. Gachot - Pacific
24. Lehto - Benetton
25. Alliot - Larrousse
26. Alboreto - Minardi
DNQ: Brabham
Schumacher once again performed a spectacular start while Hill was falling back to 4th, but by the end of the first lap he climbed back to 3rd. Schumacher, Berger, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen and Coulthard were the top six in the first few laps. Hill chased down Berger in lap 17, but by this time Schumacher already had a comfortable lead of more than 15 seconds. Lehto was vehemently charging through the field and was running 15th when he overcooked it at the first corner and crashed, registering his third retirement in four races. No wonder that after the weekend rumors started that Benetton would sit Verstappen back into the #6 car.
In the midfield Frentzen, Panis, Herbert and Kovacshazi fought for 9th position within 2 seconds to each other. This battle showed clearly how much a chicane can change a track’s characteristic, as the Lotus and Ligier cars couldn’t profit so much of their more powerful engines in the third stint of the track. Panis and Zanardi were the first to pit in lap 23, but surprisingly nobody followed them for a long time, contradicting to the analysts who said that it is impossible to make the race with only one stop.
Schumacher kept his leading position, but Hill was slowly closing the gap while the two Ferraris were busy keeping Coulthard at bay. The Scotsman became regularly faster, after getting rid of Hakkinen, who once again, had to retire, this time with suspension failure. With Brundle already out, this meant that the Woking outfit was yet to score their first point in 1994 and they registered their fourth double DNF in the season.
Most of the drivers made their only pitstop around lap 40. Alesi was the first among the leaders to stop for fresh tyres in lap 42, and he was clearly fastest thereafter. Coulthard and Berger reacted only 4 laps later, but it was too late. By that time the Frenchman gained more than enough time to comfortably take 3rd position. Hill also tried to do the trick with Scumacher and pitted two laps earlier than the German, but this wasn’t enough to take the lead, but with only 10 laps to go he managed to narrow his lag to 3.5 seconds. He tried everything he could to find a way around the Benetton, but Schumacher was determined to prove that he is indeed a championship contender and not only the child of fortune. Somehow he managed to keep Damon behind him till the finish line and scored his third victory, and first ever hat-trick. Behind Hill, Alesi easily kept Berger and Coulthard under control and scored his second consecutive podium finish.
The dramatic ending was provided this time by the four car fighting for the last point. Panis was 6th, but he had to make his second pitstop at lap 48 and it seemed that he disappears in the midfield. Kovacshazi found himself in 6th position to his own surprise too, after making his only pitstop as early as lap 31, and gaining a lot of time thereafter. But his tyres were already worn, and soon Frentzen and Morbidelli were on his tail. The Footwork had the latest rubbers and Gianni literally pushed HHF aside to take 7th. Kovacshazi was so slow, that even Panis, who was some 10 seconds behind, could get back to the game, which mean that four drivers were within two seconds in the last five laps.
Finally, in Lap 58 of 60, Morbidelli found a way and passed Kovacshazi when the Pacific came out from Turn 7 slipping right and left. But he couldn’t sit back because the Ford engine silently started to smoke in the last lap. This encouraged the others so much that Frentzen even tried a kamikaze action at the temporary chicane just to pass Kovacshazi and catch him. But the engine was so generous and blew only after the car passed the finish line. Morbidelli registered his third point scoring position in the season.
1994 Canadian Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:30:04.152
2. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault + 0:05.411
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari + 0:11.591
4. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari + 0:17.850
5. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault + 0:19.147
6. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford + 1:07.613
7. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor + 1:11.577
8. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes + 1:11.710
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault + 1:11.901
10. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda + 1 lap
11. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart + 1 lap
12. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes + 1 lap
13. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault + 1 lap
14. Christian Fittipalid – Footwork-Ford + 1 lap
15. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford + 1 lap
16. Philippe Alliot – Larrousse-Ford + 5 laps
17. Bertrand Gachot – Pacific-Ilmor + 5 laps
DNF: Comas (L54), Hakkinen (L40), Zanardi (L33), Katayama (L24), Blundell (L11), Brundle (L6), Alboreto (L6), Lehto (L5), Barrichello (L2)
Drivers Championship – after Round 6:
1. Schumacher 40 (-)
2. Hill 26 (-)
3. Berger 20 (-)
4. Alesi 16 (-)
5. Larini 8 (-)
6. Barrichello 7 (-)
7. Senna 6 (-) (1x 2nd)
8. Wendlinger 6 (-)
9. Morbidelli 5 (+1)
10. Frentzen 4 (-1)
11. Martini 3 (-)
12. Coulthard 3 (+5)
13. Fittipaldi 2 (-1) (1x 5th, 1x 8th)
14. Irvine 2 (-1) (1x 5th, 1x 9th)
15. Lehto 2 (-1) (1x 5th, DNF)
16. Katayama 2 (-1) (2x 6th)
17. Kovacshazi 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 6:
1. Benetton 42 (+1) (3 wins)
2. Ferrari 42 (-1) (1 win)
3. Williams 35 (-)
4. Jordan 11 (-)
5. Sauber 10 (-)
6. Footwork 7 (-)
7. Minardi 3 (-)
8. Tyrrell 2 (-)
9. Pacific 1 (-)
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “This was a great race. I had no problems at all, everything worked perfectly from the start. At the end it was difficult to keep Damon behind me, but I did it, and it’s great to be back on the top of the podium.”
Damon Hill (2nd): “My start was very bad, it is incredible how fast the Ferraris are at the starts. I passed both of them later, but Michael was already too far by then, and all I could do was to close the gap. We’re happy for the podium, this is our third podium finish in a row, so we’re definitely fast, and we’re running for the championship.”
Jean Alesi (3rd): “I am satisfied with the result. I was running 4th, but we decided with my chief mechanic to stop a few laps earlier than we planned and it worked, I could pass Gerhard who I couldn’t overtake on the track. But we’re still far from Michael and Damon, so we have to work hard.”
Merse Kovacshazi (7th): “It doesn’t seem from outside, but it was a pretty simple race. I had a good start, then I was in a train with Panis and Frentzen. Our strategy was to stop at half distance and I was surprised that nobody else did so. This was proven to be a big advantage for us, but my tyres run out for the last few laps, so I had a very difficult time keeping the others behind me. Unfortunately Gianni found a way and then his car didn’t break down…” (Morbidelli leans ahead of the camera with thumbs up: “Good car! Good car!” Kovacshazi pushes him away laughing) “…Yeah… So, I finished 7th, I think that’s great… HEY!” (Morbidelli pours a bucket of water on him and runs) “Sorry… Come back here!!!” (Runs after him)
Notes: Of course, as always, if you want to hear more (or less) about something, don't hold yourselves back
Next time: Reality kicks in. Hard!
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – French GP: Storm clouds
Round 7 - French Grand Prix
Clouds, covering the sky
The greatest news of Formula 1 before the French Grand Prix was the return of Nigel Mansell, although it was only a one-race occasion, mostly for promotional reasons for Renault. The British Lion made it clear that he is focusing on his IndyCar season, and he won’t be a recurring driver for Williams until the American championship is over.
Benetton showed the door for Lehto and called back Verstappen into the #6 car. Olivier Beretta returned after his three race ban, while Andrea de Cesaris prepared to celebrate his 200th Grand Prix start (if he manages to qualify).
The Williamses were dominating the first two free practice sessions, followed by Schumacher with a gap of more than half a second. Jordan seemed to be especially competitive, finishing with both cars in Top 8 on the first session, and putting Barrichello as high as 6th on the second one. Pacific was looking forward to a comfortable qualification with Kovacshazi, and great chances with Gachot to beat the Simteks.
This was all true until five minutes before the pre-qualifying session a huge thunderstorm hit the track. Most of the teams were well-prepared for this kind of situations. Even Simtek had a test session during a rainy day in Silverstone, back in February, but for Pacific this was literally, a first toe into the water. With only 12 laps for each driver to do, the team faced not only with the lack of data from a wet track, but also with the serious shortcomings of the PR01 which became more than obvious in the rain. The result: both cars were more than 4 seconds off, even for the Simteks, which meant that the team registered its first double DNQ, and an early packing. As a comparison, Kovacshazi was about 1.5-2 seconds, Gachot about 3 tenth faster than the Simteks on a dry track.
Pacific test driver Paul Belmondo commented that he could have done THAT much with the car, but he is confident because he’ll soon have the opportunity to prove his word.
But for Merse, this weekend remained memorable for another reason. He happened to meet with one Juliette Majorin, age of 19, brown hair, green eyes, and a figure you won’t forget overnight, and incidentally the daughter of a certain Francois Majorin, at that time, deputy executive of Renault Sport, and who thought, it would be a great idea to watch the French GP with his whole family from the Paddock. But young Juliette couldn’t be less interested in Formula 1, so she was mostly sitting at the bar sipping cocktails, or looking for the company of some celebrities.
The two met the first time there at Friday afternoon. Later they left together and spent the evening at Nevers. She didn’t know anything of Formula One, so she didn’t recognize the racing driver in him, and he somewhat forgot to mention it what role exactly he has in Pacific Racing. They met again on Saturday morning, and left together again after the prequalification, this time for Marseille, for the rest of the weekend. This rush of romance later became one of the beloved topics of the gossipers.
Back to Formula 1, the rain didn’t stop until the qualifying session. Schumacher has already proven that he loves the rain almost as much as the late Ayrton Senna, and so he scored the Pole with almost a second ahead of Mansell and Hill. Mika Hakkinen, after showing a disappointing performance on Friday, now qualified 5th, between the two Ferraris.
French Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher – Benetton
2. Mansell – Williams
3. Hill – Williams
4. Alesi – Ferrari
5. Hakkinen – McLaren
6. Berger – Ferrari
7. Frentzen - Sauber
8. Barrichello - Jordan
9. Irvine - Jordan
10. Blundell - Tyrrell
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Verstappen - Benetton
14. Panis - Ligier
15. Morbidelli - Fottwork
16. Fittipaldi - Footwork
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Martini - Minardi
19. Alboreto - Minardi
20. Zanardi - Lotus
21. Comas - Larrousse
22. Beretta - Larrousse
23. de Cesaris - Sauber
24. Bernard - Ligier
25. Brabham - Simtek
26. Gounon - Simtek
DNQ: Gachot, Kovacshazi
The race started under heavy clouds. It wasn’t the question if, but when the rain would begin to fall, everything was perfect for a wacky race.
Schumacher got away clearly in P1 while Mansel must have misunderstand his role in Team Williams because he almost pushed Hill off the track when he was defending his second position. Behind them Alesi tangled with Irvine. The Ulsterman lost his front wing, while the local hero fell back to 17th position.
Schumacher was pulling away while Mansel held up Hill, Breger and Hakkinen, despite the continous orders from the pit wall. Barrichello had a cnmfortable 6th, leaving Verstappen, Morbidelli and Frentzen behind. A thte back of the field, the Simteks shown the first signs of competitiveness, having the upper hand over the two Lotuses, both Larousses and Panis, who spun, trying to avoid Brundle, who left the track in the Nürburgring chicane.
Alesi made a heroic comeback, he was already 8th, but then he crashed out because of a brake failure, talking Morbidelli with him.
The standings in the top 6 didn’t change until lap 15, when Hill’s Renault engine consumed the last drop of fuel. Damon had to pit, and there was still no rain. His strategy now ruined by both the weather and his team mate, he rejoined 10th – just to witness as the first drops start soaking the track …
Everyone was heading to the pits for fresh tires, but Mansell, who decided to save one pitstop and soldiered on with dry rubbers, so he of course took the lead with 20 seconds ahead of Schumacher, but the German was 1-2 seconds faster per lap than him. There was no way he could get away like this. Two laps later he was forced to stop for wet tires as well, but by that time he fell back to 4th, behind Berger and Hakkinen. Barrichello and Verstappen occupied the last point scoring positions, with Hill in a distant 7th position.
We always knew that Masell tends to make mistakes when it rains, and so did he in lap 26, spinning and hitting the wall coming out from Turn 9. To be completely fair, there must have been something on the track there because two laps later Blundell and Gounon hit the wall just like he did. The race directors said enough at this point and the Safety Car was deployed the first time since the dreadful San Marino Grand Prix.
Williams made a quick choice and called in Hill for his third pitstop, but this time, filling up with enough fuel till the end of the race, but sending him back behind Frentzen into 7th position. With no weather change to be expected this seemed to be the chance to get Damon back into the game.
The Safety Car stayed out for 17 long laps. It took a lot of time to clear the track and rebuild the damaged tire barrier, tortured by three high speed collision, then the marshals wanted to wait until the weather gets better. Lap passed after lap and team leaders started to complain, as only one car had enough fuel to finish the race, and the rest had to stop very soon.
When Beretta and Brundle decided to hit the pit even behind the Safety Car, the marshals had no choice left. Althoug the two didn’t gain too much with their action, as the field was cut in half by the SC so that they lost almost a whole lap to the car ahead of them, it became clear that the race either has to be stopped or continued at normal pace. Fortunately the second option was realized in lap 46.
The leaders dictated an insane pace from the first corner, Schumacher making qualification laps for the next 11 laps, but even that wasn’t enough to keep Hill behind. When everyone stopped the Williams calmly crawled to the first position, with Schumacher 6, and Berger 11 seconds behind. But even lapping behind the Safety Car produces tire wear, and Hill was slower with more than half a second on his used tires.
Schumacher and Berger were slowly but surely gaining on the leading Williams. The gap between the first two was closed in lap 65 of the 72 lap race. Hill did whatever he could, but his tires were wearing out rapidly. The decisive moment came in lap 70 at the Adelaide corner. Schumacher made a late overtaking maneuver, and Hill run off the track to avoid the collision, giving a golden opportunity to Berger to pass him. With his slightly controversial action Schumacher got his second consecutive victory, and sixth consecutive podium finish. He was followed by Berger, Hill, to the podium. The ice was finally broken for McLaren as Hakkinen scored their first points with his 4th position.
1994 French Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 72 laps, 1:54:23.930
2. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari + 0:04.314
3. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault + 0:09.799
4. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot + 0:49.735
5. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart + 0:59.911
6. Jos Verstappen – Benetton-Ford + 1:11.111
7. Heinz-Harland Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes + 1:19.226
8. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot + 1 lap
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault + 1 lap
10. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford + 2 laps
11. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford + 2 laps
12. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault + 2 laps
13. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda + 2 laps
14. Olivier Beretta – Larrousse-Ford + 3 laps
15. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford + 4 laps
16. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda + 4 laps
DNF: Gounon (L28), Blundell (L27), Mansell (L26), Morbidelli (L16), Alesi (L16), de Cesaris (L15), Comas (L13), Irvine (L12), Katayama (L6), Fittipaldi (L3)
Drivers Championship – after Round 7:
1. Schumacher 50 (-)
2. Hill 30 (-)
3. Berger 26 (-)
4. Alesi 16 (-)
5. Barrichello 9 (+1)
6. Larini 8 (-1)
7. Senna 6 (-)
8. Wendlinger 6 (-)
9. Morbidelli 5 (-)
10. Frentzen 4 (-)
11. Martini 3 (-)
12. Hakkinen 3
13. Coulthard 3 (-1)
14. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
15. Irvine 2 (-1)
16. Lehto 2 (-1)
17. Katayama 2 (-1)
18. Kovacshazi 1 (-1)
19. Verstappen 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 7:
10. Benetton 53 (-)
11. Ferrari 48 (-)
12. Williams 39 (-)
13. Jordan 13 (-)
14. Sauber 10 (-)
15. Footwork 7 (-)
16. McLaren 3
17. Minardi 3 (-1)
18. Tyrrell 2 (-1)
19. Pacific 1 (-1)
Clouds, covering the sky
The greatest news of Formula 1 before the French Grand Prix was the return of Nigel Mansell, although it was only a one-race occasion, mostly for promotional reasons for Renault. The British Lion made it clear that he is focusing on his IndyCar season, and he won’t be a recurring driver for Williams until the American championship is over.
Benetton showed the door for Lehto and called back Verstappen into the #6 car. Olivier Beretta returned after his three race ban, while Andrea de Cesaris prepared to celebrate his 200th Grand Prix start (if he manages to qualify).
The Williamses were dominating the first two free practice sessions, followed by Schumacher with a gap of more than half a second. Jordan seemed to be especially competitive, finishing with both cars in Top 8 on the first session, and putting Barrichello as high as 6th on the second one. Pacific was looking forward to a comfortable qualification with Kovacshazi, and great chances with Gachot to beat the Simteks.
This was all true until five minutes before the pre-qualifying session a huge thunderstorm hit the track. Most of the teams were well-prepared for this kind of situations. Even Simtek had a test session during a rainy day in Silverstone, back in February, but for Pacific this was literally, a first toe into the water. With only 12 laps for each driver to do, the team faced not only with the lack of data from a wet track, but also with the serious shortcomings of the PR01 which became more than obvious in the rain. The result: both cars were more than 4 seconds off, even for the Simteks, which meant that the team registered its first double DNQ, and an early packing. As a comparison, Kovacshazi was about 1.5-2 seconds, Gachot about 3 tenth faster than the Simteks on a dry track.
Pacific test driver Paul Belmondo commented that he could have done THAT much with the car, but he is confident because he’ll soon have the opportunity to prove his word.
But for Merse, this weekend remained memorable for another reason. He happened to meet with one Juliette Majorin, age of 19, brown hair, green eyes, and a figure you won’t forget overnight, and incidentally the daughter of a certain Francois Majorin, at that time, deputy executive of Renault Sport, and who thought, it would be a great idea to watch the French GP with his whole family from the Paddock. But young Juliette couldn’t be less interested in Formula 1, so she was mostly sitting at the bar sipping cocktails, or looking for the company of some celebrities.
The two met the first time there at Friday afternoon. Later they left together and spent the evening at Nevers. She didn’t know anything of Formula One, so she didn’t recognize the racing driver in him, and he somewhat forgot to mention it what role exactly he has in Pacific Racing. They met again on Saturday morning, and left together again after the prequalification, this time for Marseille, for the rest of the weekend. This rush of romance later became one of the beloved topics of the gossipers.
Back to Formula 1, the rain didn’t stop until the qualifying session. Schumacher has already proven that he loves the rain almost as much as the late Ayrton Senna, and so he scored the Pole with almost a second ahead of Mansell and Hill. Mika Hakkinen, after showing a disappointing performance on Friday, now qualified 5th, between the two Ferraris.
French Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher – Benetton
2. Mansell – Williams
3. Hill – Williams
4. Alesi – Ferrari
5. Hakkinen – McLaren
6. Berger – Ferrari
7. Frentzen - Sauber
8. Barrichello - Jordan
9. Irvine - Jordan
10. Blundell - Tyrrell
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Verstappen - Benetton
14. Panis - Ligier
15. Morbidelli - Fottwork
16. Fittipaldi - Footwork
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Martini - Minardi
19. Alboreto - Minardi
20. Zanardi - Lotus
21. Comas - Larrousse
22. Beretta - Larrousse
23. de Cesaris - Sauber
24. Bernard - Ligier
25. Brabham - Simtek
26. Gounon - Simtek
DNQ: Gachot, Kovacshazi
The race started under heavy clouds. It wasn’t the question if, but when the rain would begin to fall, everything was perfect for a wacky race.
Schumacher got away clearly in P1 while Mansel must have misunderstand his role in Team Williams because he almost pushed Hill off the track when he was defending his second position. Behind them Alesi tangled with Irvine. The Ulsterman lost his front wing, while the local hero fell back to 17th position.
Schumacher was pulling away while Mansel held up Hill, Breger and Hakkinen, despite the continous orders from the pit wall. Barrichello had a cnmfortable 6th, leaving Verstappen, Morbidelli and Frentzen behind. A thte back of the field, the Simteks shown the first signs of competitiveness, having the upper hand over the two Lotuses, both Larousses and Panis, who spun, trying to avoid Brundle, who left the track in the Nürburgring chicane.
Alesi made a heroic comeback, he was already 8th, but then he crashed out because of a brake failure, talking Morbidelli with him.
The standings in the top 6 didn’t change until lap 15, when Hill’s Renault engine consumed the last drop of fuel. Damon had to pit, and there was still no rain. His strategy now ruined by both the weather and his team mate, he rejoined 10th – just to witness as the first drops start soaking the track …
Everyone was heading to the pits for fresh tires, but Mansell, who decided to save one pitstop and soldiered on with dry rubbers, so he of course took the lead with 20 seconds ahead of Schumacher, but the German was 1-2 seconds faster per lap than him. There was no way he could get away like this. Two laps later he was forced to stop for wet tires as well, but by that time he fell back to 4th, behind Berger and Hakkinen. Barrichello and Verstappen occupied the last point scoring positions, with Hill in a distant 7th position.
We always knew that Masell tends to make mistakes when it rains, and so did he in lap 26, spinning and hitting the wall coming out from Turn 9. To be completely fair, there must have been something on the track there because two laps later Blundell and Gounon hit the wall just like he did. The race directors said enough at this point and the Safety Car was deployed the first time since the dreadful San Marino Grand Prix.
Williams made a quick choice and called in Hill for his third pitstop, but this time, filling up with enough fuel till the end of the race, but sending him back behind Frentzen into 7th position. With no weather change to be expected this seemed to be the chance to get Damon back into the game.
The Safety Car stayed out for 17 long laps. It took a lot of time to clear the track and rebuild the damaged tire barrier, tortured by three high speed collision, then the marshals wanted to wait until the weather gets better. Lap passed after lap and team leaders started to complain, as only one car had enough fuel to finish the race, and the rest had to stop very soon.
When Beretta and Brundle decided to hit the pit even behind the Safety Car, the marshals had no choice left. Althoug the two didn’t gain too much with their action, as the field was cut in half by the SC so that they lost almost a whole lap to the car ahead of them, it became clear that the race either has to be stopped or continued at normal pace. Fortunately the second option was realized in lap 46.
The leaders dictated an insane pace from the first corner, Schumacher making qualification laps for the next 11 laps, but even that wasn’t enough to keep Hill behind. When everyone stopped the Williams calmly crawled to the first position, with Schumacher 6, and Berger 11 seconds behind. But even lapping behind the Safety Car produces tire wear, and Hill was slower with more than half a second on his used tires.
Schumacher and Berger were slowly but surely gaining on the leading Williams. The gap between the first two was closed in lap 65 of the 72 lap race. Hill did whatever he could, but his tires were wearing out rapidly. The decisive moment came in lap 70 at the Adelaide corner. Schumacher made a late overtaking maneuver, and Hill run off the track to avoid the collision, giving a golden opportunity to Berger to pass him. With his slightly controversial action Schumacher got his second consecutive victory, and sixth consecutive podium finish. He was followed by Berger, Hill, to the podium. The ice was finally broken for McLaren as Hakkinen scored their first points with his 4th position.
1994 French Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 72 laps, 1:54:23.930
2. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari + 0:04.314
3. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault + 0:09.799
4. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot + 0:49.735
5. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart + 0:59.911
6. Jos Verstappen – Benetton-Ford + 1:11.111
7. Heinz-Harland Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes + 1:19.226
8. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot + 1 lap
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault + 1 lap
10. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford + 2 laps
11. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford + 2 laps
12. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault + 2 laps
13. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda + 2 laps
14. Olivier Beretta – Larrousse-Ford + 3 laps
15. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford + 4 laps
16. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda + 4 laps
DNF: Gounon (L28), Blundell (L27), Mansell (L26), Morbidelli (L16), Alesi (L16), de Cesaris (L15), Comas (L13), Irvine (L12), Katayama (L6), Fittipaldi (L3)
Drivers Championship – after Round 7:
1. Schumacher 50 (-)
2. Hill 30 (-)
3. Berger 26 (-)
4. Alesi 16 (-)
5. Barrichello 9 (+1)
6. Larini 8 (-1)
7. Senna 6 (-)
8. Wendlinger 6 (-)
9. Morbidelli 5 (-)
10. Frentzen 4 (-)
11. Martini 3 (-)
12. Hakkinen 3
13. Coulthard 3 (-1)
14. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
15. Irvine 2 (-1)
16. Lehto 2 (-1)
17. Katayama 2 (-1)
18. Kovacshazi 1 (-1)
19. Verstappen 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 7:
10. Benetton 53 (-)
11. Ferrari 48 (-)
12. Williams 39 (-)
13. Jordan 13 (-)
14. Sauber 10 (-)
15. Footwork 7 (-)
16. McLaren 3
17. Minardi 3 (-1)
18. Tyrrell 2 (-1)
19. Pacific 1 (-1)
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “This was really a crazy race with the rain and the crashes. I think it was a good decision to send in the Safety Car but they let it in for way too long. This almost cost us the victory, but then I got the new tires and I was way faster than Hill, so I passed him, then I saw him leaving the track. It’s great to win again, we extended our lead in the championship. We’re looking forward to Silverstone.”
Gerhard Berger (2nd): “My start was good, I passed both Hakkinen and Alesi, but I couldn’t keep up the pace with the Benetton and the Williams in the dry. It changed when it started to rain. I knew I was faster than Nigel, and maybe faster even than Michael, but I lost a lot of time in the traffic, and then the Safety Car messed up our race. Later I saw that Michael and Damon are fighting and Damon slips off the track, so eventually I got 2nd. This is a great result for us.”
Damon Hill (3rd): “I thought we had a winning strategy here, but the rain came one lap late. At that time I thought it was over. I was 10th or so, way behind everybody, but then the team made the best decision and called me in when the Safety Car came. I knew it will be difficult to hold off the others at the end, and I was doing fine, but then Michael made a crazy maneuver and I had to leave the track to avoid the crash. I lost two positions with it.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNQ): “Our weekend was fine until the rain came. In the rain the car was uncontrollable, we were slower than F-3000 cars, which is unacceptable. We have to find a solution because we won’t have a chance If it starts raining again.”
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Biriths GP: Encore
Round 8 - British Grand Prix
Encore
Welcome to Silverstone, the birthplace of Formula 1! This classic circuit is one of the iconic venues of the season, despite having rather outdated facilities. This is also Damon Hill’s home Grand Prix and everyone expected from the Williams driver to reduce his 20 points backlog to Michael Schumacher with a great victory.
It was a special weekend for Pacific as well, as they finally introduced their first upgrade on the PR01. There were minor changes to increase reliability in Imola, and the obligatory modifications after that weekend, but this was the first time the team could focus on boosting the performance of the car. The new component was merely a panel to cover the gearbox from the sides. This part of the chassis was originally left open to reduce weight and improve cooling, but with the changed regulations the cooling requirement of the engines lowered. The new part was to reduce drag and improve airflow at the end of the diffuser and around the rear suspension. This, and the fact that Juliette agreed to accompany him to England made our hero's mood great, despite the fiasco in France two weeks ago.
The weekend was a real Hill-fiesta. Jovial British ladies and gentlemen arrived in the numbers of hundreds of thousands to support their aspiring champion, but Schumacher didn’t seem to care about British interests or German-British relations and got the poles position with two tenth of a second ahead of Hill. Verstappen finished an impressive third, ahead of Coulthard, Berger, Alesi, Hakkinen and Morbidelli. Pacific seemed competitive during the practice sessions, but they fell back in the qualifying, Kovacshazi finished only 23rd and Gachot 28th, DNQ, alongside Gounon.
British Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Verstappen - Benetton
4. Coulthard - Williams
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Morbidelli - Footwork
9. Brundle - McLaren
10. Fittipaldi - Footwork
11. Barrichello - Jordan
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. de Cesaris - Sauber
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Alboreto - Minardi
17. Irvine - Jordan
18. Herbert - Lotus
19. Blundell - Tyrrell
20. Comas - Larrousse
21. Panis - Ligier
22. Bernard - Ligier
23. Kovacshazi - Pacific
24. Brabham - Simtek
25. Beretta - Larrousse
26. Zanardi - Lotus
DNQ: Gounon, Gachot
Coulhard waved his hands vehemently at the start, but the red lights were already out and the race started. Fortunately everyone managed to avoid the stalled Williams, and David had to gave up his home GP without leaving his starting position. Berger made a miraculous start and while Hill was occupied with the two Benettons, he passed all of them and turned first into Maggotts, followed by Schumacher, Hill, Verstappen, Alesi and Hakkinen. The Austrian was slowly pulling away from Schumacher who barely could keep Hill behind.
In lap 12 Verstappen stopped at the start/finish line with suspension failure, handing over 4th to Alesi, 5th to Hakkinen and 6th to Brundle. Berger was easing off the pace, and within two laps Schumacher and Hill were on his tail. The first three were within one second, but there was no way around the Ferrari, so Hill made a quick strategic choice and hit the pits in lap 20, rejoining 5th, just ahead of Fittipaldi, and most importantly, with a clear track ahead of him. Schumacher reacted two laps later, but it was too late, he came back 5 seconds behind the Williams.
The chase for the lead had drawn all attention form the two Tyrrells, although they were providing a great show, overtaking back and forth in almost every corner for several laps. Their battle was ended with Katayama’s brakes giving up in lap 21.
By lap 25 it was clear that some, including the two Ferraris plan to stop only once, while the others would twice. With everyone only one more stop to make the Ferrari duo found themselves in the lead, Berger about 8 seconds ahead of Alesi, followed by Hill 5 more seconds behind. Schumacher was 4th with a 7 seconds gap, then came Hakkinen and the group of Barrichello, Martini, Frentzen, Fittipaldi and Blundell.
Hill was catching up on Alesi fast, and with a daring maneuver, he passed the Ferrari in the ultra fast Copse corner in lap 31. By this time the Ferraris were slowing back drastically and the team made an unusual choice and called both cars into the pits at the same lap. Thanks to the mechanic’s exceptional work, both pit stop were done flawlessly and the two cars rejoined 4th and 5th. Berger was very fast and it wasn’t a question that he could beat Schumacher, but if he could catch Hill. Unfortunately we will never know, because the #28 Ferrari got stuck in 4th gear and Gerhard had to retire in lap 36. Schumacher joined him in lap 45 when he fell victim of a rare technical failure of the B194. Hill suddenly found himself unchallenged, with and Alesi and Hakkinen battling more than 20 seconds behind him. Mika had fresher tires but the Ferrari wasn’t easy to pass, but eventually he squeezed through in lap 58.
With most of the leading drivers out, it was a chance for the smaller teams to grab some points. Barrichello stopped only once and had a comfortable lead in 4th position ahead of Blundell, who got new tires for the last 20 laps but was focusing on getting his 021 home. Once again, the real show was rolling for the last point scoring place.
Fittipaldi was 6th followed from 10 seconds by Irvine, Herbert, de Cesaris and Kovacshazi all separated by a few seconds, and the Hungarian chased by Martini. The gaps were slowly closing, but Fittipaldi’s 6th position wasn’t in danger. Then his suspension collapsed and the chase suddenly was for a point! Irvine lost control and crashed one lap later. Herbert inherited 6th, but his Mugen engine gave up with only 6 laps to go. De Cesaris could have get the one point, but he run wide in Copse letting both Kovacshazi and Martini pass. But the Minardi didn't seem to have the potential to pass, and the standings didn’t change till the finish line. Kovacshazi finished 6th the second time in his debut season, on a track where Pacific didn’t seem competitive.
The grand stands virtually exploded as Hill crossed the finish line and won his first British Grand Prix. With his victory he massively reduced his gap to Michael Schumacher in the world championship. Hakkinen scored his best result so far with his second position. With Jean Alesi third, Ferrari kept his second place in the constructor’s championship, where difference between the first (Benetton) and third (Williams) is now only 4 points. Mark Blundell registered his first race finish in this season and impressively scored two points right away.
1994 British Grand Prix – Final Results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:32:23.057
2. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot +0:38.369
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:57.743
4. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
5. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
6. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
7. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
8. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
9. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +2 laps
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier Ford +2 laps
11. Olivier Beretta – Larrousse-Ford +2 laps
12. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
DNF: Herbert (L59), Irvine (L57), Fittipaldi (L56), Bernard (L56), Schumaeher (L41), Berger (L36), Frentzen (L31), Brabham (L24), Alboreto (L22), Brundle (L22), Katayama (L21), Verstappen (L13), Morbidelli (L12), Coulthard (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 8
1. Schumacher 50 (-)
2. Hill 40 (-)
3. Berger 26 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 12 (-)
6. Hakkinen 9 (+6)
7. Larini 8 (-1)
8. Senna 6 (-1)
9. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
10. Morbidelli 5 (-1)
11. Frentzen 4 (-1)
12. Martini 3 (-1)
13. Coulthard 3 (-)
14. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
15. Irvine 2 (-)
16. Bulndell 2
17. Lehto 2 (-1)
18. Katayama 2 (-1)
19. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
20. Verstappen 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 8
1. Benetton 53 (-)
2. Ferrari 52 (-)
3. Williams 49 (-)
4. Jordan 16 (-)
5. Sauber 10 (-)
6. McLaren 9 (+1)
7. Footwork 7 (-1)
8. Tyrrell 4 (+1)
9. Minardi 3 (-1)
10. Pacific 2 (-1)
Next: Treachery! Will politics and machinations break our hero's career before it really started?
Encore
Welcome to Silverstone, the birthplace of Formula 1! This classic circuit is one of the iconic venues of the season, despite having rather outdated facilities. This is also Damon Hill’s home Grand Prix and everyone expected from the Williams driver to reduce his 20 points backlog to Michael Schumacher with a great victory.
It was a special weekend for Pacific as well, as they finally introduced their first upgrade on the PR01. There were minor changes to increase reliability in Imola, and the obligatory modifications after that weekend, but this was the first time the team could focus on boosting the performance of the car. The new component was merely a panel to cover the gearbox from the sides. This part of the chassis was originally left open to reduce weight and improve cooling, but with the changed regulations the cooling requirement of the engines lowered. The new part was to reduce drag and improve airflow at the end of the diffuser and around the rear suspension. This, and the fact that Juliette agreed to accompany him to England made our hero's mood great, despite the fiasco in France two weeks ago.
The weekend was a real Hill-fiesta. Jovial British ladies and gentlemen arrived in the numbers of hundreds of thousands to support their aspiring champion, but Schumacher didn’t seem to care about British interests or German-British relations and got the poles position with two tenth of a second ahead of Hill. Verstappen finished an impressive third, ahead of Coulthard, Berger, Alesi, Hakkinen and Morbidelli. Pacific seemed competitive during the practice sessions, but they fell back in the qualifying, Kovacshazi finished only 23rd and Gachot 28th, DNQ, alongside Gounon.
British Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Verstappen - Benetton
4. Coulthard - Williams
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Morbidelli - Footwork
9. Brundle - McLaren
10. Fittipaldi - Footwork
11. Barrichello - Jordan
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. de Cesaris - Sauber
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Alboreto - Minardi
17. Irvine - Jordan
18. Herbert - Lotus
19. Blundell - Tyrrell
20. Comas - Larrousse
21. Panis - Ligier
22. Bernard - Ligier
23. Kovacshazi - Pacific
24. Brabham - Simtek
25. Beretta - Larrousse
26. Zanardi - Lotus
DNQ: Gounon, Gachot
Coulhard waved his hands vehemently at the start, but the red lights were already out and the race started. Fortunately everyone managed to avoid the stalled Williams, and David had to gave up his home GP without leaving his starting position. Berger made a miraculous start and while Hill was occupied with the two Benettons, he passed all of them and turned first into Maggotts, followed by Schumacher, Hill, Verstappen, Alesi and Hakkinen. The Austrian was slowly pulling away from Schumacher who barely could keep Hill behind.
In lap 12 Verstappen stopped at the start/finish line with suspension failure, handing over 4th to Alesi, 5th to Hakkinen and 6th to Brundle. Berger was easing off the pace, and within two laps Schumacher and Hill were on his tail. The first three were within one second, but there was no way around the Ferrari, so Hill made a quick strategic choice and hit the pits in lap 20, rejoining 5th, just ahead of Fittipaldi, and most importantly, with a clear track ahead of him. Schumacher reacted two laps later, but it was too late, he came back 5 seconds behind the Williams.
The chase for the lead had drawn all attention form the two Tyrrells, although they were providing a great show, overtaking back and forth in almost every corner for several laps. Their battle was ended with Katayama’s brakes giving up in lap 21.
By lap 25 it was clear that some, including the two Ferraris plan to stop only once, while the others would twice. With everyone only one more stop to make the Ferrari duo found themselves in the lead, Berger about 8 seconds ahead of Alesi, followed by Hill 5 more seconds behind. Schumacher was 4th with a 7 seconds gap, then came Hakkinen and the group of Barrichello, Martini, Frentzen, Fittipaldi and Blundell.
Hill was catching up on Alesi fast, and with a daring maneuver, he passed the Ferrari in the ultra fast Copse corner in lap 31. By this time the Ferraris were slowing back drastically and the team made an unusual choice and called both cars into the pits at the same lap. Thanks to the mechanic’s exceptional work, both pit stop were done flawlessly and the two cars rejoined 4th and 5th. Berger was very fast and it wasn’t a question that he could beat Schumacher, but if he could catch Hill. Unfortunately we will never know, because the #28 Ferrari got stuck in 4th gear and Gerhard had to retire in lap 36. Schumacher joined him in lap 45 when he fell victim of a rare technical failure of the B194. Hill suddenly found himself unchallenged, with and Alesi and Hakkinen battling more than 20 seconds behind him. Mika had fresher tires but the Ferrari wasn’t easy to pass, but eventually he squeezed through in lap 58.
With most of the leading drivers out, it was a chance for the smaller teams to grab some points. Barrichello stopped only once and had a comfortable lead in 4th position ahead of Blundell, who got new tires for the last 20 laps but was focusing on getting his 021 home. Once again, the real show was rolling for the last point scoring place.
Fittipaldi was 6th followed from 10 seconds by Irvine, Herbert, de Cesaris and Kovacshazi all separated by a few seconds, and the Hungarian chased by Martini. The gaps were slowly closing, but Fittipaldi’s 6th position wasn’t in danger. Then his suspension collapsed and the chase suddenly was for a point! Irvine lost control and crashed one lap later. Herbert inherited 6th, but his Mugen engine gave up with only 6 laps to go. De Cesaris could have get the one point, but he run wide in Copse letting both Kovacshazi and Martini pass. But the Minardi didn't seem to have the potential to pass, and the standings didn’t change till the finish line. Kovacshazi finished 6th the second time in his debut season, on a track where Pacific didn’t seem competitive.
The grand stands virtually exploded as Hill crossed the finish line and won his first British Grand Prix. With his victory he massively reduced his gap to Michael Schumacher in the world championship. Hakkinen scored his best result so far with his second position. With Jean Alesi third, Ferrari kept his second place in the constructor’s championship, where difference between the first (Benetton) and third (Williams) is now only 4 points. Mark Blundell registered his first race finish in this season and impressively scored two points right away.
1994 British Grand Prix – Final Results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:32:23.057
2. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot +0:38.369
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:57.743
4. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
5. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
6. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
7. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
8. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
9. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +2 laps
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier Ford +2 laps
11. Olivier Beretta – Larrousse-Ford +2 laps
12. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
DNF: Herbert (L59), Irvine (L57), Fittipaldi (L56), Bernard (L56), Schumaeher (L41), Berger (L36), Frentzen (L31), Brabham (L24), Alboreto (L22), Brundle (L22), Katayama (L21), Verstappen (L13), Morbidelli (L12), Coulthard (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 8
1. Schumacher 50 (-)
2. Hill 40 (-)
3. Berger 26 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 12 (-)
6. Hakkinen 9 (+6)
7. Larini 8 (-1)
8. Senna 6 (-1)
9. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
10. Morbidelli 5 (-1)
11. Frentzen 4 (-1)
12. Martini 3 (-1)
13. Coulthard 3 (-)
14. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
15. Irvine 2 (-)
16. Bulndell 2
17. Lehto 2 (-1)
18. Katayama 2 (-1)
19. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
20. Verstappen 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 8
1. Benetton 53 (-)
2. Ferrari 52 (-)
3. Williams 49 (-)
4. Jordan 16 (-)
5. Sauber 10 (-)
6. McLaren 9 (+1)
7. Footwork 7 (-1)
8. Tyrrell 4 (+1)
9. Minardi 3 (-1)
10. Pacific 2 (-1)
Race commentaries wrote:Damon Hill (1st): “Awesome race, the crowd was just fantastic! I knew I can be faster than Michael and Gerhard but it was impossible to overtake them, so we changed our strategy a bit and it worked perfectly. I want to thank the spectators for their support, it helped me a lot and it’s a great feeling to win on home soil.”
Mika Hakkinen (2nd): “We had a great race here. Finally everything worked perfectly, we knew we are fast and we knew we could beat at least one of the Ferraris and that’s exactly what we did. I felt really good in the car and we’ll try to build on our performance here in the upcoming races.”
Jean Alesi (3rd): “It was a good race, it’s good to stand on the podium again. We had a different strategy and it worked for Gerhard but it didn’t for me so we’ll have to look into this quickly. In Germany I hope we’ll be more competitive and we will fight for the victory again.”
Merse Kovacshazi (6th): “I had a very exciting first few laps, I really enjoyed driving on the track and I had some great battles. Then I had to leave the track in Maggotts to avoid a Minardi who was very slow there, so I fell back a bit. We had slightly prolonged pitstops so I mostly lapped alone in the middle part of the race and then it seemed that we could have a nice top 10 finish, but then the others just started to drop out and suddenly I was in 6th. It’s a great surprise, maybe we wasn’t fast enough today, but we finished the race while others didn’t.”
Next: Treachery! Will politics and machinations break our hero's career before it really started?
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – British GP: Encore!
Having just read this all the way through, I must say this is incredibly well-written. And a very gripping story as well.
A shame it seems that Pacific are now struggling in qualifying, but then again, who'd thought they'd score twice this season already.
A shame it seems that Pacific are now struggling in qualifying, but then again, who'd thought they'd score twice this season already.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – British GP: Encore!
I wonder what will happen to the spiritual predicessor to HWNSNBM...
Mexicola wrote:shinji wrote:Mexicola wrote: I'd rather listen to a dog lick its balls. Each to their own, I guess.
Does listening to a dog licking its balls get you excited?
That's between me and my internet service provider.
One of those journalist types.
270 Tube stations in 18:42:50!
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – German GP: Treachery
Round 9 - German Grand Prix
Treachery
As it was expected, the tickets for the German Grand Prix were sold out. German Formula 1 fans wanted to see from close as their favorite, Michael Schumacher takes revenge over Damon Hill for the defeat in Silverstone. A monumental task, if you consider that Benetton’s Ford engine was about 50 horsepower weaker than Williams’ Renault power, and Formula 1 experts predicted that Ferrari could be even faster than Williams, thanks to the sheer power output of the V12 engine. Ligier and Lotus arrived with high hopes as well, knowing that their Renault and Mugen engine could overcome their aerodynamical shortcomings.
With the promise that the rush for championship may become even closer, nobody paid attention at first to the bottom of the entry list issued by FIA on Thursday morning:
When Keith Wiggins was asked, where was his star driver, he only said that “Merse ahs other duties to attend to.” However, young Kovacshazi showed up on Friday in the yellow-green overall of Larrousse and he even practiced in the morning, but after the protest of Pacific he was withdrawn from the Qualification and Philippe Alliot took his place. To understand what happened behind the scenes, read an extract of Brian Henley’s Life of a racing driver after the race review.
On Saturday, Hill got the Pole but only with a few tenths ahead of Schumacher, who was followed by Verstappen and the two disappointed Ferrari of Berger and Alesi. Olivier Panis grabbed the excellent 10th position, while Jordan’s 20th and 22nd forebode that they won’t be competitive on the upcoming fast races of Germany, Belgium and Italy. Alliot had no chance to qualify. He ventured on the track without any practice, but his engine gave up on his first hot lap in the Ostkurve, the farthest possible place from the pits.
German Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Verstappen - Benetton
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Coulthard - Williams
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLarer
9. Fittipalid - Footwork
10. Panis - Ligier
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Morbidelli - Footwork
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. de Cesaris - Sauber
16. Herbert - Lotus
17. Martini - Minardi
18. Alboreto - Minardi
19. Bernard - Ligier
20. Barrichello - Jordan
21. Comas - Larrousse
22. Irvine - Jordan
23. Brabham - Simtek
24. Gounon - Simtek
25. Zanardi - Lotus
26. Gachot - Pacific
DNQ: Alliot, Belmondo
For the sign of the green lights Hill made a clear getaway, while Schumacher was busy defending against the Ferraris. Verstappen silently turned second into the first corner and even challenged Hill for first for a few corners. The start wasn’t so clear for the backmakers as Martini and Gounon both stalled on the grid. Bernard and Brabham had to go off track to avoid collision. Then before the first chicane Herbert crashed hard into Morbidelli, wearing both cars off and even damaging Comas’ front wing in the process. The Safety car was sent in, but spent only one lap ahead of the leading Williams. To make Footwork’s weekend more miserable, Fittipaldi stopped in the third lap with an engine problem. This was the team’s third double DNF in a row.
The top 10 of Hill, Verstappen, Schumacher, Alesi, Berger, Brundle, Coulthard, Hakkinen, Panis and Katayama started Lap 4. Mika soon passed Coulthard and Brundle and was catching up on Berger, only to unexpectedly go to the pits and turn into the garage. Brake failure. But Brundle was up to compensate the team and he passed both Ferrari in two laps, then stopped himself in the pits for an early, but planned refueling.
In lap 7 Hill was leading with the Benetton tandem now in the order of Schumacher-Verstappen, were close behind, but the power advantage of the Renault engine was proven enough to keep them at bay. Following the leading trio by about 5 seconds arrived Alesi, Berger and Coulthard, and with more than 10 seconds behind came the pack of the two Tyrrells, Ligiers, Saubers and Brundle. This group produced some fierce fights and dire situations. The two Ligiers were almost knocking out each other, definitely taking a few years from Tom Walkinshaw’s life, then Bernard tangled with Frentzen in the last corner, both ending up wingless on the grass. The Frenchman managed to go back to the pits, but Sauber’s German was forced to make a whole lap with a broken front wing, otherwise he would have to face a certain black flag.
By lap 16 Benetton’s main strategist, Ross Brawn realized that the B194 wasn’t fast enough to pass Hill’s FW14B on the track, and ordered Schumacher to come to the pits, changing to two stops, a rather unusual strategy on this track. Meanwhile Alesi suffered yet another engine failure and had to give up the race.
The next few laps looked like a well-choreographed military campaign. Schumacher made one fastest lap after another, while Verstappen was violently chasing Hill, harassing him in every corner, on every braking, ruining his lap times, until he too had to come in at lap 20 for his only pitstop. But as the mechanics pulled out the fueling pump from his car, a big amount of fuel sprayed on the engine, immediately covering the whole area in flames. By a miracle, nobody was hurt in the accident, but the incident once again raised the topic of Benetton may use illegal methods to shorten pit stop times.
Hill stopped in lap 23 and rejoined 4th, six seconds behind Schumacher, but soon he lost his sidekick too, as Coulthard stopped with a suspension failure.
An exciting chase has begun. Both drivers, determined to win the race, were giving in everything they got, running one fastest lap after another, very aggressively, maybe a bit too aggressively passing the lapped cars. Finally, Schumacher had to stop in lap 32and returned 8 seconds behind Hill. Berger, Brundle, Katayama and de Cesaris completed Top 6.
But Michael coludn’t accept another defeat. Not here and not now! He continued to push as hard as he could and he made yet three more fastest laps, while Hill couldn’t keep up his pace with his ten laps older tires. He also lost almost five seconds behind some backmakers – namely the two Ligiers and Alboreto – who were too preoccupied with their own race to realize that they strongly influence decide the fate of the victory by not letting the forerunner pass. By the time Hill passed them, Schumacher was already within one second, and there were eight more laps to go.
The decisive moment arrived in lap 39. Schumacher must have seen a non-existing gap in the Sachskurve to jump on, and he did. Hill, to avoid certain collision, pulled the steering wheel to the right and run into the gravel. He managed to come back, but Schumacher was far away by then. The German spectators violently roared of joy as their favorite turned into the start/finish line. And so Schumacher won the German Grand Prix ahead of Hill and Berger. Brundle finished 4th, scoring his first points in the season, just like 6th placed Andrea de Cesaris.
The results weren’t change, even thought Williams submitted a complaint against Schumacher and the Ligiers as well. The stewards dismissed the case, but it was enough to spread the rumor that maybe Benetton and Ligier share more than common ownership, which was supposed to be only yet another dirty trick in Benetton’s repertoire to secure the championship title…
1994 German Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:18:57.647h
2. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault +0:03.296
3. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:13.015
4. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +0:48.572
5. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1:28.340
6. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1:47.918
7. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1:48.709
8. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
9. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
10. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
11. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
12. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
13. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +1 lap
14. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
15. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +1 lap
16. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
17. Bertrand Gachot – Pacific-Ilmor +3 laps
DNF: Coulthard (L25), Verstappen (L20), Alesi (L15), Hakkinen (L5), Fittipaldi (L3), Herbert (L1), Morbidelli (L1), Martini (L1), Gounon (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 9
1. Schumacher 60 (-)
2. Hill 46 (-)
3. Berger 30 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 12 (-)
6. Hakkinen 9 (-)
7. Larini 8 (-)
8. Senna 6 (-)
9. Wendlinger 6 (-)
10. Morbidelli 5 (-)
11. Frentzen 4 (-)
12. Katayama 4 (+7)
13. Brundle 3
14. Martini 3 (-2)
15. Coulthard 3 (-2)
16. Fittipaldi 2 (-2)
17. Irvine 2 (-2)
18. Bulndell 2 (-2)
19. Lehto 2 (-2)
20. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
21. Andrea de Cesaris 1
22. Verstappen 1 (-2)
Constructors Championship – after Round 9
1. Benetton 63 (-)
2. Williams 55 (+1)
3. Ferrari 55 (-1)
4. Jordan 16 (-)
5. McLaren 12 +1)
6. Sauber 11 (-1)
7. Footwork 7 (-)
8. Tyrrell 6 (-)
9. Minardi 3 (-)
10. Pacific 2 (-)
Treachery
As it was expected, the tickets for the German Grand Prix were sold out. German Formula 1 fans wanted to see from close as their favorite, Michael Schumacher takes revenge over Damon Hill for the defeat in Silverstone. A monumental task, if you consider that Benetton’s Ford engine was about 50 horsepower weaker than Williams’ Renault power, and Formula 1 experts predicted that Ferrari could be even faster than Williams, thanks to the sheer power output of the V12 engine. Ligier and Lotus arrived with high hopes as well, knowing that their Renault and Mugen engine could overcome their aerodynamical shortcomings.
With the promise that the rush for championship may become even closer, nobody paid attention at first to the bottom of the entry list issued by FIA on Thursday morning:
Official Race Entry List wrote:#33 – Ursus Pacific Grand Prix PR01 Ilmor V10 – Paul Belmondo – France
#34 – Ursus Pacific Grand Prix PR01 Ilmor V10 – Bertrand Gachot – France
When Keith Wiggins was asked, where was his star driver, he only said that “Merse ahs other duties to attend to.” However, young Kovacshazi showed up on Friday in the yellow-green overall of Larrousse and he even practiced in the morning, but after the protest of Pacific he was withdrawn from the Qualification and Philippe Alliot took his place. To understand what happened behind the scenes, read an extract of Brian Henley’s Life of a racing driver after the race review.
On Saturday, Hill got the Pole but only with a few tenths ahead of Schumacher, who was followed by Verstappen and the two disappointed Ferrari of Berger and Alesi. Olivier Panis grabbed the excellent 10th position, while Jordan’s 20th and 22nd forebode that they won’t be competitive on the upcoming fast races of Germany, Belgium and Italy. Alliot had no chance to qualify. He ventured on the track without any practice, but his engine gave up on his first hot lap in the Ostkurve, the farthest possible place from the pits.
German Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Verstappen - Benetton
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Coulthard - Williams
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLarer
9. Fittipalid - Footwork
10. Panis - Ligier
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Morbidelli - Footwork
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. de Cesaris - Sauber
16. Herbert - Lotus
17. Martini - Minardi
18. Alboreto - Minardi
19. Bernard - Ligier
20. Barrichello - Jordan
21. Comas - Larrousse
22. Irvine - Jordan
23. Brabham - Simtek
24. Gounon - Simtek
25. Zanardi - Lotus
26. Gachot - Pacific
DNQ: Alliot, Belmondo
For the sign of the green lights Hill made a clear getaway, while Schumacher was busy defending against the Ferraris. Verstappen silently turned second into the first corner and even challenged Hill for first for a few corners. The start wasn’t so clear for the backmakers as Martini and Gounon both stalled on the grid. Bernard and Brabham had to go off track to avoid collision. Then before the first chicane Herbert crashed hard into Morbidelli, wearing both cars off and even damaging Comas’ front wing in the process. The Safety car was sent in, but spent only one lap ahead of the leading Williams. To make Footwork’s weekend more miserable, Fittipaldi stopped in the third lap with an engine problem. This was the team’s third double DNF in a row.
The top 10 of Hill, Verstappen, Schumacher, Alesi, Berger, Brundle, Coulthard, Hakkinen, Panis and Katayama started Lap 4. Mika soon passed Coulthard and Brundle and was catching up on Berger, only to unexpectedly go to the pits and turn into the garage. Brake failure. But Brundle was up to compensate the team and he passed both Ferrari in two laps, then stopped himself in the pits for an early, but planned refueling.
In lap 7 Hill was leading with the Benetton tandem now in the order of Schumacher-Verstappen, were close behind, but the power advantage of the Renault engine was proven enough to keep them at bay. Following the leading trio by about 5 seconds arrived Alesi, Berger and Coulthard, and with more than 10 seconds behind came the pack of the two Tyrrells, Ligiers, Saubers and Brundle. This group produced some fierce fights and dire situations. The two Ligiers were almost knocking out each other, definitely taking a few years from Tom Walkinshaw’s life, then Bernard tangled with Frentzen in the last corner, both ending up wingless on the grass. The Frenchman managed to go back to the pits, but Sauber’s German was forced to make a whole lap with a broken front wing, otherwise he would have to face a certain black flag.
By lap 16 Benetton’s main strategist, Ross Brawn realized that the B194 wasn’t fast enough to pass Hill’s FW14B on the track, and ordered Schumacher to come to the pits, changing to two stops, a rather unusual strategy on this track. Meanwhile Alesi suffered yet another engine failure and had to give up the race.
The next few laps looked like a well-choreographed military campaign. Schumacher made one fastest lap after another, while Verstappen was violently chasing Hill, harassing him in every corner, on every braking, ruining his lap times, until he too had to come in at lap 20 for his only pitstop. But as the mechanics pulled out the fueling pump from his car, a big amount of fuel sprayed on the engine, immediately covering the whole area in flames. By a miracle, nobody was hurt in the accident, but the incident once again raised the topic of Benetton may use illegal methods to shorten pit stop times.
Hill stopped in lap 23 and rejoined 4th, six seconds behind Schumacher, but soon he lost his sidekick too, as Coulthard stopped with a suspension failure.
An exciting chase has begun. Both drivers, determined to win the race, were giving in everything they got, running one fastest lap after another, very aggressively, maybe a bit too aggressively passing the lapped cars. Finally, Schumacher had to stop in lap 32and returned 8 seconds behind Hill. Berger, Brundle, Katayama and de Cesaris completed Top 6.
But Michael coludn’t accept another defeat. Not here and not now! He continued to push as hard as he could and he made yet three more fastest laps, while Hill couldn’t keep up his pace with his ten laps older tires. He also lost almost five seconds behind some backmakers – namely the two Ligiers and Alboreto – who were too preoccupied with their own race to realize that they strongly influence decide the fate of the victory by not letting the forerunner pass. By the time Hill passed them, Schumacher was already within one second, and there were eight more laps to go.
The decisive moment arrived in lap 39. Schumacher must have seen a non-existing gap in the Sachskurve to jump on, and he did. Hill, to avoid certain collision, pulled the steering wheel to the right and run into the gravel. He managed to come back, but Schumacher was far away by then. The German spectators violently roared of joy as their favorite turned into the start/finish line. And so Schumacher won the German Grand Prix ahead of Hill and Berger. Brundle finished 4th, scoring his first points in the season, just like 6th placed Andrea de Cesaris.
The results weren’t change, even thought Williams submitted a complaint against Schumacher and the Ligiers as well. The stewards dismissed the case, but it was enough to spread the rumor that maybe Benetton and Ligier share more than common ownership, which was supposed to be only yet another dirty trick in Benetton’s repertoire to secure the championship title…
1994 German Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:18:57.647h
2. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault +0:03.296
3. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:13.015
4. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +0:48.572
5. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1:28.340
6. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1:47.918
7. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1:48.709
8. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
9. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
10. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
11. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
12. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
13. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +1 lap
14. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
15. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +1 lap
16. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
17. Bertrand Gachot – Pacific-Ilmor +3 laps
DNF: Coulthard (L25), Verstappen (L20), Alesi (L15), Hakkinen (L5), Fittipaldi (L3), Herbert (L1), Morbidelli (L1), Martini (L1), Gounon (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 9
1. Schumacher 60 (-)
2. Hill 46 (-)
3. Berger 30 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 12 (-)
6. Hakkinen 9 (-)
7. Larini 8 (-)
8. Senna 6 (-)
9. Wendlinger 6 (-)
10. Morbidelli 5 (-)
11. Frentzen 4 (-)
12. Katayama 4 (+7)
13. Brundle 3
14. Martini 3 (-2)
15. Coulthard 3 (-2)
16. Fittipaldi 2 (-2)
17. Irvine 2 (-2)
18. Bulndell 2 (-2)
19. Lehto 2 (-2)
20. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
21. Andrea de Cesaris 1
22. Verstappen 1 (-2)
Constructors Championship – after Round 9
1. Benetton 63 (-)
2. Williams 55 (+1)
3. Ferrari 55 (-1)
4. Jordan 16 (-)
5. McLaren 12 +1)
6. Sauber 11 (-1)
7. Footwork 7 (-)
8. Tyrrell 6 (-)
9. Minardi 3 (-)
10. Pacific 2 (-)
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “It was a really hard race. I couldn’t pass Hill so we changed our strategy, but I still was behind him. So I had to pass him on the track, and I did it… It’s a magnificent feeling to be at home and win the race. I want to thank for my fans for their support, without them, I couldn’t have done it.”
Damon Hill (2nd): “The first half of the race was OK. When Michael stopped I thought I won, but then he was really fast, and I lost a lot of time behind some cars. Then he attacked very aggressively and I had to change course to avoid the collision. I think it wasn’t a fair move of him, but I’m not sure if I could have keep him behind me anyway. He was really fast.”
Gerhard Berger (3rd): “It was a silent race really. The first 15 laps was interesting, we were very close with Jean and David, but then we pulled away and from there I was lapping alone. It’s good to be on the podium, but we were expecting more of this race.”
Brian Henley: Life of a racing driver”(Sutton, 2009) wrote:Keith Wiggins was in a difficult situation at the beginning of the ’94 season. Kovacshazi was very fast, but he couldn’t provide enough cash to complete Pacific’s budget, while Belmondo already had a reputation of being wealthier than talented, but he could easily provide the necessary $3 million.
Eventually, he signed Kovacshazi who paid $100.000 per race, thus he would have paid a total of $1.700.000 by the end of the season with the $100.000 he already paid for the initial test. What Kovacshazi didn’t know that Wiggins signed another contract with Belmondo who would pay $3.000.000 and would be guaranteed to drive in at least half of the season and meanwhile he would fill the position of test driver. If Kovacshazi was good enough, he could be sold to another team, or as a worst case scenario, he could be dumped after a few races, replacing by Belmondo and taking the extra Cash the Hungarian provided so far.
(...)
By Germany Kovacshazi became the Nr. 1. driver of the team, but even with the extra points bonus wouldn’t be enough to keep the team afloat. With Gachot being a shareholder and being untouchable in the #34 car, Wiggins had no other choice than to place Belmondo into the other seat, otherwise his would become null and void. Merse was very upset of course, and left to spend the weekend with his girlfriend in Nice. Not bad from a youngster who just lost one million dollars and his job…
So Kovacshazi wasn’t on the German GP’s entry list. Gerard Larrousse thought he found the golden opportunity, and Olivier Beretta (with whom the team was already disappointed) suddenly became “unavailable” and Kovacshazi was offered the #19 car, which he gladly accepted. So he was there at Hockenheim anyway and drove the Larrousse to 16th place on the first practice, two spots ahead of Comas, but to be fair, the Frenchman was doing long stints, while Kovacshazi was running hot laps only. Pacific protested, claiming that Kovacshazi was in contract with them while Larrousse considered Kovacshazi being a free agent.
(...)
The FIA Formula 1 Contract Recognition Board made the fastest decision of its history and within a few hours the verdict was made: Kovacshazi was still in contract with Pacific as the team did not guarantee a show up on every event for the driver. Unwilling to pay the release fee Wiggins asked for, Larrousse turned to McLaren to borrow Alliot.
In the middle of all this, Wiggins still was working on to somehow give Kovacshazi his seat back. He was under pressure by the media, the fans, and title sponsor Ursus (...) Wiggins turned first to [Ursus] to ask for more money, but they refused and threatened with the withdrawal from their sponsoring contract if the Hungarian wouldn’t drive for the team any more.
(...)
Threatened by losing everything, Wiggins made some desperate moves, selling his car, his weekend house and the remnants of his F3000 equipment, and finally taking a mortgage on his house. (...) With the money he bought out Gachot from the team and fired him immediately, giving Kovacshazi his place back. Gachot and Wiggins were close friends, racing together in Formula 3000 and then in Formula 1, but after these events, Bertrand refused to talk to him. Nevertheless, Pacific Grand Prix was saved and Kovacshazi’s name was once again on the entry list in Hungary.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Hungarian GP: At home
Round 10 - Hungarian Grand Prix
At home
The two weeks between the German and Hungarian GP passed rapidly for Pacific. While Wiggins was busy making peace with the wary sponsors, the engineers worked on mapping the shortcomings of the PR01 and find solutions for this and next year’s car. After analyzing past race performances and the information of Kovacshazi’s experience with the Larrousse LH94,t he following list was written: The PR01
- had a major disadvantage in both engine power and rev/min,
- lacked front downforce in fast corners, due an ineffective front wing and nosecone,
- had no stability on bumps and in slow corners due a too rigid suspension system,
- was very unstable on acceleration because of its ineffective diffuser,
- had a tendency of wear rear tyros off faster than the opponents.
The turmoil around Pacific turned out to be beneficial in many ways. Hungary wasn’t particularly interested in Formula 1 at that time. The aftershock of the fall of the communism caused a huge economic crackdown leading to national-wide disappointment in capitalism, harsh political debates and huge protests on a daily basis. Consequently, Kovacshazi’s reputation was tarnished in the eye of the Hungarians, who watched with envious eyes “the kid who won a fortune and now casts it all away, embarrassing the whole country.” This opinion didn’t change much even after great performances in Imola, Montreal and Silverstone. However, when it seemed that Pacific dumps the driver, people suddenly found the “symbol of Hungary’s struggle” in him. The government saw an opportunity to blow a little steam off, so they propagated the cause of the “Hungarian prodigy” in national media. When news came about Merse getting his seat back, last minute ticket sales have been boosted, making the Grand Prix profitable for Hungaroring the first time since 1988! A handful of Hungarian companies also saw the opportunity to promote themselves during the Hungarian GP on “their” driver’s car, giving an extra money injection to Pacific.
The Hungaroring is called “Monaco without the walls” for a good reason. Tight and twisty, this track requires perfect aerodynamic balance, thus, Benetton was considered the favorite of the weekend, having the best aero package. It wasn’t a surprise when Schumacher got the Pole with almost seven tenths ahead of the Williams pair, but Verstappen’s 6th grid position was considered a disappointment. Jordan was happy to finally be back at the front of the midfielders with Barrichello qualifying 7th. Pacific also had high hopes after being previously competitive in Aida and Monaco, but the team fell behind in development compared to the others and both cars had a hard time keeping up the pace with the Simteks and Larrousses. The six backmaker drivers were within 1.5 second during the practices, with Blmondo and Alliot both ending up DNQd because they were disturbed on their last hot lap.
Hungarian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schuamcher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Verstappen - Benetton
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Hakkinen - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Brundle - McLaren
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Irvine - Jordan
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. de Cesaris - Sauber
15. Blundell - Tyrrell
16. Martini - Minardi
17. Fittipaldi - Footwork
18. Alboreto - Minardi
19. Herbert - Lotus
20. Panis - Ligier
21. Bernard - Ligier
22. Comas - Larrousse
23. Zanardi - Lotus
24. Kovacshazi - Pacific
25. Brabham - Simtek
26. Gounon - Simtek
DNQ: Alliot, Belmondo
Despite Schumacher started from the best line, Hill took the better start but he didn’t have enough time to take the lead before the first corner. They were followed by Coulthard, Berger, Alesi, Hakkinen, Verstappen, Barrichello, Brundle and Morbidelli, while the local hero capitalized his knowledge of the track and at the end of the second lap he was 15th. Hill stayed close to Schumacher, clearly being faster, but he couldn’t find a way to get pass the Benetton. Coulthard was in a steady third position, while the two Ferraris some five seconds behind him were pressurized by Hakkinen.
In Lap 16 Coulthard missed the braking point before of the last chicane and hit the kerbs so hard that his nosecone fell off. He made it back to the pits and rejoined 13th, only to lose control at the same place a few laps later falling back to 14th, behind Kovacshazi. Still in lap 16, at the very same place, Hakkinen also made a mistake, spun on the grass, back to the track, hitting the barrier on the opposite side, taking Verstappen with him too. As the dust settled, the two Ferraris found themselves ahead of Barrichello, Brundle, Morbidelli and Frentzen. The Jordan driver then performed a fabulous overtaking maneuver in Turn 4, passing both Alesi and the lapped Zanardi from the outside. Meanwhile Gounon opened the series of planned pit stops in lap 18, followed by Alboreto, de Cesaris and Irvine, who had an issue attaching the fuel tube to his car and stayed for almost a minute in the pits. The rest of the field postponed the first stop as long as possible.
This clearly wasn’t the race of the pit crews. When Alesi stopped in lap 26, the fueling system didn’t work, so Ferrari sent the driver back to the track, and recalled him two laps later, when the pump was fixed.Morbidelli lost about half a minute with a stuck right rear wheel nut, and rejoined 10th, behind Alesi.
In the lead Schumacher was getting gradually slower, so Berger, Barrichello and Brundle could close up the gap on Hill, who grew impatient behind the struggling Benetton. He attacked more and more aggressively, and Schumi responded in a similar manner. It was only a question of time when these two will collide. Fortunately this didn’t happen as Schumacher hit the pits with Barrichello in lap 29. He came back 4th, but got stuck behind Gounon which was enough for Brundle to arrive ahead of the Benetton after his stop one lap later! Hill and Berger also lost time behind the backmakers, so with everyone having done in the first round of stops, Brundle found himself in the lead! Schumacher and Barrichello were 2nd and 3rd within three seconds to the McLaren, followed by the Hill-Berger tandem with 6 seconds, and lonely Frentzen was quietly lapping in the last point scoring position. Coulthard, de Cesaris, Alesi and Morbidelli compelted top 10 with several seconds apart from each other, while Kovacshazi was profiting from retirements and the trouble of the others and was lapping in 11th position.
Hill soon took over 3rd from Barrichello and continued his fierce battle with Schumacher. They were driving very aggressively, violently pushing any backmaker away when they lapped them. And that’s exactly what caused the problem. Once again, they were catching up with the two Ligiers. With Brundle already passed, Bernard let Schumi by, but he closed the door on Hill in Turn 9. Damon aggressively pushed himself besides the Ligier in the next corner, but Bernard didn’t pay attention, the tow car touched and Hill flew into the tire barrier… With Hill out of the picture, Schumacher could focus on Brundle, but he couldn’t get closer. In fact, the McLaren seemed to be slightly faster.
Barrichello was the first to stop in the pits in lap 48, while Berger stopped on the track with a transmission failure. Brundle followed Rubens four laps later, Schumacher tried to make a few fast laps, but his tires were worn out, so he soon arrived for new rubbers as well. Brundle managed to keep his leading position, sensation of the year was on the corner! Barrichello was 3rd, Frentzen 4th, Alesi 5th, and Coulthard 6th, but the last Williams silently started to emit some strange white smoke. It didn’t affect Coulthard’s pace yet, but from the face of Patrick Head and Adrian Newey on the pitwall it was clear, that something was wrong. But for the moment David went on to cause some trouble. Him, Alesi and de Cesaris arrived behind the lapped group of Kovacshazi, Comas, Panis, Bernard, Martini and Fittipaldi. The backmakers were fighting each other, even under blue flag. Comas almost pushed Panis off track when he forced his way ahead of him and Kovacshazi in the draft of Alesi. Fittipaldi almost ran over Martini when the Minardi gave way to Coulthad, and then Bernard almost knocked the other Williams out when he tried to overtake Panis. All of this happened within a mere few corners.
The chaos peaked at the end of lap 52 in the main straight. Alesi passed Comas who took his lap back after the Ferrari left track in Turn 11. Coulthard didn’t want to fall behind and tried to pass everyone with one maneuver on the inside while Panis tried to sneak ahead of Kovacshazi on the tail of the Williams, and Bernard tried to overtake both of them from the outside. Meanwhile Fittipaldi was trying to pass Alboreto, blocking the way from de Cesaris. Already braking, Panis and Kovacshazi slightly touched, just enough for the Pacific to lose grip and uncontrollably shunt into Comas’ Larrousse, wearing both cars off instantly, and almost taking Alesi with them as well. Not the dream of an introduction before the home crowd for Kovacshazi…
In the lead, Brundle built up a comfortable 4 seconds gap ahead of Schumacher, while Barrichello lost a lot of time when he spun at the first chicane and he was forced into defense against Frentzen. Coulthard finally had to give up the race in lap 55, steaming all the cooling water away from his car, so de Cesaris was 5th, and Blundell promoted to 6th.
In lap 61, Schumacher unexpectedly arrived to the pits. Ross Brawn, main strategist of Benetton had a daring plan. With Barrichello being far behind, they put brand new tires on the car, giving a hopefully decisive advantage over Brundle. Alesi came in as well, but he had to give up the race with gear failure. When he rejoined, Schumacher was more than 20 seconds behind Brundle, but he was more than one second faster. It was still doubtful if it would be enough.
We will never know the answer to that, because in lap 70 de Cesaris crashed his car into the pitwall and spun back to the track of a reason later identified as a transmission problem. The Safety Car was deployed, and Brundle’s gap faded away. Everyone at McLaren was hoping that the race will be finished before the silver Mercedes leaves the track. But the SC was called back with only two laps to go. Although Brundle used masterfully the Safety Car rule and managed to survive the first pass in the main straight, turning into lap 76 Schumacher was already too close behind him, and despite the McLaren was defending the inside, the Benetton could take a shorter braking and came out of the corner first.
And so Michael Schumacher won the Hungarian GP and with all of his rivals recording a DNF, he massively increased his chances of winning the world championship. A disappointed Martin Brundle finished second, and the excited Rubens Barrichello who scored his second podium in the season, was third. Frentzen finished 4th, Blundell 5th, and Alboreto scored his first point in the season with his 6th position.
After the race, the stewards summoned half of the field. Schumacher, Hill, Coulthard, Alesi, Panis, Bernard, Kovacshazi, Fittipaldi and Comas were all heard. The Hill-Bernard incident was considered a racing accident although the stewards pointed out that Hill could have avoided the accident. The Coulthard-Kovacshazi-Panis-Comas affair was also dismissed. Schumacher, Hill, Coulthard, Panis and Kovacshazi were warned for dangerous driving though.
To prevent further reckless maneuvers, FIA released an announcement about stepping up more seriously against dangerous driving in the future, as well as enforcing the blue flag rule more seriously but with the frontrunners having to “abstain from endanger or needlessly disturb the race of the lapped cars”.
1994 Hungarian Grand Prix – final results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:44:47.331
2. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +0:04.922
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +0:11.555
4. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +0:13.480
5. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
6. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
7. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +2 laps
8. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
9. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
11. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +3 laps
DNF: de Cesaris (L70) Alesi (L61), Coulthard (L55), Kovacshazi (L52), Comas (L52), Berger (L49), Morbidelli (L42), Hill (L34), Irvine (L25), Zanardi (L19), Hakkinen (L16), Verstappen (L16) Brabham (L7), Herbert (L4), Katayama (L2)
Drivers Championship – after Round 10
1. Schumacher 70 (-)
2. Hill 46 (-)
3. Berger 30 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 16 (-)
6. Brundle 9 (+7)
7. Hakkinen 9 (-1)
8. Larini 8 (-1)
9. Frentzen 7 (+3)
10. Senna 6 (-2)
11. Wendlinger 6 (-2)
12. Morbidelli 5 (-2)
13. Blundell 4 (+5)
14. Katayama 4 (-2)
15. Martini 3 (-1)
16. Coulthard 3 (-1)
17. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
18. Irvine 2 (-1)
19. Lehto 2 (-)
20. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
21. Michele Alboreto 1
22. Andrea de Cesaris 1 (-1)
23. Verstappen 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 10
1. Benetton 73 (-)
2. Williams 55 (-)
3. Ferrari 55 (-)
4. Jordan 20 (-)
5. McLaren 18 (-)
6. Sauber 14 (-)
7. Tyrrell 9 (+1)
8. Footwork 7 (-1)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Pacific 2 (-)
At home
Kovacshazi wrote:I love when we race in Hungary, because at the end of the day I can sleep at home, in my own bed! Not many drivers have this kind of luxury…”
The two weeks between the German and Hungarian GP passed rapidly for Pacific. While Wiggins was busy making peace with the wary sponsors, the engineers worked on mapping the shortcomings of the PR01 and find solutions for this and next year’s car. After analyzing past race performances and the information of Kovacshazi’s experience with the Larrousse LH94,t he following list was written: The PR01
- had a major disadvantage in both engine power and rev/min,
- lacked front downforce in fast corners, due an ineffective front wing and nosecone,
- had no stability on bumps and in slow corners due a too rigid suspension system,
- was very unstable on acceleration because of its ineffective diffuser,
- had a tendency of wear rear tyros off faster than the opponents.
The turmoil around Pacific turned out to be beneficial in many ways. Hungary wasn’t particularly interested in Formula 1 at that time. The aftershock of the fall of the communism caused a huge economic crackdown leading to national-wide disappointment in capitalism, harsh political debates and huge protests on a daily basis. Consequently, Kovacshazi’s reputation was tarnished in the eye of the Hungarians, who watched with envious eyes “the kid who won a fortune and now casts it all away, embarrassing the whole country.” This opinion didn’t change much even after great performances in Imola, Montreal and Silverstone. However, when it seemed that Pacific dumps the driver, people suddenly found the “symbol of Hungary’s struggle” in him. The government saw an opportunity to blow a little steam off, so they propagated the cause of the “Hungarian prodigy” in national media. When news came about Merse getting his seat back, last minute ticket sales have been boosted, making the Grand Prix profitable for Hungaroring the first time since 1988! A handful of Hungarian companies also saw the opportunity to promote themselves during the Hungarian GP on “their” driver’s car, giving an extra money injection to Pacific.
The Hungaroring is called “Monaco without the walls” for a good reason. Tight and twisty, this track requires perfect aerodynamic balance, thus, Benetton was considered the favorite of the weekend, having the best aero package. It wasn’t a surprise when Schumacher got the Pole with almost seven tenths ahead of the Williams pair, but Verstappen’s 6th grid position was considered a disappointment. Jordan was happy to finally be back at the front of the midfielders with Barrichello qualifying 7th. Pacific also had high hopes after being previously competitive in Aida and Monaco, but the team fell behind in development compared to the others and both cars had a hard time keeping up the pace with the Simteks and Larrousses. The six backmaker drivers were within 1.5 second during the practices, with Blmondo and Alliot both ending up DNQd because they were disturbed on their last hot lap.
Hungarian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schuamcher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Verstappen - Benetton
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Hakkinen - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Brundle - McLaren
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Irvine - Jordan
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. de Cesaris - Sauber
15. Blundell - Tyrrell
16. Martini - Minardi
17. Fittipaldi - Footwork
18. Alboreto - Minardi
19. Herbert - Lotus
20. Panis - Ligier
21. Bernard - Ligier
22. Comas - Larrousse
23. Zanardi - Lotus
24. Kovacshazi - Pacific
25. Brabham - Simtek
26. Gounon - Simtek
DNQ: Alliot, Belmondo
Despite Schumacher started from the best line, Hill took the better start but he didn’t have enough time to take the lead before the first corner. They were followed by Coulthard, Berger, Alesi, Hakkinen, Verstappen, Barrichello, Brundle and Morbidelli, while the local hero capitalized his knowledge of the track and at the end of the second lap he was 15th. Hill stayed close to Schumacher, clearly being faster, but he couldn’t find a way to get pass the Benetton. Coulthard was in a steady third position, while the two Ferraris some five seconds behind him were pressurized by Hakkinen.
In Lap 16 Coulthard missed the braking point before of the last chicane and hit the kerbs so hard that his nosecone fell off. He made it back to the pits and rejoined 13th, only to lose control at the same place a few laps later falling back to 14th, behind Kovacshazi. Still in lap 16, at the very same place, Hakkinen also made a mistake, spun on the grass, back to the track, hitting the barrier on the opposite side, taking Verstappen with him too. As the dust settled, the two Ferraris found themselves ahead of Barrichello, Brundle, Morbidelli and Frentzen. The Jordan driver then performed a fabulous overtaking maneuver in Turn 4, passing both Alesi and the lapped Zanardi from the outside. Meanwhile Gounon opened the series of planned pit stops in lap 18, followed by Alboreto, de Cesaris and Irvine, who had an issue attaching the fuel tube to his car and stayed for almost a minute in the pits. The rest of the field postponed the first stop as long as possible.
This clearly wasn’t the race of the pit crews. When Alesi stopped in lap 26, the fueling system didn’t work, so Ferrari sent the driver back to the track, and recalled him two laps later, when the pump was fixed.Morbidelli lost about half a minute with a stuck right rear wheel nut, and rejoined 10th, behind Alesi.
In the lead Schumacher was getting gradually slower, so Berger, Barrichello and Brundle could close up the gap on Hill, who grew impatient behind the struggling Benetton. He attacked more and more aggressively, and Schumi responded in a similar manner. It was only a question of time when these two will collide. Fortunately this didn’t happen as Schumacher hit the pits with Barrichello in lap 29. He came back 4th, but got stuck behind Gounon which was enough for Brundle to arrive ahead of the Benetton after his stop one lap later! Hill and Berger also lost time behind the backmakers, so with everyone having done in the first round of stops, Brundle found himself in the lead! Schumacher and Barrichello were 2nd and 3rd within three seconds to the McLaren, followed by the Hill-Berger tandem with 6 seconds, and lonely Frentzen was quietly lapping in the last point scoring position. Coulthard, de Cesaris, Alesi and Morbidelli compelted top 10 with several seconds apart from each other, while Kovacshazi was profiting from retirements and the trouble of the others and was lapping in 11th position.
Hill soon took over 3rd from Barrichello and continued his fierce battle with Schumacher. They were driving very aggressively, violently pushing any backmaker away when they lapped them. And that’s exactly what caused the problem. Once again, they were catching up with the two Ligiers. With Brundle already passed, Bernard let Schumi by, but he closed the door on Hill in Turn 9. Damon aggressively pushed himself besides the Ligier in the next corner, but Bernard didn’t pay attention, the tow car touched and Hill flew into the tire barrier… With Hill out of the picture, Schumacher could focus on Brundle, but he couldn’t get closer. In fact, the McLaren seemed to be slightly faster.
Barrichello was the first to stop in the pits in lap 48, while Berger stopped on the track with a transmission failure. Brundle followed Rubens four laps later, Schumacher tried to make a few fast laps, but his tires were worn out, so he soon arrived for new rubbers as well. Brundle managed to keep his leading position, sensation of the year was on the corner! Barrichello was 3rd, Frentzen 4th, Alesi 5th, and Coulthard 6th, but the last Williams silently started to emit some strange white smoke. It didn’t affect Coulthard’s pace yet, but from the face of Patrick Head and Adrian Newey on the pitwall it was clear, that something was wrong. But for the moment David went on to cause some trouble. Him, Alesi and de Cesaris arrived behind the lapped group of Kovacshazi, Comas, Panis, Bernard, Martini and Fittipaldi. The backmakers were fighting each other, even under blue flag. Comas almost pushed Panis off track when he forced his way ahead of him and Kovacshazi in the draft of Alesi. Fittipaldi almost ran over Martini when the Minardi gave way to Coulthad, and then Bernard almost knocked the other Williams out when he tried to overtake Panis. All of this happened within a mere few corners.
The chaos peaked at the end of lap 52 in the main straight. Alesi passed Comas who took his lap back after the Ferrari left track in Turn 11. Coulthard didn’t want to fall behind and tried to pass everyone with one maneuver on the inside while Panis tried to sneak ahead of Kovacshazi on the tail of the Williams, and Bernard tried to overtake both of them from the outside. Meanwhile Fittipaldi was trying to pass Alboreto, blocking the way from de Cesaris. Already braking, Panis and Kovacshazi slightly touched, just enough for the Pacific to lose grip and uncontrollably shunt into Comas’ Larrousse, wearing both cars off instantly, and almost taking Alesi with them as well. Not the dream of an introduction before the home crowd for Kovacshazi…
In the lead, Brundle built up a comfortable 4 seconds gap ahead of Schumacher, while Barrichello lost a lot of time when he spun at the first chicane and he was forced into defense against Frentzen. Coulthard finally had to give up the race in lap 55, steaming all the cooling water away from his car, so de Cesaris was 5th, and Blundell promoted to 6th.
In lap 61, Schumacher unexpectedly arrived to the pits. Ross Brawn, main strategist of Benetton had a daring plan. With Barrichello being far behind, they put brand new tires on the car, giving a hopefully decisive advantage over Brundle. Alesi came in as well, but he had to give up the race with gear failure. When he rejoined, Schumacher was more than 20 seconds behind Brundle, but he was more than one second faster. It was still doubtful if it would be enough.
We will never know the answer to that, because in lap 70 de Cesaris crashed his car into the pitwall and spun back to the track of a reason later identified as a transmission problem. The Safety Car was deployed, and Brundle’s gap faded away. Everyone at McLaren was hoping that the race will be finished before the silver Mercedes leaves the track. But the SC was called back with only two laps to go. Although Brundle used masterfully the Safety Car rule and managed to survive the first pass in the main straight, turning into lap 76 Schumacher was already too close behind him, and despite the McLaren was defending the inside, the Benetton could take a shorter braking and came out of the corner first.
And so Michael Schumacher won the Hungarian GP and with all of his rivals recording a DNF, he massively increased his chances of winning the world championship. A disappointed Martin Brundle finished second, and the excited Rubens Barrichello who scored his second podium in the season, was third. Frentzen finished 4th, Blundell 5th, and Alboreto scored his first point in the season with his 6th position.
After the race, the stewards summoned half of the field. Schumacher, Hill, Coulthard, Alesi, Panis, Bernard, Kovacshazi, Fittipaldi and Comas were all heard. The Hill-Bernard incident was considered a racing accident although the stewards pointed out that Hill could have avoided the accident. The Coulthard-Kovacshazi-Panis-Comas affair was also dismissed. Schumacher, Hill, Coulthard, Panis and Kovacshazi were warned for dangerous driving though.
To prevent further reckless maneuvers, FIA released an announcement about stepping up more seriously against dangerous driving in the future, as well as enforcing the blue flag rule more seriously but with the frontrunners having to “abstain from endanger or needlessly disturb the race of the lapped cars”.
1994 Hungarian Grand Prix – final results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:44:47.331
2. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +0:04.922
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +0:11.555
4. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +0:13.480
5. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
6. Michele Alboreto – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
7. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +2 laps
8. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
9. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
11. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +3 laps
DNF: de Cesaris (L70) Alesi (L61), Coulthard (L55), Kovacshazi (L52), Comas (L52), Berger (L49), Morbidelli (L42), Hill (L34), Irvine (L25), Zanardi (L19), Hakkinen (L16), Verstappen (L16) Brabham (L7), Herbert (L4), Katayama (L2)
Drivers Championship – after Round 10
1. Schumacher 70 (-)
2. Hill 46 (-)
3. Berger 30 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 16 (-)
6. Brundle 9 (+7)
7. Hakkinen 9 (-1)
8. Larini 8 (-1)
9. Frentzen 7 (+3)
10. Senna 6 (-2)
11. Wendlinger 6 (-2)
12. Morbidelli 5 (-2)
13. Blundell 4 (+5)
14. Katayama 4 (-2)
15. Martini 3 (-1)
16. Coulthard 3 (-1)
17. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
18. Irvine 2 (-1)
19. Lehto 2 (-)
20. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
21. Michele Alboreto 1
22. Andrea de Cesaris 1 (-1)
23. Verstappen 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 10
1. Benetton 73 (-)
2. Williams 55 (-)
3. Ferrari 55 (-)
4. Jordan 20 (-)
5. McLaren 18 (-)
6. Sauber 14 (-)
7. Tyrrell 9 (+1)
8. Footwork 7 (-1)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Pacific 2 (-)
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “This was a perfect weekend for us. We had some troubles with the balance in the middle of the race, but then we decided to put on an extra set of tires and it worked just perfectly. We had some luck with the Safety Car, but I think we deserved the victory. We were very lucky because our rivals had issues and we could increase our lead in the championship.”
Martin Brundle (2nd): “I have mixed feelings right now. I’m obviously a bit disappointed, but happy at the same time. It was great leading the race, the car was perfect. I had some luck with many cars getting out ahead from me, but our strategy was also good. I don’t know if I could have kept Michael behind if there was no Safety Car, but it’s pointless to think about it. We did the best we could during the whole weekend and almost got the victory. This was a very important result for the team.
Rubens Barrichello (3rd): “This was a very eventful race. I think I was 14th before I came up to third. I had some trouble with the traffic and I spun once as well, but I managed to keep Frentzen behind and profit from the technical issues of the others. I think we have a chance to stay ahead of McLaren at the end of the season, so we gonna work on this.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “It was a very difficult race, I was struggling with handling during the whole weekend. I think we fell back in development compared to the others and we need some new parts very quickly. The accident was really a mess, the whole situation was like the start, except that some cars you must let pass, others you musn’t. I saw Coulthard coming from the inside and I thought that someone else could try to pass there, but I saw nothing in the mirror, until I felt a hit. I lost all the grip and there was no chance of avoiding the accident. I'm disappointed that it ended this way, and I'd like to apologize to Erik for ruining his race too.”
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Belgian GP: Rumors
Round 11 - Belgian Grand Prix
Rumors
1994 was an exceptional season. Tragedies, ever changing rules, driver switching, accusations and debates ruled the minds of Formula 1 Community. No wonder that nobody was talking about the next season until the Belgian Grand Prix. In Spa, the first time in the season the Paddock was buzzing of gossips about driver transfers for 1995.
Championship leader Benetton had a contract with Schumacher for the next season, but the German was said to be unhappy with the team which was constantly in the middle of accusations of using illegal methods and he was said to forcing team principal Flavio Briatore to re-negotiate his contract. Rumors said that Briatore was trying to keep his superstar with $5 million salary and the promise of getting the Renault engines. The other seat however was still vacant but the candidates were numerous, including actual Benetton driver Verstappen, Johnny Herbert, Olivier Panis and even Christian Fittipaldi.
Williams didn’t announce anything yet, but it was widely accepted that Damon Hill would pair either David Coulthard or Nigel Mansell in 1995, but Frank Williams was said to have a close eye on Sauber’s Heinz-Harlad Frentzen as well. McLaren already confirmed Hakkinen, but it was unknown who would partner him in the other car. One thing is certain: McLaren would need a star, and some say that Alain Prost is pondering about returning… From the top four teams, only Ferrari could feel secured, as both Berger and Alesi are already signed for the next season.
Eddie Jordan was already in contract with Barrichello and Irvine for the next season, although Barrichello had an option to leave the team if he gets an offer from a bigger team. Sauber announced earlier that they extended Frentzen’s contract and he would be partnered by Karl Wendlinger if he fully recovers from his injuries.
Tyrrell would keep the Yamaha engines in the next season which most likely means that Ukyo Katayama would stay on borad. Guy Ligier praised Olivier Panis recently for being constantly faster than his veteran team mate, and although they are signed nothing yet, it is said that it’s only a matter of days. Gianni Morbidelli had a valid contract with Footwork for ‘95, but the team’s grave monetary situation might overwrite it. And least but not last, in Spa, Pacific announced that they came to an agreement with Kovacshazi and the Hungarian would continue to race with them in the next season.
About the rest of the seats, only wild speculations were circling in the Paddock.
Both Hill and Schumacher have great memories of Spa. Schumacher debuted on this track in 1991, and scored his first victory here one year later, while Hill scored his second consecutive victory here in last year. Still, Schumacher was considered the favorite, and he scored the pole accordingly ahead of Hill Coulthard and Verstappen. Johnny Herbert’s 11th position was a sign of hope for the struggling Lotus team, although their paying driver, Philippe Adams qualified only 26th, still faster than Larrousse’s Philippe Alliot and Pacific’s Paul Belmondo. Jordan’s Saturday however was nothing short to a disaster, qualifying only 21st and 22nd respectively.
Pacific got in the middle of attention once more on Saturday morning, when stewards arrived to thei garage to investigate some “anonymous” accusations about promoting Kovacshazi so much that the #34 car is in fact incapable of proper racing, similarly to Andrea Moda’s farce-like attempts to field a car for Perry McCarthy back in ’92. As this would be a breach of the Concorde Agreement, the drivers had to switch vehicles just minutes before the start of the last practice session under the watchful eyes of the stewards, to prove that both chassis are in fact capable of racing, which they ultimately did, Kovacshazi even lapping +0.007 faster than on the day before. Although the name of the accuser was never revealed, it was widely believed that Belmondo started the rumor, which alienated him even more from the rest of the team.
Belgian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Verstappen - Benetton
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Frentzen - Sauber
11. Herbert - Lotus
12. Fittipaldi - Footwork
13. Bernard - Ligier
14. Martini - Minardi
15. Katayama - Tyrrell
16. Comas - Larrousse
17. Alboreto - Minardi
18. Panis - Ligier
19. de Cesaris - Sauber
20. Blundell - Tyrrell
21. Barrichello - Jordan
22. Irvine - Jordan
23. Kovacshazi - Pacific
24. Brabham - Simtek
25. Gounon - Simtek
26. Adams – Lotus
DNQ: Alliot, Belmondo
The German fans couldn’t cheer for Schumacher’s first position for long. He could defend it after the start, but Hill came out from the Eau Rouge much better and there was no question who would turn into the Les Combes first. Schumacher also got Coulthard to be afraid of. Hill steadily pulled away from their duo in the next laps, while Verstappen was lapping 4th, holding back the two Ferraris. Hakkinen tried to build up a gap ahead of Frentzen, Brundle and Herbert a few second behind the last point scoring position.
At the end of the field Kovacshazi was trying to pass Barrichello but run wide in the Rivage, losing his front wing. A few laps later Martini’s brakes blocked at the same corner, knocking out Blundell as well. One lap later Barrichello and de Cesaris parked their cars almost simultaneously, the first with a suspension, the second with an engine failure.
Brundle arrived first to the pits in lap 11, followed by Hakkinen one lap later, Hill, Schumacher and Alesi arrived three laps after the McLarens, while Coulthard, Berger and Verstappen had to wait till their team mates get serviced. The Williams driver capitalized from the situation, running his in lap more than one second faster than Schumacher did, and came back just ahead of the Benetton. He managed to defend against Schumacher’s overtaking attempt at the Kemmel straight, and from there he was slowly pulling away. It looked like an easy Williams one-two.
Behind the Williams pair Schumacher’s only hope was a safety car period which seemed to come true for a short while, when Comas lost control and crashed his Larrousse coming out form Malmédy. But the first few cars cleared the area from any small debris and the SC stayed in the pits. Behind Schumacher, Verstappen had a comfortable lead ahead of Hakkinen who inherited 5th after Alesi stopped with brake problems. Berger was 6th with more than 40 seconds ahead of the Brundle-Frentzen-Herbert trio.
With Alesi out, the final standings of the race were already set. The second pit stops didn’t change anything at all; Hill even had the luxury to make a fastest lap one second faster than everyone else before to demoralize his opponents even more. On this race Williams was clearly ahead of the competition, and with this victory Hill managed to keep his championship dreams very much alive. David Coulthard celebrated his first podium, while Michael Schumacher could be consoled by the fact that he lost only 6 points from his already significant lead.
After not finishing this race, Jean Alesi had to give up on his world championship dreams as well. In the last five races, Schumacher, Hill and Berger will be the only ones fighting for the title. Interestingly, at this point every team that scored points so far still have a mathematical chance to fin the Constructors' World Championship.
1994 Belgian Grand Prix – final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:22:03.418h
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:18.115
3. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford +0:20.818
4. Jos Verstappen – Benetton-Ford +0:40.442
5. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot +0:52.752
6. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:53.912
7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1:48.978
8. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap (RET)
9. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +1 lap
10. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
11. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
12. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
13. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
14. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
15. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
16. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
17. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +2 laps
DNF: Adams (L31), Alesi (L20), Brabham (L19), Comas (L17), de Cesaris (L11), Barrichelo (L11), Martini (L10), Blundell (L10), Alboreto (L2)
Drivers Championship – after Round 11
1. Schumacher 74 (-)*
2. Hill 56 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)*
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 16 (-)
6. Hakkinen 11 (+1)
7. Brundle 9 (-1)
8. Coulthard 9 (+8)
9. Larini 8 (-1)
10. Frentzen 7 (-1)
11. Senna 6 (-1)
12. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
13. Morbidelli 5 (-1)
14. Verstappen 4 (+9)
15. Blundell 4 (-2)
16. Katayama 4 (-2)
17. Martini 3 (-2)
18. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
19. Irvine 2 (-1)
20. Lehto 2 (-1)
21. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
22. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
23. Andrea de Cesaris 1 (-1)
* Championship contenders
Constructors Championship – after Round 11
1. Benetton 80 (-)
2. Williams 71 (-)
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. McLaren 20 (+1)
5. Jordan 20 (-1)
6. Sauber 14 (-)
7. Tyrrell 9 (-)
8. Footwork 7 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Pacific 2 (-)
Rumors
1994 was an exceptional season. Tragedies, ever changing rules, driver switching, accusations and debates ruled the minds of Formula 1 Community. No wonder that nobody was talking about the next season until the Belgian Grand Prix. In Spa, the first time in the season the Paddock was buzzing of gossips about driver transfers for 1995.
Championship leader Benetton had a contract with Schumacher for the next season, but the German was said to be unhappy with the team which was constantly in the middle of accusations of using illegal methods and he was said to forcing team principal Flavio Briatore to re-negotiate his contract. Rumors said that Briatore was trying to keep his superstar with $5 million salary and the promise of getting the Renault engines. The other seat however was still vacant but the candidates were numerous, including actual Benetton driver Verstappen, Johnny Herbert, Olivier Panis and even Christian Fittipaldi.
Williams didn’t announce anything yet, but it was widely accepted that Damon Hill would pair either David Coulthard or Nigel Mansell in 1995, but Frank Williams was said to have a close eye on Sauber’s Heinz-Harlad Frentzen as well. McLaren already confirmed Hakkinen, but it was unknown who would partner him in the other car. One thing is certain: McLaren would need a star, and some say that Alain Prost is pondering about returning… From the top four teams, only Ferrari could feel secured, as both Berger and Alesi are already signed for the next season.
Eddie Jordan was already in contract with Barrichello and Irvine for the next season, although Barrichello had an option to leave the team if he gets an offer from a bigger team. Sauber announced earlier that they extended Frentzen’s contract and he would be partnered by Karl Wendlinger if he fully recovers from his injuries.
Tyrrell would keep the Yamaha engines in the next season which most likely means that Ukyo Katayama would stay on borad. Guy Ligier praised Olivier Panis recently for being constantly faster than his veteran team mate, and although they are signed nothing yet, it is said that it’s only a matter of days. Gianni Morbidelli had a valid contract with Footwork for ‘95, but the team’s grave monetary situation might overwrite it. And least but not last, in Spa, Pacific announced that they came to an agreement with Kovacshazi and the Hungarian would continue to race with them in the next season.
About the rest of the seats, only wild speculations were circling in the Paddock.
Both Hill and Schumacher have great memories of Spa. Schumacher debuted on this track in 1991, and scored his first victory here one year later, while Hill scored his second consecutive victory here in last year. Still, Schumacher was considered the favorite, and he scored the pole accordingly ahead of Hill Coulthard and Verstappen. Johnny Herbert’s 11th position was a sign of hope for the struggling Lotus team, although their paying driver, Philippe Adams qualified only 26th, still faster than Larrousse’s Philippe Alliot and Pacific’s Paul Belmondo. Jordan’s Saturday however was nothing short to a disaster, qualifying only 21st and 22nd respectively.
Pacific got in the middle of attention once more on Saturday morning, when stewards arrived to thei garage to investigate some “anonymous” accusations about promoting Kovacshazi so much that the #34 car is in fact incapable of proper racing, similarly to Andrea Moda’s farce-like attempts to field a car for Perry McCarthy back in ’92. As this would be a breach of the Concorde Agreement, the drivers had to switch vehicles just minutes before the start of the last practice session under the watchful eyes of the stewards, to prove that both chassis are in fact capable of racing, which they ultimately did, Kovacshazi even lapping +0.007 faster than on the day before. Although the name of the accuser was never revealed, it was widely believed that Belmondo started the rumor, which alienated him even more from the rest of the team.
Belgian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Verstappen - Benetton
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Frentzen - Sauber
11. Herbert - Lotus
12. Fittipaldi - Footwork
13. Bernard - Ligier
14. Martini - Minardi
15. Katayama - Tyrrell
16. Comas - Larrousse
17. Alboreto - Minardi
18. Panis - Ligier
19. de Cesaris - Sauber
20. Blundell - Tyrrell
21. Barrichello - Jordan
22. Irvine - Jordan
23. Kovacshazi - Pacific
24. Brabham - Simtek
25. Gounon - Simtek
26. Adams – Lotus
DNQ: Alliot, Belmondo
The German fans couldn’t cheer for Schumacher’s first position for long. He could defend it after the start, but Hill came out from the Eau Rouge much better and there was no question who would turn into the Les Combes first. Schumacher also got Coulthard to be afraid of. Hill steadily pulled away from their duo in the next laps, while Verstappen was lapping 4th, holding back the two Ferraris. Hakkinen tried to build up a gap ahead of Frentzen, Brundle and Herbert a few second behind the last point scoring position.
At the end of the field Kovacshazi was trying to pass Barrichello but run wide in the Rivage, losing his front wing. A few laps later Martini’s brakes blocked at the same corner, knocking out Blundell as well. One lap later Barrichello and de Cesaris parked their cars almost simultaneously, the first with a suspension, the second with an engine failure.
Brundle arrived first to the pits in lap 11, followed by Hakkinen one lap later, Hill, Schumacher and Alesi arrived three laps after the McLarens, while Coulthard, Berger and Verstappen had to wait till their team mates get serviced. The Williams driver capitalized from the situation, running his in lap more than one second faster than Schumacher did, and came back just ahead of the Benetton. He managed to defend against Schumacher’s overtaking attempt at the Kemmel straight, and from there he was slowly pulling away. It looked like an easy Williams one-two.
Behind the Williams pair Schumacher’s only hope was a safety car period which seemed to come true for a short while, when Comas lost control and crashed his Larrousse coming out form Malmédy. But the first few cars cleared the area from any small debris and the SC stayed in the pits. Behind Schumacher, Verstappen had a comfortable lead ahead of Hakkinen who inherited 5th after Alesi stopped with brake problems. Berger was 6th with more than 40 seconds ahead of the Brundle-Frentzen-Herbert trio.
With Alesi out, the final standings of the race were already set. The second pit stops didn’t change anything at all; Hill even had the luxury to make a fastest lap one second faster than everyone else before to demoralize his opponents even more. On this race Williams was clearly ahead of the competition, and with this victory Hill managed to keep his championship dreams very much alive. David Coulthard celebrated his first podium, while Michael Schumacher could be consoled by the fact that he lost only 6 points from his already significant lead.
After not finishing this race, Jean Alesi had to give up on his world championship dreams as well. In the last five races, Schumacher, Hill and Berger will be the only ones fighting for the title. Interestingly, at this point every team that scored points so far still have a mathematical chance to fin the Constructors' World Championship.
1994 Belgian Grand Prix – final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:22:03.418h
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:18.115
3. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford +0:20.818
4. Jos Verstappen – Benetton-Ford +0:40.442
5. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot +0:52.752
6. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:53.912
7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1:48.978
8. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap (RET)
9. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +1 lap
10. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
11. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
12. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
13. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
14. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
15. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
16. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
17. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +2 laps
DNF: Adams (L31), Alesi (L20), Brabham (L19), Comas (L17), de Cesaris (L11), Barrichelo (L11), Martini (L10), Blundell (L10), Alboreto (L2)
Drivers Championship – after Round 11
1. Schumacher 74 (-)*
2. Hill 56 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)*
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 16 (-)
6. Hakkinen 11 (+1)
7. Brundle 9 (-1)
8. Coulthard 9 (+8)
9. Larini 8 (-1)
10. Frentzen 7 (-1)
11. Senna 6 (-1)
12. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
13. Morbidelli 5 (-1)
14. Verstappen 4 (+9)
15. Blundell 4 (-2)
16. Katayama 4 (-2)
17. Martini 3 (-2)
18. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
19. Irvine 2 (-1)
20. Lehto 2 (-1)
21. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
22. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
23. Andrea de Cesaris 1 (-1)
* Championship contenders
Constructors Championship – after Round 11
1. Benetton 80 (-)
2. Williams 71 (-)
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. McLaren 20 (+1)
5. Jordan 20 (-1)
6. Sauber 14 (-)
7. Tyrrell 9 (-)
8. Footwork 7 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Pacific 2 (-)
Race commentaries wrote:Damon Hill (1st): “It was a very simple race, really. I passed Schumacher in the straight, then I only had to pay attention not to make any mistakes. I managed to win here last year, now we could score a one-two victory. This was a very important result in our campaign for the championship. I think it is clear that we didn’t give up and that they must count with us.”
David Coulthard (2nd): “I’m really glad that I finally managed to finish a race. Last time I saw the checkered flag it was in June, too long time ago. I’m glad I could beat Michael, it was a great fight but then he went into the pits and was still fast, so I managed to gain enough time to pass him. As Damon said, this result is very important for us in the championship and we wish to build on it in the future.
Michale Schumacher (3rd): “This wasn’t the result we were expecting today, but we couldn’t keep up the pace with the Williams. This third place is the best we could do today, and we must be happy with it because we got the maximum from this race. The next race will be difficult too, but you can’t be the fastest on every track, this is par tof the championship.”
Merse Kovacshazi (15th): “I made a mistake, then I had to make half a lap without my front wing. I lost a lot of time there and from there I was just lapping alone. When four cars dropped out in two laps it seemed that we might have a slight chance for a decent result, but it quickly faded away. Still we managed to finish the race, gathered some data and I’m trying to learn from my mistakes.”
Last edited by Julien on 23 Nov 2013, 22:26, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Italian GP: Italian Job
Round 12 - Italian Grand Prix
Italian Job
Since that weekend at Imola, everyone was looking forward to the Italian GP with a certain level of fear. The fastest track in the F1 calendar, with the legendarily dangerous Parabolica corner and its outdated safety facilities made the race for a risky enterprise for every driver. For a short while, FIA even threatened with cancelling the race when the officials refused to cut down 123 trees for reasons related to safety.
But even without safety, there were many things to talk about. The controversy surrounding the Benetton team continued with the team going unpunished for its tampering with the refuelling system at the German Grand Prix. As part of the deal with the FIA, Benetton agreed to make "substantial management changes". Larrousse was struggling for money and, hoping to get a better result, had hired Yannick Dalmas to drive the second car instead of Philippe Alliot who only registered three DNQs on the last three races. Team Lotus was within days of going into receivership and rather than hire a pay-driver it was decided to run Alessandro Zanardi again and hope for a good result. They also got a brand new V10 engine from Mugen, so the hope wasn’t unfounded. Ligier was also hoping for ending their bad luck and finally scoring their first points in the season with their powerful Renault engine.
Everyone expected this race to be dominated by the Williamses and the Ferraris thanks to their superior engines, so it came as a shock when Michael Schumacher got the pole with only two hundredths of a second ahead of Alesi, and less than a tenth ahead of Hill. Herbert got an excellent 11th position, Kovacshazi somehow placed his Pacific on the grid in 25ht position, while the Jordan duo once again struggled with lack of speed and finished 22nd and 23rd.
Italian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Alesi - Ferrari
3. Hill - Williams
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Verstappen - Benetton
6. Coulthard - Williams
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Fittipaldi - Footwork
11. Herbert - Lotus
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. Bernard - Ligier
15. Frentzen - Sauber
16. Blundell - Tyrrell
17. Alboreto - Minardi
18. De Cesaris - Sauber
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Zanardi - Lotus
21. Comas - Larrousse
22. Barrichello - Jordan
23. Irvine - Jordan
24. Gounon - Simtek
25. Kovacshazi - Pacific
26. Brabham – Simtek
DNQ: Dalmas, Belmondo
Schumacher lost his leading position right after the start to Alesi and Hill. He wasn’t fast enough to keep up the pace and soon he fell victim to Berger as well. Alesi Hill and Berger gave an excellent show to the tifosi, bringing back the greatest tradition of motor racing, changing the order in almost every lap, cleverly using each other’s draft. Behind them Schumacher was striggling with Coulthard, slowly falling back. Hakkinen and Verstappen were fighting for 6th position, followed by Morbidelli, Herbert and Panis.
Brundle was the first to stop for fuel as early as lap 12. He soon was followed by Gounon, Alboreto, Kovacshazi, Herbert and Hakkinen, but the Finn steered his McLaren right into the garage. Gearbox problem. The rest of the field stayed out running on one stop strategy.
Meanwhile Hill profited from the backmakers and managed to build up a small gap ahead of the Ferraris. Not enough to be calm, but enough not to be in immediate danger, then, in Lap 23 he headed towards the pits. At Ferrari they realized that this is their chance. The two cars were lapping on low fuel in formation, passing the lead to each other just before the Parabolica in the next three laps, then they made their only stop in laps 26 and 27, both coming back right ahead of the Williams! The tifosi were in ecstasy. “It was risky” said Gerhard Berger after the race “but we discussed it and we decided to go for it as long as we can be faster this way.”
And so, after everyone made at least one stop, Alesi found himself in the lead, with Berger close, and Hill about 4 seconds behind. Coulthard inherited the 4th position after Schumacher had to retire with suspension problems, also promoting Verstappen to 5ht and Morbidelli, who managed to build up a gap of some 20 seconds ahead of Panis and Herbert, to 6th.
Everything was ready for the most exciting race finish in years, but it wasn’t meant to be. In lap 33 Berger parked his Ferrari in the Rettifilo straight, then, only two laps later Alesi’s engine gave up too. A tragedy for the tifosi, they lost both their cars in three minutes. “It had nothing to do with what we have done” Alesi said later “we had just bad luck. We knew for months that our gearbox is problematic, it was just bad luck.” With both Ferrari and Schumacher out, and Coulthard now in 2nd, all Hill had to do is slowly taking home his car, and getting the 10 points for his victory. And that’s exactly what he has done, lapping almost one second slower than Coulthard in the last 20 laps, just enough to cross the finish line ahead of him, scoring the second back-to-back victory for Williams in a row and reducing Schumacehr’s lead to 8 points in the championship.
Verstappen salvaged four points for Benetton with his very first podium finish, while Gianni Morbidelli finished in an excellent 4th position. As usual, a fierce battle was fought for the last points till the end by Panis, Herbert, Barrichello and Kovacshazi. Panis was 5th, with Barrichello two seconds behind, but he was among the firsts who made their only pitstop. Herbert and Kovacshazi, both on two stop strategy were chasing down each other until they caught up with Rubens in Lap 47. Herbert easily passed him, thanks to his superior V10 Mugen engine, and the Brazilian had to let Kovacshazi go by as well, when he almost crashed coming out from the second Lesmo corner.
And so, both Ligier and Lotus scored their first points in the season, but no question, the latter team was the happier. Herbert’s result could saved the team for the next season.
1994 Italian Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:15:30.941
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:00.804
3. Jos Verstappen – Benetton-Ford +0:39.726
4. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1:02.804
5. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 Lap
6. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +1 Lap
7. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 Lap
8. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 Lap
9. Andera de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 Lap
10. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 Lap
11. Michele Aloreto – Minardi-Ford +1 Lap
12. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +1 Lap
13. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +1 Lap
14. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 Lap
15. David Brabham – Simtek - Ford +2 Laps
DNF: Blundell (L49), Gounon (L46), Fittipaldi (L46), Brundle (L44), Alesi (L35), Berger (L33), Schumacher (L28), Hakkinen (L15), Zanardi (L11), Frentzen (L4), Katayama (L1)
Driver's Championship – after Round 12
1. Schumacher 74 (-)*
2. Hill 66 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 16 (-)
6. Coulthard 15 (+2)
7. Hakkinen 11 (-1)
8. Brundle 9 (-1)
9. Larini 8 (-)
10. Verstappen 8 (+4)
11. Morbidelli 8 (+2)
12. Frentzen 7 (-1)
13. Senna 6 (-1)
14. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
15. Blundell 4 (-)
16. Katayama 4 (-)
17. Martini 3 (-)
18. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
19. Panis 2
20. Irvine 2 (-1)
21. Lehto 2 (-1)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
23. Herbert 1
24. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
25. Andrea de Cesaris 1 (-1)
Constructor's Championship – after Round 12
1. Williams 87 (+1)
2. Benetton 84 (-1)
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. McLaren 20 (-)
5. Jordan 20 (-)
6. Sauber 14 (-)
7. Footwork 10 (+1)
8. Tyrrell 9 (-1)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 2
11. Pacific 2 (-1)
12. Lotus 1
Italian Job
Since that weekend at Imola, everyone was looking forward to the Italian GP with a certain level of fear. The fastest track in the F1 calendar, with the legendarily dangerous Parabolica corner and its outdated safety facilities made the race for a risky enterprise for every driver. For a short while, FIA even threatened with cancelling the race when the officials refused to cut down 123 trees for reasons related to safety.
But even without safety, there were many things to talk about. The controversy surrounding the Benetton team continued with the team going unpunished for its tampering with the refuelling system at the German Grand Prix. As part of the deal with the FIA, Benetton agreed to make "substantial management changes". Larrousse was struggling for money and, hoping to get a better result, had hired Yannick Dalmas to drive the second car instead of Philippe Alliot who only registered three DNQs on the last three races. Team Lotus was within days of going into receivership and rather than hire a pay-driver it was decided to run Alessandro Zanardi again and hope for a good result. They also got a brand new V10 engine from Mugen, so the hope wasn’t unfounded. Ligier was also hoping for ending their bad luck and finally scoring their first points in the season with their powerful Renault engine.
Everyone expected this race to be dominated by the Williamses and the Ferraris thanks to their superior engines, so it came as a shock when Michael Schumacher got the pole with only two hundredths of a second ahead of Alesi, and less than a tenth ahead of Hill. Herbert got an excellent 11th position, Kovacshazi somehow placed his Pacific on the grid in 25ht position, while the Jordan duo once again struggled with lack of speed and finished 22nd and 23rd.
Italian Grand Prix – starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Alesi - Ferrari
3. Hill - Williams
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Verstappen - Benetton
6. Coulthard - Williams
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Brundle - McLaren
9. Morbidelli - Footwork
10. Fittipaldi - Footwork
11. Herbert - Lotus
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. Bernard - Ligier
15. Frentzen - Sauber
16. Blundell - Tyrrell
17. Alboreto - Minardi
18. De Cesaris - Sauber
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Zanardi - Lotus
21. Comas - Larrousse
22. Barrichello - Jordan
23. Irvine - Jordan
24. Gounon - Simtek
25. Kovacshazi - Pacific
26. Brabham – Simtek
DNQ: Dalmas, Belmondo
Schumacher lost his leading position right after the start to Alesi and Hill. He wasn’t fast enough to keep up the pace and soon he fell victim to Berger as well. Alesi Hill and Berger gave an excellent show to the tifosi, bringing back the greatest tradition of motor racing, changing the order in almost every lap, cleverly using each other’s draft. Behind them Schumacher was striggling with Coulthard, slowly falling back. Hakkinen and Verstappen were fighting for 6th position, followed by Morbidelli, Herbert and Panis.
Brundle was the first to stop for fuel as early as lap 12. He soon was followed by Gounon, Alboreto, Kovacshazi, Herbert and Hakkinen, but the Finn steered his McLaren right into the garage. Gearbox problem. The rest of the field stayed out running on one stop strategy.
Meanwhile Hill profited from the backmakers and managed to build up a small gap ahead of the Ferraris. Not enough to be calm, but enough not to be in immediate danger, then, in Lap 23 he headed towards the pits. At Ferrari they realized that this is their chance. The two cars were lapping on low fuel in formation, passing the lead to each other just before the Parabolica in the next three laps, then they made their only stop in laps 26 and 27, both coming back right ahead of the Williams! The tifosi were in ecstasy. “It was risky” said Gerhard Berger after the race “but we discussed it and we decided to go for it as long as we can be faster this way.”
And so, after everyone made at least one stop, Alesi found himself in the lead, with Berger close, and Hill about 4 seconds behind. Coulthard inherited the 4th position after Schumacher had to retire with suspension problems, also promoting Verstappen to 5ht and Morbidelli, who managed to build up a gap of some 20 seconds ahead of Panis and Herbert, to 6th.
Everything was ready for the most exciting race finish in years, but it wasn’t meant to be. In lap 33 Berger parked his Ferrari in the Rettifilo straight, then, only two laps later Alesi’s engine gave up too. A tragedy for the tifosi, they lost both their cars in three minutes. “It had nothing to do with what we have done” Alesi said later “we had just bad luck. We knew for months that our gearbox is problematic, it was just bad luck.” With both Ferrari and Schumacher out, and Coulthard now in 2nd, all Hill had to do is slowly taking home his car, and getting the 10 points for his victory. And that’s exactly what he has done, lapping almost one second slower than Coulthard in the last 20 laps, just enough to cross the finish line ahead of him, scoring the second back-to-back victory for Williams in a row and reducing Schumacehr’s lead to 8 points in the championship.
Verstappen salvaged four points for Benetton with his very first podium finish, while Gianni Morbidelli finished in an excellent 4th position. As usual, a fierce battle was fought for the last points till the end by Panis, Herbert, Barrichello and Kovacshazi. Panis was 5th, with Barrichello two seconds behind, but he was among the firsts who made their only pitstop. Herbert and Kovacshazi, both on two stop strategy were chasing down each other until they caught up with Rubens in Lap 47. Herbert easily passed him, thanks to his superior V10 Mugen engine, and the Brazilian had to let Kovacshazi go by as well, when he almost crashed coming out from the second Lesmo corner.
And so, both Ligier and Lotus scored their first points in the season, but no question, the latter team was the happier. Herbert’s result could saved the team for the next season.
1994 Italian Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:15:30.941
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:00.804
3. Jos Verstappen – Benetton-Ford +0:39.726
4. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1:02.804
5. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 Lap
6. Johnny Herbert – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +1 Lap
7. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 Lap
8. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 Lap
9. Andera de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 Lap
10. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 Lap
11. Michele Aloreto – Minardi-Ford +1 Lap
12. Eric Bernard – Ligier-Renault +1 Lap
13. Erik Comas – Larrousse-Ford +1 Lap
14. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 Lap
15. David Brabham – Simtek - Ford +2 Laps
DNF: Blundell (L49), Gounon (L46), Fittipaldi (L46), Brundle (L44), Alesi (L35), Berger (L33), Schumacher (L28), Hakkinen (L15), Zanardi (L11), Frentzen (L4), Katayama (L1)
Driver's Championship – after Round 12
1. Schumacher 74 (-)*
2. Hill 66 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Barrichello 16 (-)
6. Coulthard 15 (+2)
7. Hakkinen 11 (-1)
8. Brundle 9 (-1)
9. Larini 8 (-)
10. Verstappen 8 (+4)
11. Morbidelli 8 (+2)
12. Frentzen 7 (-1)
13. Senna 6 (-1)
14. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
15. Blundell 4 (-)
16. Katayama 4 (-)
17. Martini 3 (-)
18. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
19. Panis 2
20. Irvine 2 (-1)
21. Lehto 2 (-1)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-1)
23. Herbert 1
24. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
25. Andrea de Cesaris 1 (-1)
Constructor's Championship – after Round 12
1. Williams 87 (+1)
2. Benetton 84 (-1)
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. McLaren 20 (-)
5. Jordan 20 (-)
6. Sauber 14 (-)
7. Footwork 10 (+1)
8. Tyrrell 9 (-1)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 2
11. Pacific 2 (-1)
12. Lotus 1
Race commentaries wrote:Damon Hill (1st): “This is a great result. I really enjoyed the fight with the Ferraris. I feel a bit sorry for the tifosi because they were incredible today, I heard their cheering as we passed before the grandstands. We are lucky that all our opponents had difficulties, but that’s motor racing. Now the championship is open once again and I think we took the lead in the constructors too, so we can be satisfied.”
David Coulthard (2nd): “I lost a lot of time behind Michael and by the time he dropped out I was too far away to chase Damon and the Ferraris. But finally luck was on our side and our car made it to the finish line while the others had problems. Today we were not only fast but reliable as well.”
Jos Verstappen (3rd): “Of course I’m very excited about being on the podium the first time, but in reality, it was a really monotonous race for me. I had to fight with the McLaren for a short while, but then he dropped out and from there all I had to do is to take the car home. Fortunately this was the last race when we had this kind of disadvantage.”
Merse Kovacshazi (7th): “It was very difficult to qualify, but we had a good low-drag aero package. We used an unusual strategy and it worked perfectly. I fought with Irvine before my first pitstop, then I gained a few positions with the retirements and a few more in the pits. At the end I found myself behind Herbert in 10th, I was trying to catch him but he was always faster in the straights. All I could do is to stay close to him, but I couldn’t pass. I didn’t realize we could score a point until I saw Barrichello ahead of us. We both managed to pass him, but I couldn’t do any more. Still I’m happy that we finished 7th because we didn’t think we could be competitive here. Fortunately our strategy was surprisingly effective, and we had many retirements as well.”
Michael Schumacher (DNF): “We knew this will be a difficult race. Our goal was to lose as few points as possible, but it didn’t work out. I lost ten points to Hill, but overall I’m not too disappointed. It is better to be dropped out from 4th than from the lead.”
Jean Alesi (DNF): “I am very disappointed because we could have won this race. We worked perfectly with Gerhard out there, and the fans would have deserved this race, because they were fantastic. Unfortunately my gearbox fried and I couldn’t switch gears any more. It had nothing to do with what we have done earlier on the race, we had just bad luck. We knew for months that our gearbox is problematic; it was just bad luck that it went wrong today too.”
Rider of the Carpathians – Bitter reality
Round 13 – Portuguese Grand Prix
Bitter reality
Coming to Portugal, the field was as it had been in Italy a fortnight earlier but Team Lotus was now in receivership and so pay-driver Philippe Adams was brought back to partner Johnny Herbert. Hill’s two victory on the last two races meant that the race for the championship was open again, Schumacher being only eight points ahead of his rival. The Williams driver had every chance to reduce the gap even further, running a Pole Position time almost five tenths faster than Schumacher. Behind them Hakkinen finished in a superb 4th position mere 0.1 seconds behind Coulthard, and ahead of both Ferraris. Simtek Performed impressively, beating the both Larrousses, Adams’ Lotus and Fittipaldi’s Footwork. Jos Verstappen, on the other hand was a disappointment, qualifying as low as 16th, being more than 2 seconds slower than his team mate.
Pacific fans (there are some!) couldn’t celebrate either. The shortcomings of the PR01 became clear. Struggling of horrible understeer in fast corners, both Belmondo and Kovacshazi were way off the pace in Estoril.
“There is simply nothing we could do” Kovacshazi commented “From the opening of the last corner to the end of the second, we lose one and a half seconds to everybody, even to Simteks.”
Nobody could say that they went down without a fight though. The team was dedicated to find every bit of lost time they could cut from their laptimes. The drivers were pushing the car beyond its limits, dangerously leaving the track at high speed, but when Belmondo destroyed his car, coming out from the first corner, team principal Keith Wiggins ordered his team to stand down.
“The guys tried everything, they really did, and I’m very proud of them. We even tried out our new nosecone that we wanted to try the first time in Jerez” said Wiggins later “They were risking too much. You have to draw the line, you have to know when it becomes too dangerous. We simply didn’t have the speed to qualify and the safety of my drivers is more important than may or may not qualifying on this race.”
Although some accused Wiggins of being unnecessarily cautious, and his drivers were obviously disappointed with another DNQ, he found some serious supporters in the paddock. Ron Dennis said:
“It takes a great character to realize when you’re risking too much. Some just can’t accept failure and they push their drivers, their chassis, their team beyond the safety limits and that’s when disasters happen. We saw so many tragedy in this year already. [Keith Wiggins] made a prudent decision when he didn’t allow his drivers to risk their lives any more than necessary, and that’s what makes him one of the greatest team managers of today.”
Gerhard Berger added:
“I saw what those guys did out there. They came out from the first corner with four wheels on the grass. It was crazy. They are lucky they didn’t crash sooner. Wiggins made the right decision to stop that, it was way too dangerous.”
Portuguese Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Hakkinen - McLaren
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Frentzen - Sauber
9. Irvine - Jordan
10. Blundell - Tyrrell
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Morbidelli - Footwork
14. Panis - Ligier
15. de Cesaris - Sauber
16. Verstappen - Benetton
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Bernard - Ligier
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Alboreto - Minardi
21. Gounon - Simtek
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Dalmas - Larrousse
24. Adams - Lotus
25. Fittipaldi - Footwork
26. Comas - Larrousse
DNQ: Kovacshazi, Belmondo
Schumacher took the better start, arriving first to the back straight, followed by Coulthard, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen, Berger, Barrichello and Frentzen. Verstappen leaped forward to 11th from 16th. The leading trio pulled away from the chasing pack, but while Coulthard was constantly harassing Schumacher, Hill was struggling and slowly fell behind.
In lap 12 Morbidelli’s Footwork spectacularly blew up in the main straight, covering the pits with thick, white smoke. Only seconds later Brabham’s Simtek stopped in the 6th corner, followed by Comas who spun into the gravel at the same place.
Coulthard capitalized from his superior Renault power and took the lead from Schumacher at the end of lap 13, and built up a 3 seconds gap before he stopped for new rubbers five laps later. He arrived back to clear track, instantly made a fastest lap, and easily took back the lead after Schumacher pitted. Hill’s race, on the other hand was just about turning from bad to worse. First he got stuck after his pitstop behind Adams and Dalmas, and lost more than four seconds, then in lap 22 he had to return to the pits and give up the race with a flat battery.
By this time, Coulthard was already leading with a healthy 6 seconds ahead of Schumacher, and with more than 20 ahead of the Ferrari duo, who were followed by Hakkinen, Barrichello, Panis, Irvine, and de Cesaris. Frentzen had to make an extra stop after colliding with Dalmas’ Larrousse, and he was dropped back to 16th.
With his championship aspirant team mate out of the race, it was Coulthard’s first chance to, score his first victory. His gap to Schumacher was slowly extending to 15 seconds; the Benetton driver seemed to be comfortable in his second place. But just when the race seemed to settle down, it was heating up again. Alesi spun out in the VIP corner, and then Hakkinen stalled during his pitstop and couldn’t revive his Peugeot engine any more. The Williams crew was fast in the pits, but still not fast enough to send back Couldhard ahead of Philippe Adams who was about to be lapped. David lost three valuable seconds within one lap, while Schumacher, who already made his stop earlier started charging, running three fastest laps in a row, reducing the gap back to 9 seconds. Next on the way to victory were Johnny Herbert’s Lotus and Eric Bernard’s Ligier. Coulthard was soon on their tail, but they seemed to ignore the blue flags completely, holding the Williams back for two laps, and giving a chance to Schumacher to catch up with the race leader. Coulthard tried his best to keep the Benetton behind, but Schumy already smelled victory. When the Williams slightly lost grip at the end of lap 56, the Benetton driver easily took the lead and never looked back.
He was extending the gap by almost a second per lap for the rest of the race, scoring 10 extremely valuable points, while a very angry Coulthard finished second. Third time in a row. Berger had a quiet race in P3 until in lap 69 his brakes gave in, presenting Rubens Barrichello his third podium finish in the season. The rest of the point scorers could be very satisfied too. Eddie Irvine finally scored points after eight races with his 4th position, Olivier Panis delivered the second pack of two points for Ligier, while veteran Andrea de Cesaris added one more point to his conto.
With Hill’s engine failure, Schumacher extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 18 points with only three races left. He needed only three more points to become World Champion of 1994. It seemed that the season is over. Or was it…?
1994 Portuguese Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:32:33.822
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:16.720
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1:09.890
4. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
5. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
6. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
8. Eric Bernard – Liger-Renault +1 lap
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Gerhard Berger - Ferrari +2 laps
11. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +2 laps
12. Philippe Adams – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
13. Yannick Dalmas – Larrousse-Ford +4 laps
DNF: Herbert (L57), Hakkinen (L47), Alesi (L39), Katayama (L33), Fittipaldi (L33), Verstappen (L28), Blundell (L25), Hill (L22), Brundle (L20), Brabham (L12), Comas (L12), Morbidelli (L12)
Drivers Championship – after Round 13
1. Schumacher 84 (-)*
2. Hill 66 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Coulthard 21 (+1)
6. Barrichello 20 (-1)
7. Hakkinen 11 (-)
8. Brundle 9 (-)
9. Larini 8 (-)
10. Verstappen 8 (-)
11. Morbidelli 8 (-)
12. Frentzen 7 (-)
13. Senna 6 (-)
14. Wendlinger 6 (-)
15. Irvine 5 (+5)
16. Panis 4 (+3)
17. Blundell 4 (-1)
18. Katayama 4 (-1)
19. Martini 3 (-1)
20. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
21. Lehto 2 (-)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
23. Andrea de Cesaris 2 (+2)
24. Herbert 1 (-1)
25. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 13
1. Benetton 94 (+1)*
2. Williams 93 (-1)*
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. Jordan 27 (+1)
5. McLaren 20 (-1)
6. Sauber 15 (-)
7. Footwork 10 (-)
8. Tyrrell 9 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
12. Lotus 1 (-)
* Championship contenders
Bitter reality
Coming to Portugal, the field was as it had been in Italy a fortnight earlier but Team Lotus was now in receivership and so pay-driver Philippe Adams was brought back to partner Johnny Herbert. Hill’s two victory on the last two races meant that the race for the championship was open again, Schumacher being only eight points ahead of his rival. The Williams driver had every chance to reduce the gap even further, running a Pole Position time almost five tenths faster than Schumacher. Behind them Hakkinen finished in a superb 4th position mere 0.1 seconds behind Coulthard, and ahead of both Ferraris. Simtek Performed impressively, beating the both Larrousses, Adams’ Lotus and Fittipaldi’s Footwork. Jos Verstappen, on the other hand was a disappointment, qualifying as low as 16th, being more than 2 seconds slower than his team mate.
Pacific fans (there are some!) couldn’t celebrate either. The shortcomings of the PR01 became clear. Struggling of horrible understeer in fast corners, both Belmondo and Kovacshazi were way off the pace in Estoril.
“There is simply nothing we could do” Kovacshazi commented “From the opening of the last corner to the end of the second, we lose one and a half seconds to everybody, even to Simteks.”
Nobody could say that they went down without a fight though. The team was dedicated to find every bit of lost time they could cut from their laptimes. The drivers were pushing the car beyond its limits, dangerously leaving the track at high speed, but when Belmondo destroyed his car, coming out from the first corner, team principal Keith Wiggins ordered his team to stand down.
“The guys tried everything, they really did, and I’m very proud of them. We even tried out our new nosecone that we wanted to try the first time in Jerez” said Wiggins later “They were risking too much. You have to draw the line, you have to know when it becomes too dangerous. We simply didn’t have the speed to qualify and the safety of my drivers is more important than may or may not qualifying on this race.”
Although some accused Wiggins of being unnecessarily cautious, and his drivers were obviously disappointed with another DNQ, he found some serious supporters in the paddock. Ron Dennis said:
“It takes a great character to realize when you’re risking too much. Some just can’t accept failure and they push their drivers, their chassis, their team beyond the safety limits and that’s when disasters happen. We saw so many tragedy in this year already. [Keith Wiggins] made a prudent decision when he didn’t allow his drivers to risk their lives any more than necessary, and that’s what makes him one of the greatest team managers of today.”
Gerhard Berger added:
“I saw what those guys did out there. They came out from the first corner with four wheels on the grass. It was crazy. They are lucky they didn’t crash sooner. Wiggins made the right decision to stop that, it was way too dangerous.”
Portuguese Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Hakkinen - McLaren
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Frentzen - Sauber
9. Irvine - Jordan
10. Blundell - Tyrrell
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Morbidelli - Footwork
14. Panis - Ligier
15. de Cesaris - Sauber
16. Verstappen - Benetton
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Bernard - Ligier
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Alboreto - Minardi
21. Gounon - Simtek
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Dalmas - Larrousse
24. Adams - Lotus
25. Fittipaldi - Footwork
26. Comas - Larrousse
DNQ: Kovacshazi, Belmondo
Schumacher took the better start, arriving first to the back straight, followed by Coulthard, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen, Berger, Barrichello and Frentzen. Verstappen leaped forward to 11th from 16th. The leading trio pulled away from the chasing pack, but while Coulthard was constantly harassing Schumacher, Hill was struggling and slowly fell behind.
In lap 12 Morbidelli’s Footwork spectacularly blew up in the main straight, covering the pits with thick, white smoke. Only seconds later Brabham’s Simtek stopped in the 6th corner, followed by Comas who spun into the gravel at the same place.
Coulthard capitalized from his superior Renault power and took the lead from Schumacher at the end of lap 13, and built up a 3 seconds gap before he stopped for new rubbers five laps later. He arrived back to clear track, instantly made a fastest lap, and easily took back the lead after Schumacher pitted. Hill’s race, on the other hand was just about turning from bad to worse. First he got stuck after his pitstop behind Adams and Dalmas, and lost more than four seconds, then in lap 22 he had to return to the pits and give up the race with a flat battery.
By this time, Coulthard was already leading with a healthy 6 seconds ahead of Schumacher, and with more than 20 ahead of the Ferrari duo, who were followed by Hakkinen, Barrichello, Panis, Irvine, and de Cesaris. Frentzen had to make an extra stop after colliding with Dalmas’ Larrousse, and he was dropped back to 16th.
With his championship aspirant team mate out of the race, it was Coulthard’s first chance to, score his first victory. His gap to Schumacher was slowly extending to 15 seconds; the Benetton driver seemed to be comfortable in his second place. But just when the race seemed to settle down, it was heating up again. Alesi spun out in the VIP corner, and then Hakkinen stalled during his pitstop and couldn’t revive his Peugeot engine any more. The Williams crew was fast in the pits, but still not fast enough to send back Couldhard ahead of Philippe Adams who was about to be lapped. David lost three valuable seconds within one lap, while Schumacher, who already made his stop earlier started charging, running three fastest laps in a row, reducing the gap back to 9 seconds. Next on the way to victory were Johnny Herbert’s Lotus and Eric Bernard’s Ligier. Coulthard was soon on their tail, but they seemed to ignore the blue flags completely, holding the Williams back for two laps, and giving a chance to Schumacher to catch up with the race leader. Coulthard tried his best to keep the Benetton behind, but Schumy already smelled victory. When the Williams slightly lost grip at the end of lap 56, the Benetton driver easily took the lead and never looked back.
He was extending the gap by almost a second per lap for the rest of the race, scoring 10 extremely valuable points, while a very angry Coulthard finished second. Third time in a row. Berger had a quiet race in P3 until in lap 69 his brakes gave in, presenting Rubens Barrichello his third podium finish in the season. The rest of the point scorers could be very satisfied too. Eddie Irvine finally scored points after eight races with his 4th position, Olivier Panis delivered the second pack of two points for Ligier, while veteran Andrea de Cesaris added one more point to his conto.
With Hill’s engine failure, Schumacher extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 18 points with only three races left. He needed only three more points to become World Champion of 1994. It seemed that the season is over. Or was it…?
1994 Portuguese Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:32:33.822
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:16.720
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1:09.890
4. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
5. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
6. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
8. Eric Bernard – Liger-Renault +1 lap
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Gerhard Berger - Ferrari +2 laps
11. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +2 laps
12. Philippe Adams – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
13. Yannick Dalmas – Larrousse-Ford +4 laps
DNF: Herbert (L57), Hakkinen (L47), Alesi (L39), Katayama (L33), Fittipaldi (L33), Verstappen (L28), Blundell (L25), Hill (L22), Brundle (L20), Brabham (L12), Comas (L12), Morbidelli (L12)
Drivers Championship – after Round 13
1. Schumacher 84 (-)*
2. Hill 66 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Coulthard 21 (+1)
6. Barrichello 20 (-1)
7. Hakkinen 11 (-)
8. Brundle 9 (-)
9. Larini 8 (-)
10. Verstappen 8 (-)
11. Morbidelli 8 (-)
12. Frentzen 7 (-)
13. Senna 6 (-)
14. Wendlinger 6 (-)
15. Irvine 5 (+5)
16. Panis 4 (+3)
17. Blundell 4 (-1)
18. Katayama 4 (-1)
19. Martini 3 (-1)
20. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
21. Lehto 2 (-)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
23. Andrea de Cesaris 2 (+2)
24. Herbert 1 (-1)
25. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 13
1. Benetton 94 (+1)*
2. Williams 93 (-1)*
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. Jordan 27 (+1)
5. McLaren 20 (-1)
6. Sauber 15 (-)
7. Footwork 10 (-)
8. Tyrrell 9 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
12. Lotus 1 (-)
* Championship contenders
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “This is a perfect result for us. It seemed for a while that I have to settle with second place, but my car was excellent during the last stint, I could catch up with Coulthard and win the race. It’s still too early to talk about the championsip, but our car is strong and it seems that we have pretty good chances now.
David Coulthard (2nd): “This race was a bit of a disappointment for me. I could have done it and win the race, but some people just ignored blue flags today, I lost a lot of time and I couldn’t keep Michael behind.”
Rubens Barrichello (3rd): “Of course it’s always great to be here. We knew that our car would be good on this track, but we didn’t expect a podium. Sure, we had some luck, but it seems that our reliability is better than others’ and it pays off. I think now we’re ahead of McLaren in the championship and of course our goal will be to keep them behind us.”
Damon Hill (DNF): “Or course I’m very disappointed. This is not the result we were looking for after Saturday. We lost too many points in the championship, but there are still three races left, and we’ll do everything we can to be champions.
Merse Kovacshazi (DNQ): “This weekend was a bitter reminder that we still have a lot of work to do. Our car is still in aerodynamic disadvantage to the rest of the field, and although our new package is definitely a big step forward, we’re behind the others in R&D, and I’m afraid the first few races could be very difficult for us.”
Rider of the Carpathians – Scandal!
Intermezzo - Scandal!
It all began in the middle of September, when a short article in Autosprint, signed by Girogio Forloni, about some suspicious money found in Lotus’ bookkeeping after it went into receivership. Nobody paid much attention, but Forloni started sniffing around some more, and slowly the biggest scandal since the 1984 Tyrrell disqualification was taking shape before his eyes, which became later known as the “Blockingate”. After the last piece of the puzzle (an overheard conversation in Estoril) found its place, La Gazetta dello Sport’s next issue was released with the following headline: “Bribery in Formula 1”
The story says that certain amounts were wandering from a leading team to Lotus and possibly to other team(s) in exchange for on-track benefits, namely letting their drivers pass easily, while blocking others. If what the articles claimed were true, a team could have tried to influence the outcome of the World Championship by bribing other teams. The next day FIA authorities started to investigate. Considering the seriousness of the accusations, Max Mosley sent a bulletin to every team demanding full cooperation from everyone under the penalty of permanent ban from every FIA event.
The Formula One community was outraged. Every finger was pointing at Benetton, as the team seemed to be continuously in the middle of controversial events, including the irregular engine software in Imola, the worn plank of Schumacher in Belgium, or the rigged refueling system in Germany. Tyrrell, Larrousse, Pacific, Ligier were all accused of being involved. Many saw bribery behind every doubtful event during the season, like Hill’s crash with Beretta, or Schumacher’s easy victory in Hungary while Hill was stuck behind the Ligiers. Some even theorized about Senna’s Williams being sabotaged before the San Marino Grand Prix… Common demand was the banishment from the World Championship of Benetton, Lotus or whoever may be involved.
After an intensive investigation period, a trial started on the 6th of October on the FIA Court, behind closed doors. But as it went on, more and more information were revealed. Word quickly reached the press that evidences proved that Lotus received a total of $1.25 million from companies and natural persons who are or may be interested in Benetton’s success in the World Championship. It was also proven that Lotus drivers received an order to ignore blue flags on the Portuguese Grand Prix. Adams was told before the race not to let the Williams drivers pass, and Herbert was told during the race that he is racing with Coulthard, even though he was one lap behind. Ligier was also the target of the investigations, but the only thing that was proven is that the drivers were ordered to pay extra attention and “support them on the track if possible”.
Finally, on the 12th of October, only days before the European Grand Prix at Jerez, the Court issued one of its most influential verdicts. It consequently used the in dubio pro reo (in doubt, in favor of the defendant) principle, but struck hard on those who were without doubt breaking the FIA regulations.
Philippe Adams was disqualified from the Portuguese Grand Prix, lost his superlicense and was banned for five years from every FIA event for behaving unworthy to be an accredited sportsman. Herbert made a pretty good case claiming that he was in belief that he’s racing with the Williams, so he managed to get away with only a disqualification for repeatedly ignoring blue flags. In Eric Bernard’s case it was not proven that he received any order to hold the Williams drivers up, but he also got disqualified for ignoring blue flags on several occasions.
The Court however dismissed Williams’ claim to disqualify Schumacher from the Portuguese Grand Prix, because as they claimed, they “could have won the race without the backmakers’ behavior.” The Court clearly stated in the verdict that Schumacher or his car did not break any regulation of the FIA Rule Book and therefore there was no reason to disqualify him from the event. On a similar fashion, Panis could keep his fifth place, because he was lapped while he was served in the pits, therefore he didn’t break any rules either, and the Court stated that it can not penalize supposed behavior.
Benetton was found guilty, was excluded from the World Championship and was banned from the remaining races of 1994 for profiting from the bribery. The reasoning behind the harsh penalty was that Benetton’s leadership most likely knew about the bribery (even though direct contact between the bribers and Flavio Briatore’s crew was never proven), and that the team was already found too many times in questionable situations in the season. However, considering that their result not solely, nor primarily are due to the behavior of others, the driver’s results weren’t abolished and Michael Schumacher still had a good chance to win the championship.
Lotus was also found guilty, was disqualified from the 1994 World Championship, and ordered to pay compensation of $2.1 million. Already being in dire financial situation, this decision effectively left the team bankrupt. To make matters worse, Peter Collins was banned from any FIA event for a lifetime for behaving unworthily.
Fortunately for Ligier, there was no hard evidence, only very strong suspicion that they cooperated with Benetton illegally, even though it was proven that their drivers received questionable orders from the pitwall. Tom Walkinshaw was arguing that because Ligier’s strong bonds with Benetton, it is obvious that their drivers support each other on the track as well. As the FIA rulebook was silent in cases like this, the Court made a cautious decision and only fined the team to $500.000 for ordering its drivers to break the racing rulebook. But they made a recommendation to the FIA Council to clarify the rules of cooperation between two teams who are participating on the same event.
Gerard Larrousse and his drivers were questioned as defendants, but they got away unpunished as it was not proven that they would have received any bribe money, even though many found it suspicious that the team hurried to Benetton’s help in the fueling system incident.
Tyrrell and Pacific representatives and drivers were – among many others – questioned only as witnesses.
This verdict dramatically changed the shape of the World Championship. In the constructors, Williams already won, placing Ferrari second and Jordan into the stunning third position. With three races to go, Schumacher was still 18 points ahead of Hill, but on the last three races, the Williams driver had a pretty good chance to take over first place, if Schumacher really won’t be able to race.
Benetton, Ligier and Lotus appealed against the verdict immediately, but it was impossible that the final verdict would be made before the European Grand Prix…
It all began in the middle of September, when a short article in Autosprint, signed by Girogio Forloni, about some suspicious money found in Lotus’ bookkeeping after it went into receivership. Nobody paid much attention, but Forloni started sniffing around some more, and slowly the biggest scandal since the 1984 Tyrrell disqualification was taking shape before his eyes, which became later known as the “Blockingate”. After the last piece of the puzzle (an overheard conversation in Estoril) found its place, La Gazetta dello Sport’s next issue was released with the following headline: “Bribery in Formula 1”
The story says that certain amounts were wandering from a leading team to Lotus and possibly to other team(s) in exchange for on-track benefits, namely letting their drivers pass easily, while blocking others. If what the articles claimed were true, a team could have tried to influence the outcome of the World Championship by bribing other teams. The next day FIA authorities started to investigate. Considering the seriousness of the accusations, Max Mosley sent a bulletin to every team demanding full cooperation from everyone under the penalty of permanent ban from every FIA event.
The Formula One community was outraged. Every finger was pointing at Benetton, as the team seemed to be continuously in the middle of controversial events, including the irregular engine software in Imola, the worn plank of Schumacher in Belgium, or the rigged refueling system in Germany. Tyrrell, Larrousse, Pacific, Ligier were all accused of being involved. Many saw bribery behind every doubtful event during the season, like Hill’s crash with Beretta, or Schumacher’s easy victory in Hungary while Hill was stuck behind the Ligiers. Some even theorized about Senna’s Williams being sabotaged before the San Marino Grand Prix… Common demand was the banishment from the World Championship of Benetton, Lotus or whoever may be involved.
After an intensive investigation period, a trial started on the 6th of October on the FIA Court, behind closed doors. But as it went on, more and more information were revealed. Word quickly reached the press that evidences proved that Lotus received a total of $1.25 million from companies and natural persons who are or may be interested in Benetton’s success in the World Championship. It was also proven that Lotus drivers received an order to ignore blue flags on the Portuguese Grand Prix. Adams was told before the race not to let the Williams drivers pass, and Herbert was told during the race that he is racing with Coulthard, even though he was one lap behind. Ligier was also the target of the investigations, but the only thing that was proven is that the drivers were ordered to pay extra attention and “support them on the track if possible”.
Finally, on the 12th of October, only days before the European Grand Prix at Jerez, the Court issued one of its most influential verdicts. It consequently used the in dubio pro reo (in doubt, in favor of the defendant) principle, but struck hard on those who were without doubt breaking the FIA regulations.
Philippe Adams was disqualified from the Portuguese Grand Prix, lost his superlicense and was banned for five years from every FIA event for behaving unworthy to be an accredited sportsman. Herbert made a pretty good case claiming that he was in belief that he’s racing with the Williams, so he managed to get away with only a disqualification for repeatedly ignoring blue flags. In Eric Bernard’s case it was not proven that he received any order to hold the Williams drivers up, but he also got disqualified for ignoring blue flags on several occasions.
The Court however dismissed Williams’ claim to disqualify Schumacher from the Portuguese Grand Prix, because as they claimed, they “could have won the race without the backmakers’ behavior.” The Court clearly stated in the verdict that Schumacher or his car did not break any regulation of the FIA Rule Book and therefore there was no reason to disqualify him from the event. On a similar fashion, Panis could keep his fifth place, because he was lapped while he was served in the pits, therefore he didn’t break any rules either, and the Court stated that it can not penalize supposed behavior.
Benetton was found guilty, was excluded from the World Championship and was banned from the remaining races of 1994 for profiting from the bribery. The reasoning behind the harsh penalty was that Benetton’s leadership most likely knew about the bribery (even though direct contact between the bribers and Flavio Briatore’s crew was never proven), and that the team was already found too many times in questionable situations in the season. However, considering that their result not solely, nor primarily are due to the behavior of others, the driver’s results weren’t abolished and Michael Schumacher still had a good chance to win the championship.
Lotus was also found guilty, was disqualified from the 1994 World Championship, and ordered to pay compensation of $2.1 million. Already being in dire financial situation, this decision effectively left the team bankrupt. To make matters worse, Peter Collins was banned from any FIA event for a lifetime for behaving unworthily.
Fortunately for Ligier, there was no hard evidence, only very strong suspicion that they cooperated with Benetton illegally, even though it was proven that their drivers received questionable orders from the pitwall. Tom Walkinshaw was arguing that because Ligier’s strong bonds with Benetton, it is obvious that their drivers support each other on the track as well. As the FIA rulebook was silent in cases like this, the Court made a cautious decision and only fined the team to $500.000 for ordering its drivers to break the racing rulebook. But they made a recommendation to the FIA Council to clarify the rules of cooperation between two teams who are participating on the same event.
Gerard Larrousse and his drivers were questioned as defendants, but they got away unpunished as it was not proven that they would have received any bribe money, even though many found it suspicious that the team hurried to Benetton’s help in the fueling system incident.
Tyrrell and Pacific representatives and drivers were – among many others – questioned only as witnesses.
This verdict dramatically changed the shape of the World Championship. In the constructors, Williams already won, placing Ferrari second and Jordan into the stunning third position. With three races to go, Schumacher was still 18 points ahead of Hill, but on the last three races, the Williams driver had a pretty good chance to take over first place, if Schumacher really won’t be able to race.
Benetton, Ligier and Lotus appealed against the verdict immediately, but it was impossible that the final verdict would be made before the European Grand Prix…
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Two new stories!
Wow, that was so harsh. 
PSN ID: FMecha_EXE | FMecha on GT Sport
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Two new stories!
Don't worry, they are appealing But FIA wanted to make end of constant walking in the "grey zone" which was so beloved by the teams in 1994.
But FIA wanted to make end of constant walking in the "grey zone" which was so beloved by the teams in 1994.-
takagi_for_the_win
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- Joined: 02 Oct 2011, 01:38
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Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Bitter reality
Round 13 – Portuguese Grand Prix
Bitter reality
Coming to Portugal, the field was as it had been in Italy a fortnight earlier but Team Lotus was now in receivership and so pay-driver Philippe Adams was brought back to partner Johnny Herbert. Hill’s two victory on the last two races meant that the race for the championship was open again, Schumacher being only eight points ahead of his rival. The Williams driver had every chance to reduce the gap even further, running a Pole Position time almost five tenths faster than Schumacher. Behind them Hakkinen finished in a superb 4th position mere 0.1 seconds behind Coulthard, and ahead of both Ferraris. Simtek Performed impressively, beating the both Larrousses, Adams’ Lotus and Fittipaldi’s Footwork. Jos Verstappen, on the other hand was a disappointment, qualifying as low as 16th, being more than 2 seconds slower than his team mate.
Pacific fans (there are some!) couldn’t celebrate either. The shortcomings of the PR01 became clear. Struggling of horrible understeer in fast corners, both Belmondo and Kovacshazi were way off the pace in Estoril.
“There is simply nothing we could do” Kovacshazi commented “From the opening of the last corner to the end of the second, we lose one and a half seconds to everybody, even to Simteks.”
Nobody could say that they went down without a fight though. The team was dedicated to find every bit of lost time they could cut from their laptimes. The drivers were pushing the car beyond its limits, dangerously leaving the track at high speed, but when Belmondo destroyed his car, coming out from the first corner, team principal Keith Wiggins ordered his team to stand down.
“The guys tried everything, they really did, and I’m very proud of them. We even tried out our new nosecone that we wanted to try the first time in Jerez” said Wiggins later “They were risking too much. You have to draw the line, you have to know when it becomes too dangerous. We simply didn’t have the speed to qualify and the safety of my drivers is more important than may or may not qualifying on this race.”
Although some accused Wiggins of being unnecessarily cautious, and his drivers were obviously disappointed with another DNQ, he found some serious supporters in the paddock. Ron Dennis said:
“It takes a great character to realize when you’re risking too much. Some just can’t accept failure and they push their drivers, their chassis, their team beyond the safety limits and that’s when disasters happen. We saw so many tragedy in this year already. [Keith Wiggins] made a prudent decision when he didn’t allow his drivers to risk their lives any more than necessary, and that’s what makes him one of the greatest team managers of today.”
Gerhard Berger added:
“I saw what those guys did out there. They came out from the first corner with four wheels on the grass. It was crazy. They are lucky they didn’t crash sooner. Wiggins made the right decision to stop that, it was way too dangerous.”
Portuguese Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Hakkinen - McLaren
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Frentzen - Sauber
9. Irvine - Jordan
10. Blundell - Tyrrell
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Morbidelli - Footwork
14. Panis - Ligier
15. de Cesaris - Sauber
16. Verstappen - Benetton
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Bernard - Ligier
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Alboreto - Minardi
21. Gounon - Simtek
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Dalmas - Larrousse
24. Adams - Lotus
25. Fittipaldi - Footwork
26. Comas - Larrousse
DNQ: Kovacshazi, Belmondo
Schumacher took the better start, arriving first to the back straight, followed by Coulthard, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen, Berger, Barrichello and Frentzen. Verstappen leaped forward to 11th from 16th. The leading trio pulled away from the chasing pack, but while Coulthard was constantly harassing Schumacher, Hill was struggling and slowly fell behind.
In lap 12 Morbidelli’s Footwork spectacularly blew up in the main straight, covering the pits with thick, white smoke. Only seconds later Brabham’s Simtek stopped in the 6th corner, followed by Comas who spun into the gravel at the same place.
Coulthard capitalized from his superior Renault power and took the lead from Schumacher at the end of lap 13, and built up a 3 seconds gap before he stopped for new rubbers five laps later. He arrived back to clear track, instantly made a fastest lap, and easily took back the lead after Schumacher pitted. Hill’s race, on the other hand was just about turning from bad to worse. First he got stuck after his pitstop behind Adams and Dalmas, and lost more than four seconds, then in lap 22 he had to return to the pits and give up the race with a flat battery.
By this time, Coulthard was already leading with a healthy 6 seconds ahead of Schumacher, and with more than 20 ahead of the Ferrari duo, who were followed by Hakkinen, Barrichello, Panis, Irvine, and de Cesaris. Frentzen had to make an extra stop after colliding with Dalmas’ Larrousse, and he was dropped back to 16th.
With his championship aspirant team mate out of the race, it was Coulthard’s first chance to, score his first victory. His gap to Schumacher was slowly extending to 15 seconds; the Benetton driver seemed to be comfortable in his second place. But just when the race seemed to settle down, it was heating up again. Alesi spun out in the VIP corner, and then Hakkinen stalled during his pitstop and couldn’t revive his Peugeot engine any more. The Williams crew was fast in the pits, but still not fast enough to send back Couldhard ahead of Philippe Adams who was about to be lapped. David lost three valuable seconds within one lap, while Schumacher, who already made his stop earlier started charging, running three fastest laps in a row, reducing the gap back to 9 seconds. Next on the way to victory were Johnny Herbert’s Lotus and Eric Bernard’s Ligier. Coulthard was soon on their tail, but they seemed to ignore the blue flags completely, holding the Williams back for two laps, and giving a chance to Schumacher to catch up with the race leader. Coulthard tried his best to keep the Benetton behind, but Schumy already smelled victory. When the Williams slightly lost grip at the end of lap 56, the Benetton driver easily took the lead and never looked back.
He was extending the gap by almost a second per lap for the rest of the race, scoring 10 extremely valuable points, while a very angry Coulthard finished second. Third time in a row. Berger had a quiet race in P3 until in lap 69 his brakes gave in, presenting Rubens Barrichello his third podium finish in the season. The rest of the point scorers could be very satisfied too. Eddie Irvine finally scored points after eight races with his 4th position, Olivier Panis delivered the second pack of two points for Ligier, while veteran Andrea de Cesaris added one more point to his conto.
With Hill’s engine failure, Schumacher extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 18 points with only three races left. He needed only three more points to become World Champion of 1994. It seemed that the season is over. Or was it…?
1994 Portuguese Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:32:33.822
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:16.720
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1:09.890
4. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
5. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
6. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
8. Eric Bernard – Liger-Renault +1 lap
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Gerhard Berger - Ferrari +2 laps
11. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +2 laps
12. Philippe Adams – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
13. Yannick Dalmas – Larrousse-Ford +4 laps
DNF: Herbert (L57), Hakkinen (L47), Alesi (L39), Katayama (L33), Fittipaldi (L33), Verstappen (L28), Blundell (L25), Hill (L22), Brundle (L20), Brabham (L12), Comas (L12), Morbidelli (L12)
Drivers Championship – after Round 13
1. Schumacher 84 (-)*
2. Hill 66 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Coulthard 21 (+1)
6. Barrichello 20 (-1)
7. Hakkinen 11 (-)
8. Brundle 9 (-)
9. Larini 8 (-)
10. Verstappen 8 (-)
11. Morbidelli 8 (-)
12. Frentzen 7 (-)
13. Senna 6 (-)
14. Wendlinger 6 (-)
15. Irvine 5 (+5)
16. Panis 4 (+3)
17. Blundell 4 (-1)
18. Katayama 4 (-1)
19. Martini 3 (-1)
20. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
21. Lehto 2 (-)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
23. Andrea de Cesaris 2 (+2)
24. Herbert 1 (-1)
25. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 13
1. Benetton 94 (+1)*
2. Williams 93 (-1)*
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. Jordan 27 (+1)
5. McLaren 20 (-1)
6. Sauber 15 (-)
7. Footwork 10 (-)
8. Tyrrell 9 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
12. Lotus 1 (-)
* Championship contenders
Bitter reality
Coming to Portugal, the field was as it had been in Italy a fortnight earlier but Team Lotus was now in receivership and so pay-driver Philippe Adams was brought back to partner Johnny Herbert. Hill’s two victory on the last two races meant that the race for the championship was open again, Schumacher being only eight points ahead of his rival. The Williams driver had every chance to reduce the gap even further, running a Pole Position time almost five tenths faster than Schumacher. Behind them Hakkinen finished in a superb 4th position mere 0.1 seconds behind Coulthard, and ahead of both Ferraris. Simtek Performed impressively, beating the both Larrousses, Adams’ Lotus and Fittipaldi’s Footwork. Jos Verstappen, on the other hand was a disappointment, qualifying as low as 16th, being more than 2 seconds slower than his team mate.
Pacific fans (there are some!) couldn’t celebrate either. The shortcomings of the PR01 became clear. Struggling of horrible understeer in fast corners, both Belmondo and Kovacshazi were way off the pace in Estoril.
“There is simply nothing we could do” Kovacshazi commented “From the opening of the last corner to the end of the second, we lose one and a half seconds to everybody, even to Simteks.”
Nobody could say that they went down without a fight though. The team was dedicated to find every bit of lost time they could cut from their laptimes. The drivers were pushing the car beyond its limits, dangerously leaving the track at high speed, but when Belmondo destroyed his car, coming out from the first corner, team principal Keith Wiggins ordered his team to stand down.
“The guys tried everything, they really did, and I’m very proud of them. We even tried out our new nosecone that we wanted to try the first time in Jerez” said Wiggins later “They were risking too much. You have to draw the line, you have to know when it becomes too dangerous. We simply didn’t have the speed to qualify and the safety of my drivers is more important than may or may not qualifying on this race.”
Although some accused Wiggins of being unnecessarily cautious, and his drivers were obviously disappointed with another DNQ, he found some serious supporters in the paddock. Ron Dennis said:
“It takes a great character to realize when you’re risking too much. Some just can’t accept failure and they push their drivers, their chassis, their team beyond the safety limits and that’s when disasters happen. We saw so many tragedy in this year already. [Keith Wiggins] made a prudent decision when he didn’t allow his drivers to risk their lives any more than necessary, and that’s what makes him one of the greatest team managers of today.”
Gerhard Berger added:
“I saw what those guys did out there. They came out from the first corner with four wheels on the grass. It was crazy. They are lucky they didn’t crash sooner. Wiggins made the right decision to stop that, it was way too dangerous.”
Portuguese Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Hakkinen - McLaren
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Frentzen - Sauber
9. Irvine - Jordan
10. Blundell - Tyrrell
11. Katayama - Tyrrell
12. Brundle - McLaren
13. Morbidelli - Footwork
14. Panis - Ligier
15. de Cesaris - Sauber
16. Verstappen - Benetton
17. Herbert - Lotus
18. Bernard - Ligier
19. Martini - Minardi
20. Alboreto - Minardi
21. Gounon - Simtek
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Dalmas - Larrousse
24. Adams - Lotus
25. Fittipaldi - Footwork
26. Comas - Larrousse
DNQ: Kovacshazi, Belmondo
Schumacher took the better start, arriving first to the back straight, followed by Coulthard, Hill, Alesi, Hakkinen, Berger, Barrichello and Frentzen. Verstappen leaped forward to 11th from 16th. The leading trio pulled away from the chasing pack, but while Coulthard was constantly harassing Schumacher, Hill was struggling and slowly fell behind.
In lap 12 Morbidelli’s Footwork spectacularly blew up in the main straight, covering the pits with thick, white smoke. Only seconds later Brabham’s Simtek stopped in the 6th corner, followed by Comas who spun into the gravel at the same place.
Coulthard capitalized from his superior Renault power and took the lead from Schumacher at the end of lap 13, and built up a 3 seconds gap before he stopped for new rubbers five laps later. He arrived back to clear track, instantly made a fastest lap, and easily took back the lead after Schumacher pitted. Hill’s race, on the other hand was just about turning from bad to worse. First he got stuck after his pitstop behind Adams and Dalmas, and lost more than four seconds, then in lap 22 he had to return to the pits and give up the race with a flat battery.
By this time, Coulthard was already leading with a healthy 6 seconds ahead of Schumacher, and with more than 20 ahead of the Ferrari duo, who were followed by Hakkinen, Barrichello, Panis, Irvine, and de Cesaris. Frentzen had to make an extra stop after colliding with Dalmas’ Larrousse, and he was dropped back to 16th.
With his championship aspirant team mate out of the race, it was Coulthard’s first chance to, score his first victory. His gap to Schumacher was slowly extending to 15 seconds; the Benetton driver seemed to be comfortable in his second place. But just when the race seemed to settle down, it was heating up again. Alesi spun out in the VIP corner, and then Hakkinen stalled during his pitstop and couldn’t revive his Peugeot engine any more. The Williams crew was fast in the pits, but still not fast enough to send back Couldhard ahead of Philippe Adams who was about to be lapped. David lost three valuable seconds within one lap, while Schumacher, who already made his stop earlier started charging, running three fastest laps in a row, reducing the gap back to 9 seconds. Next on the way to victory were Johnny Herbert’s Lotus and Eric Bernard’s Ligier. Coulthard was soon on their tail, but they seemed to ignore the blue flags completely, holding the Williams back for two laps, and giving a chance to Schumacher to catch up with the race leader. Coulthard tried his best to keep the Benetton behind, but Schumy already smelled victory. When the Williams slightly lost grip at the end of lap 56, the Benetton driver easily took the lead and never looked back.
He was extending the gap by almost a second per lap for the rest of the race, scoring 10 extremely valuable points, while a very angry Coulthard finished second. Third time in a row. Berger had a quiet race in P3 until in lap 69 his brakes gave in, presenting Rubens Barrichello his third podium finish in the season. The rest of the point scorers could be very satisfied too. Eddie Irvine finally scored points after eight races with his 4th position, Olivier Panis delivered the second pack of two points for Ligier, while veteran Andrea de Cesaris added one more point to his conto.
With Hill’s engine failure, Schumacher extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 18 points with only three races left. He needed only three more points to become World Champion of 1994. It seemed that the season is over. Or was it…?
1994 Portuguese Grand Prix – Final Results:
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Ford 1:32:33.822
2. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:16.720
3. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1:09.890
4. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
5. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +1 lap
6. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
8. Eric Bernard – Liger-Renault +1 lap
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Gerhard Berger - Ferrari +2 laps
11. Jean-Marc Gounon – Simtek-Ford +2 laps
12. Philippe Adams – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
13. Yannick Dalmas – Larrousse-Ford +4 laps
DNF: Herbert (L57), Hakkinen (L47), Alesi (L39), Katayama (L33), Fittipaldi (L33), Verstappen (L28), Blundell (L25), Hill (L22), Brundle (L20), Brabham (L12), Comas (L12), Morbidelli (L12)
Drivers Championship – after Round 13
1. Schumacher 84 (-)*
2. Hill 66 (-)*
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Alesi 20 (-)
5. Coulthard 21 (+1)
6. Barrichello 20 (-1)
7. Hakkinen 11 (-)
8. Brundle 9 (-)
9. Larini 8 (-)
10. Verstappen 8 (-)
11. Morbidelli 8 (-)
12. Frentzen 7 (-)
13. Senna 6 (-)
14. Wendlinger 6 (-)
15. Irvine 5 (+5)
16. Panis 4 (+3)
17. Blundell 4 (-1)
18. Katayama 4 (-1)
19. Martini 3 (-1)
20. Fittipaldi 2 (-1)
21. Lehto 2 (-)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
23. Andrea de Cesaris 2 (+2)
24. Herbert 1 (-1)
25. Michele Alboreto 1 (-1)
Constructors Championship – after Round 13
1. Benetton 94 (+1)*
2. Williams 93 (-1)*
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. Jordan 27 (+1)
5. McLaren 20 (-1)
6. Sauber 15 (-)
7. Footwork 10 (-)
8. Tyrrell 9 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
12. Lotus 1 (-)
* Championship contenders
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “This is a perfect result for us. It seemed for a while that I have to settle with second place, but my car was excellent during the last stint, I could catch up with Coulthard and win the race. It’s still too early to talk about the championsip, but our car is strong and it seems that we have pretty good chances now.
David Coulthard (2nd): “This race was a bit of a disappointment for me. I could have done it and win the race, but some people just ignored blue flags today, I lost a lot of time and I couldn’t keep Michael behind.”
Rubens Barrichello (3rd): “Of course it’s always great to be here. We knew that our car would be good on this track, but we didn’t expect a podium. Sure, we had some luck, but it seems that our reliability is better than others’ and it pays off. I think now we’re ahead of McLaren in the championship and of course our goal will be to keep them behind us.”
Damon Hill (DNF): “Or course I’m very disappointed. This is not the result we were looking for after Saturday. We lost too many points in the championship, but there are still three races left, and we’ll do everything we can to be champions.
Merse Kovacshazi (DNQ): “This weekend was a bitter reminder that we still have a lot of work to do. Our car is still in aerodynamic disadvantage to the rest of the field, and although our new package is definitely a big step forward, we’re behind the others in R&D, and I’m afraid the first few races could be very difficult for us.”
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Drivers and advocates
Round 14 – European Grand Prix
Drivers and advocates
In Jerez some news about “Blockingate” hit the headlines. To the surprise of many, Benetton showed up after presenting their appeal against the FIA Court’s verdict, and after a short discussion they were even allowed to participate in the practice. Lotus was only one step away from bankruptcy, but they managed to delay what seemed to be inevitable by selling their last asset: Herbert. Ligier jumped on the chance and bought Johnny’s contract for $2 million. The team practically took over Lotus’ financial penalty which raised quite a few eyebrows. A skeptical Kovacshazi said “Don Briatore’s clan tries to extend its influence to yet another team. They already had Ligier, now they have Lotus in their pocket as well.”
Eric Bernard, now unemployed, transferred to be Alex Zanardi's team mate at Lotus for the weekend. Hideki Noda took over the second Larrousse while Mimmo Schiattarella became a Simtek driver, waving goodbye to Jean-Marc Gounon. Nigel Mansell returned to Williams after finishing his Indaycar career to help Damon Hill winning the championship. David Coulthard, who scored three second places in a row on the last three races found himself without a seat for the rest of the season. One may wonder, how much better the young Scotsman should have performed... But he had no reason to be concerned, because rumors said that both McLaren and Williams wanted his services for 1995.
Hill was dominant in the qualifying, scoring his fifth Pole in the season, followed by Schumacher, Mansell and by a bit of surprise, Barrichello. Ferrari introduced a new gearbox which was supposed to be a prototype for the next season, but there was more pain than gain with it. Both drivers were struggling with the new piece of equipment, Alesi was only 15th quickest and Berger finished as low as 24th. Mark Blundell qualified in a promising 8th position, while Bernard outqualified both his former and current team mate and finished 13th, while Pierluigi Martini could have the satisfaction of finishing ahead of both Ferraris in a Minardi. Pacific had a quiet qualifying with the usual results: Kovacshazi qualifying at the end of the field while Belmondo finished last, even behind F1 rookie, Hideki Noda.
European Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Hill – Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Mansell - Williams
4. Barrichello - Jordan
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Irvine - Jordan
7. Verstappen - Benetton
8. Blundell - Tyrrell
9. Frentzen - Sauber
10. Morbidelli - Footwork
11. Brundle - McLaren
12. De Cesaris - Sauber
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. Bernard - Lotus
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Alesi - Ferrari
17. Alboreto - Minardi
18. Fittipaldi - Footwork
19. Panis - Ligier
20. Comas - Larrousse
21. Kovacshazi - Pacific
22. Herbert - Ligier
23. Zanardi - Lotus
24. Berger - Ferrari
25. Brabham - Simtek
26. Schiattarella - Simtek
DNQ: Noda, Belmondo
Many, including FIA chairman Max Mosley, were displeased by the organizer’s decision to allow Benetton to race. Although the verdict wasn’t final due Benetton’s appeal, advocates stated that letting them race would be equal to render the verdict null as the team would get a chance to win both championships. Being stripped from the constructor’s title after they won it would be very controversial indeed and it would do even more harm to Formula 1’s already tarnished reputation. On the other hand if they would be allowed to race, and then the FIA Court of Appeal would change the verdict later to defend the sport, it would send a very bad message: Do whatever you want and let your lawyers delay authorities until the point where they won’t have any other choice than letting you get away with it.
In short, the Court of Appeal had two reasonable options: to ban Benetton from the race or to declare the European Grand Prix a non-championship race. But the second option would once again help Benetton, as there would be one race less for the other teams as well to score points. In the end the Court of Appeal went with the first option and issued an interlocutory judgment, raising the part of the verdict that bans Benetton form the European GP to legal force, but the team got compensation for the travel costs.
Briatore didn’t accept the verdict though. He claimed that the court had no right to declare the team partially guilty before proper hearings were held, and he insisted on staying on the track. Although they missed the warm-up, both Benettons were defiantly steered onto the starting grid. However, Ferrari, Jordan, Larrousse and Sauber claimed that they would boycott the race if the Benetton cars are allowed to start.
“Of course we were approached as well to join the protesters” revealed Keith Wiggins after the race “But if half the field really boycotts the race, I would have been a fool to miss the chance of scoring a few extra points! I know that some other team principals decided to race for the same reason.”
In the end, after a long talki with Charlie Whiting and Bernie Ecclestone, Briatore ordered his team to leave the starting grid and the Benettons were pushed back into the garage.
Finally, five minutes after scheduled, the focus from advocates turned to the drivers and the race started, only to almost end the world championship in the first corner. Hill took a great start, but Barricello, who had a clear line ahead of him with Schumacher gone, was a bit too optimistic, passed Mansell, who got stuck behind his team mate, but when the Jordan tried to pass the leading Williams, leaping on a gap that wasn’t there: The cars made a contact, and both ended up in the gravel. They both managed to get back on the track, but Hill’s front wing was run over by Brabham in the process. The Williams was dead last already, and he still had to stop for a new front wing... Brabham wasn’t much luckier either, his left rear tire exploding in the ultra fast Pons corner. With Schiattarella remaining on the grid with electrical problems, this became the shortest race of Simtek’s history.
While one Williams was in last position, the another was leading the pack ahead of Hakkinen, Irvine, Frentzen, Blundell, Morbidelli, de Cesaris and Alesi who took a brilliant start. With all the close rivals having troubles, victory seemed like a walk in the park for Mansell. And while Frentzen was stopped early by a suspension failure, Mansell was pulling away by almost a second from Hakkinen, who also had a hard time leaving Irvine. Behind the Ulsterman came Blundell, Morbidelli and de Cesaris who made Alesi to work for his money, blocking every overtaking attempt of the Frenchman.
In the midfield, Berger and Kovacshazi were delivering the show. The Pacific was chasing the Ferrari which was clearly faster, but as soon as the Austrian could get away, he caught up with someone who slowed him down and Kovacshazi was behind him once again. Their duel continued during the next 15 laps, until Berger climbed up to 10th ahead of Martini. With no more cars to hold him back, he finally left the Pacific behind.
After 20 laps Mansell led the race with 17 seconds ahead of Hakkinen, 21 seconds ahead of Irvine, and almost 30 ahead of Blundell, Morbidelli and Alesi, who lost his cool a few laps earlier and pushed de Cesaris off the road, dropping the veteran Italian back to 16th. Behind Alesi the order was Katayama, Brundle, Berger, Barrichello, Kovacshazi and Martini. At the back of the pack Hill was heroically charging, climbing to 18th and making four fastest laps in a row before the first pitstops.
Herbert was the first to make a planned stop, and everyone followed him soon, except Blundell and Alesi who were the only two on one-stop strategy. The order didn’t change much though. Mansell was still leading, ahead of Blundell and Alesi. Hakkinen was 4th, Irvine 5th, Katayama and Morbidelli 6th and 7th. Berger pitted in lap 28, but when he tried to shift back to first gear, his gearbox didn’t respond. DNF. Meanwhile Hill climbed up to 14th.
Blundell and Alesi were running on a very strange strategy, a long first stint saw them to lose time at an alarming rate to Hakkinen and Irvine before they made their only stop in the 42nd and 44th laps, just as the rest of the field opened the second round of pitstops. The strategy didn’t work, Alesi was dropped back to 6th, then in lap 49 thick smoke signed that the new gearbox wasn’t ready to race yet, temporarily promoting Barrichello 3rd which soon became 2nd when Blundell’s brakes wore off. Hill got rid of Martini and surprisingly easily passed Kovacshazi as well, while Mansell and Barrichello visited their mechanics as the last planned stoppers.
Mansell, still leading, started the 51st lap with about 30 seconds ahead of Hakkinen, 38 ahead of Irvine and 49 ahead of Katayama, who found himself in an excellent 4th position. Behind him Morbidelli was fighting with Barrichello and Hill who recently passed Brundle as well and was in 7th position. One lap later he capitalized from Barrichello’s attempt to pass the Footwork in the Michelin corner, and at the back straight he made a performance of Renault’s power, leaving both of them behind, and started to chase down Katayama who was only a few seconds ahead.
The Tyrrell was no match for the Williams and Ukyo was focusing on taking his car home in the points, letting Hill pass relatively easily. And when a heartbroken Irvine had to stop in lap 59 with a suspension failure, Damon suddenly found himself in 3rd position. Hakkinen was a comfortable 20 seconds gap ahead of Hill, he was safe for the remaining 10 laps.
And so, Nigel Mansell won his comeback race in Formula One, ahead of Mika Hakkinen who scored yet another second place, and Damon Hill who kept his championship hopes alive with his excellent comeback. Ukyo Katayama could be very satisfied with his 4th position, while Rubens Barrichello salvaged a 5th position ahead of Gianni Morbidelli, a somewhat disappointing result for Jordan knowing what chances they had here.
1994 European Grand Prix – Final results
1. Nigel Mansell – Williams-Renault 1:36:49.877
2. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot +0:33.068
3. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault +0:53.398
4. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
5. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
6. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
7. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap
8. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
9. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +2 laps
10. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
11. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
12. Johnny Herbert – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
DNF: Irvine (L59), Blundell (L56), Alesi (L49), Alboreto (L39), Fittipaldi (L36), Bernard (L31), Berger (L28), Zanardi (L4), Comas (L4), Frentzen (L4), Brabham (L1), Schiattarella (L1)
DNS: Schumacher, Verstappen
Drivers Championship – after Round 14
1. Schumacher 84 (-)
2. Hill 70 (-)
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Barrichello 22 (+2)
5. Coulthard 21 (-1)
6. Alesi 20 (-1)
7. Hakkinen 17 (-)
8. Brundle 9 (-)
9. Morbidelli 9 (+2)
10. Larini 8 (-1)
11. Verstappen 8 (-1)
12. Frentzen 7 (-)
13. Katayama 7 (+5)
14. Senna 6 (-1)
15. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
16. Irvine 5 (-1)
17. Panis 4 (-1)
18. Blundell 4 (-1)
19. Martini 3 (-)
20. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
21. Lehto 2 (-)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
23. de Cesaris 2 (-)
24. Herbert 1 (-)
25. Alboreto 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 14
1. Williams 107 (+1)
2. Benetton 94 (-1)*
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. Jordan 29 (-)
5. McLaren 26 (-)
6. Sauber 15 (-)
7. Tyrrell 12 (+1)
8. Footwork 11 (-1)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
12. Lotus 1 (-)*
*Benetton and Lotus are excluded from the World Constructors Championship, but the verdict is not final.
Drivers and advocates
In Jerez some news about “Blockingate” hit the headlines. To the surprise of many, Benetton showed up after presenting their appeal against the FIA Court’s verdict, and after a short discussion they were even allowed to participate in the practice. Lotus was only one step away from bankruptcy, but they managed to delay what seemed to be inevitable by selling their last asset: Herbert. Ligier jumped on the chance and bought Johnny’s contract for $2 million. The team practically took over Lotus’ financial penalty which raised quite a few eyebrows. A skeptical Kovacshazi said “Don Briatore’s clan tries to extend its influence to yet another team. They already had Ligier, now they have Lotus in their pocket as well.”
Eric Bernard, now unemployed, transferred to be Alex Zanardi's team mate at Lotus for the weekend. Hideki Noda took over the second Larrousse while Mimmo Schiattarella became a Simtek driver, waving goodbye to Jean-Marc Gounon. Nigel Mansell returned to Williams after finishing his Indaycar career to help Damon Hill winning the championship. David Coulthard, who scored three second places in a row on the last three races found himself without a seat for the rest of the season. One may wonder, how much better the young Scotsman should have performed... But he had no reason to be concerned, because rumors said that both McLaren and Williams wanted his services for 1995.
Hill was dominant in the qualifying, scoring his fifth Pole in the season, followed by Schumacher, Mansell and by a bit of surprise, Barrichello. Ferrari introduced a new gearbox which was supposed to be a prototype for the next season, but there was more pain than gain with it. Both drivers were struggling with the new piece of equipment, Alesi was only 15th quickest and Berger finished as low as 24th. Mark Blundell qualified in a promising 8th position, while Bernard outqualified both his former and current team mate and finished 13th, while Pierluigi Martini could have the satisfaction of finishing ahead of both Ferraris in a Minardi. Pacific had a quiet qualifying with the usual results: Kovacshazi qualifying at the end of the field while Belmondo finished last, even behind F1 rookie, Hideki Noda.
European Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Hill – Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Mansell - Williams
4. Barrichello - Jordan
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Irvine - Jordan
7. Verstappen - Benetton
8. Blundell - Tyrrell
9. Frentzen - Sauber
10. Morbidelli - Footwork
11. Brundle - McLaren
12. De Cesaris - Sauber
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. Bernard - Lotus
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Alesi - Ferrari
17. Alboreto - Minardi
18. Fittipaldi - Footwork
19. Panis - Ligier
20. Comas - Larrousse
21. Kovacshazi - Pacific
22. Herbert - Ligier
23. Zanardi - Lotus
24. Berger - Ferrari
25. Brabham - Simtek
26. Schiattarella - Simtek
DNQ: Noda, Belmondo
Many, including FIA chairman Max Mosley, were displeased by the organizer’s decision to allow Benetton to race. Although the verdict wasn’t final due Benetton’s appeal, advocates stated that letting them race would be equal to render the verdict null as the team would get a chance to win both championships. Being stripped from the constructor’s title after they won it would be very controversial indeed and it would do even more harm to Formula 1’s already tarnished reputation. On the other hand if they would be allowed to race, and then the FIA Court of Appeal would change the verdict later to defend the sport, it would send a very bad message: Do whatever you want and let your lawyers delay authorities until the point where they won’t have any other choice than letting you get away with it.
In short, the Court of Appeal had two reasonable options: to ban Benetton from the race or to declare the European Grand Prix a non-championship race. But the second option would once again help Benetton, as there would be one race less for the other teams as well to score points. In the end the Court of Appeal went with the first option and issued an interlocutory judgment, raising the part of the verdict that bans Benetton form the European GP to legal force, but the team got compensation for the travel costs.
Briatore didn’t accept the verdict though. He claimed that the court had no right to declare the team partially guilty before proper hearings were held, and he insisted on staying on the track. Although they missed the warm-up, both Benettons were defiantly steered onto the starting grid. However, Ferrari, Jordan, Larrousse and Sauber claimed that they would boycott the race if the Benetton cars are allowed to start.
“Of course we were approached as well to join the protesters” revealed Keith Wiggins after the race “But if half the field really boycotts the race, I would have been a fool to miss the chance of scoring a few extra points! I know that some other team principals decided to race for the same reason.”
In the end, after a long talki with Charlie Whiting and Bernie Ecclestone, Briatore ordered his team to leave the starting grid and the Benettons were pushed back into the garage.
Finally, five minutes after scheduled, the focus from advocates turned to the drivers and the race started, only to almost end the world championship in the first corner. Hill took a great start, but Barricello, who had a clear line ahead of him with Schumacher gone, was a bit too optimistic, passed Mansell, who got stuck behind his team mate, but when the Jordan tried to pass the leading Williams, leaping on a gap that wasn’t there: The cars made a contact, and both ended up in the gravel. They both managed to get back on the track, but Hill’s front wing was run over by Brabham in the process. The Williams was dead last already, and he still had to stop for a new front wing... Brabham wasn’t much luckier either, his left rear tire exploding in the ultra fast Pons corner. With Schiattarella remaining on the grid with electrical problems, this became the shortest race of Simtek’s history.
While one Williams was in last position, the another was leading the pack ahead of Hakkinen, Irvine, Frentzen, Blundell, Morbidelli, de Cesaris and Alesi who took a brilliant start. With all the close rivals having troubles, victory seemed like a walk in the park for Mansell. And while Frentzen was stopped early by a suspension failure, Mansell was pulling away by almost a second from Hakkinen, who also had a hard time leaving Irvine. Behind the Ulsterman came Blundell, Morbidelli and de Cesaris who made Alesi to work for his money, blocking every overtaking attempt of the Frenchman.
In the midfield, Berger and Kovacshazi were delivering the show. The Pacific was chasing the Ferrari which was clearly faster, but as soon as the Austrian could get away, he caught up with someone who slowed him down and Kovacshazi was behind him once again. Their duel continued during the next 15 laps, until Berger climbed up to 10th ahead of Martini. With no more cars to hold him back, he finally left the Pacific behind.
After 20 laps Mansell led the race with 17 seconds ahead of Hakkinen, 21 seconds ahead of Irvine, and almost 30 ahead of Blundell, Morbidelli and Alesi, who lost his cool a few laps earlier and pushed de Cesaris off the road, dropping the veteran Italian back to 16th. Behind Alesi the order was Katayama, Brundle, Berger, Barrichello, Kovacshazi and Martini. At the back of the pack Hill was heroically charging, climbing to 18th and making four fastest laps in a row before the first pitstops.
Herbert was the first to make a planned stop, and everyone followed him soon, except Blundell and Alesi who were the only two on one-stop strategy. The order didn’t change much though. Mansell was still leading, ahead of Blundell and Alesi. Hakkinen was 4th, Irvine 5th, Katayama and Morbidelli 6th and 7th. Berger pitted in lap 28, but when he tried to shift back to first gear, his gearbox didn’t respond. DNF. Meanwhile Hill climbed up to 14th.
Blundell and Alesi were running on a very strange strategy, a long first stint saw them to lose time at an alarming rate to Hakkinen and Irvine before they made their only stop in the 42nd and 44th laps, just as the rest of the field opened the second round of pitstops. The strategy didn’t work, Alesi was dropped back to 6th, then in lap 49 thick smoke signed that the new gearbox wasn’t ready to race yet, temporarily promoting Barrichello 3rd which soon became 2nd when Blundell’s brakes wore off. Hill got rid of Martini and surprisingly easily passed Kovacshazi as well, while Mansell and Barrichello visited their mechanics as the last planned stoppers.
Mansell, still leading, started the 51st lap with about 30 seconds ahead of Hakkinen, 38 ahead of Irvine and 49 ahead of Katayama, who found himself in an excellent 4th position. Behind him Morbidelli was fighting with Barrichello and Hill who recently passed Brundle as well and was in 7th position. One lap later he capitalized from Barrichello’s attempt to pass the Footwork in the Michelin corner, and at the back straight he made a performance of Renault’s power, leaving both of them behind, and started to chase down Katayama who was only a few seconds ahead.
The Tyrrell was no match for the Williams and Ukyo was focusing on taking his car home in the points, letting Hill pass relatively easily. And when a heartbroken Irvine had to stop in lap 59 with a suspension failure, Damon suddenly found himself in 3rd position. Hakkinen was a comfortable 20 seconds gap ahead of Hill, he was safe for the remaining 10 laps.
And so, Nigel Mansell won his comeback race in Formula One, ahead of Mika Hakkinen who scored yet another second place, and Damon Hill who kept his championship hopes alive with his excellent comeback. Ukyo Katayama could be very satisfied with his 4th position, while Rubens Barrichello salvaged a 5th position ahead of Gianni Morbidelli, a somewhat disappointing result for Jordan knowing what chances they had here.
1994 European Grand Prix – Final results
1. Nigel Mansell – Williams-Renault 1:36:49.877
2. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Peugeot +0:33.068
3. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault +0:53.398
4. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
5. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
6. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
7. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap
8. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
9. Andrea de Cesaris – Sauber-Mercedes +2 laps
10. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +2 laps
11. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
12. Johnny Herbert – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
DNF: Irvine (L59), Blundell (L56), Alesi (L49), Alboreto (L39), Fittipaldi (L36), Bernard (L31), Berger (L28), Zanardi (L4), Comas (L4), Frentzen (L4), Brabham (L1), Schiattarella (L1)
DNS: Schumacher, Verstappen
Drivers Championship – after Round 14
1. Schumacher 84 (-)
2. Hill 70 (-)
3. Berger 31 (-)
4. Barrichello 22 (+2)
5. Coulthard 21 (-1)
6. Alesi 20 (-1)
7. Hakkinen 17 (-)
8. Brundle 9 (-)
9. Morbidelli 9 (+2)
10. Larini 8 (-1)
11. Verstappen 8 (-1)
12. Frentzen 7 (-)
13. Katayama 7 (+5)
14. Senna 6 (-1)
15. Wendlinger 6 (-1)
16. Irvine 5 (-1)
17. Panis 4 (-1)
18. Blundell 4 (-1)
19. Martini 3 (-)
20. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
21. Lehto 2 (-)
22. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
23. de Cesaris 2 (-)
24. Herbert 1 (-)
25. Alboreto 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 14
1. Williams 107 (+1)
2. Benetton 94 (-1)*
3. Ferrari 56 (-)
4. Jordan 29 (-)
5. McLaren 26 (-)
6. Sauber 15 (-)
7. Tyrrell 12 (+1)
8. Footwork 11 (-1)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
12. Lotus 1 (-)*
*Benetton and Lotus are excluded from the World Constructors Championship, but the verdict is not final.
Race commentaries wrote:Nigel Mansell (1st): Well, in fact out opponents made this race a pretty easy for us. Our goal was to help Damon to score as many points as possible, but when he crashed out I was allowed to pull away from the others, and then all I had to do is to take the car home. It is very good to return with a victory, It’s great to know that I’m still capable of winning, but I know that this time it was easy. From now on we’re focusing on helping Damon to win the championship.
Mika Hakkinen (2nd): We knew that we have a good chance for a great result, because Benetton and Ferrari had troubles. I managed to avoid the trouble in the first corner, then I had to pull away from Irvine who was very fast. Then I found myself behind Blundell and Alesi and I thought that i lost the podium, but fortunately they both stopped. It's great to be on the podium again, we want to push until the very last race and beat Jordan for 4th place.
Damon Hill (3rd): We gained some points on Michael, but I’m not completely satisfied of course. This is not the result what we were hoping for. My stars was good, but then Barrichello knocked me off the track, I lost my front wing, and I dropped back to the last place. I pushed really hard from there, I think it was one of my best races, but I had no chance to finish higher than third this time. I’m glad that Nigel won and we got ahead in the constructors' championship, but of course my myain goal is the drivers' championship and to win that, we have to do better in Japan.
Merse Kovacshazi (8th): My race was pretty exciting. I gained a few position at the start, then I chased Berger for a while, which was fun. I even got ahead of him for a short while, but he got away in the end. Then I was battling with Fittipaldi and Brundle, but I wasn’t fast enough to fight for the points. The new car performed very nicely, and 8th place sounds good, but may cars dropped out today. We’re way behind the others in development, but we knew that the last few races would be difficult. We’re focusing on the next season already, so we won’t have any more new parts in this season. Let’s hope it will be enough.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Verdict
Round 15 – Japanese Grand Prix
Verdict
The main event between the European and Japanese GPs was of course the final verdict in the Blockingate case. The FIA Court of Appeal changed the verdict of the court of first instance, partially accepting Benetton’s arguments. The team was banned from two events of the 1994 World Championship (one was served in Jerez and the second one would be in Suzuka) and its World Constructor Championship points were given back. Some say that Flavio Briatore’s promise of abolishing the cloudy connections between Benetton and Ligier played an important role in the decision of the court.
With that said, Flavio Briatore showed up alone in Suzuka, only to announce that he accepts the verdict and that he signed Johnny Herbert from Ligier for the remainder of the current season (a convenient injury having been dreamed up for Jos Verstappen), and for the next one, to partner Michael Schumacher. Oh and that he made a works engine deal with Renault – something that was thought to be a Williams exclusive before. And then he was off with his team to Aida to test four days before the final round in Australia.
There were few words to say about Lotus though. The Court of Appeal dismissed their arguments which practically meant the end of the team. They drafted up Mika Salo as Alex Zanardi's team mate in place of Eric Bernard for the last two races, with an option for the next season as well – that if they manage to survive that long…
Ligier had taken on young Frenchman Franck Lagorce for the last two races in place of Herbert. Karl Wendlinger's comeback with Sauber had been postponed and Andrea de Cesaris, not expecting to race, had gone off on holiday somewhere in the Pacific and could not be contacted and so Peter Sauber signed up JJ Lehto. Simtek needed more money and so took on pay-driver Taki Inoue in place of Mimmo Schiattarella.
The weather had shown its worst in early November. The Suzuka circuit was soaked all weekend without hope of sunshine. This still didn’t stop Williams from securing the front row, with Mansell ahead. The two Ferraris qualified into the second row in Berger-Alesi order. Hakkinen was fifth, and Morbidelli scored an excellent sixth position in the Footwork. Martin Brundle didn’t seem to find his wellingtons and qualified only 18th, behind Lotus’ young hotshot Salo, who was a shocking two seconds faster in the rain than his team-mate, Zanardi. As usual, Pacific struggled in the rain, with Belmondo 23rd and Kovacshazi 24th, but they were still faster than the local heroes, Noda and Inue.
Kovacshazi was still satisfied “I think we stepped forward.” he said “Our car is not undriveable any more. It’s very difficult to keep it on track, but at least it’s possible and we managed to be faster than some cars. That’s a big step forward from where we were in France.”
Japanese Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Mansell - Williams
2. Hill – Williams
3. Berger – Ferrari
4. Alesi - Ferrari
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Morbidelli - Footwork
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Frentzen - Sauber
9. Comas - Larrousse
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Fittipaldi - Footwork
12. Alboreto - Minardi
13. Martini - Minardi
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. Lehto - Sauber
16. Panis - Ligier
17. Salo - Lotus
18. Brundle - McLaren
19. Katayama - Tyrrell
20. Lagorce - Ligier
21. Zanardi - Lotus
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Belmondo - Pacific
24. Kovacshazi - Pacific
25. Noda - Larrousse
26. Inue – Simtek
The weather hadn’t improved a bit till Sunday, and the race was started under heavy rain. Williams learned from the fiasco in Jerez and they left nothing to chance, covering every possible line after the start and turning one-two into the first corner with Hill ahead. They were followed by Berger, Hakkinen, Comas, Morbidelli, Alesi, Frentzen, Irvine and Alboreto. Katayama spun in the third corner and damaged his rear suspension – one Japanese of three was out. Only a few turns later Inue spun and stalled his Simtek – two of three – and in lap 3 Noda spun coming out of 130R and destroyed his Larrousse – three of three.
The rain was intensifying so a Safety Car was sent out while the crew cleared up the Larrousse’s remnants. Before the race was under its control, however Alboreto stopped with gearbox problems and Christian Fittipaldi dropped out with a big crash. It took six laps to clear up the wreckages, but even that was too much for Erik Comas’ Ford power plant which smoked away. Too bad, because he seemed to be very competitive in the rain, registering a 7th fastest time during the warmup session.
The race was restarted in lap 15. Hill started to pull away, while Mansell was covering the attacking line from Berger. Alesi passed Morbidelli and started to catch up on Hakkinen. Frentzen, Irvine, Barrichello and Panis completed top 10.
Williams kept the race totally under control. Hill pulled away from Mansell by a second per lap, yet he wasn’t taking any unnecessary risks. Meanwhile Il Leone kept Berger’s Ferrari at bay, slowing it down just enough so Hakkinen and Alesi could catch up on them, but he never let them close enough to pose a real threat.
Irvine opened the first pitstops from P9 in lap 18, and in 4 laps everyone got new tires and fuel. Alesi was given a big load, not planning to stop any more. Frentzen stayed out and stopped first in lap 30, being on a similar strategy.
Hill was leading by more than 30 seconds ahead of Mansell and Berger when Williams decide to release the lion. Mansell felt obliged to show that he was not slower than his team mate, running one fastest lap after another in the rain, while Hill was easing off in front, but was still faster than Berger, who spun at one point, handing over the podium place to Hakkinen.
Alesi’s strategy didn’t work out well, as he lost a lot of time behind the Jordans and was more than a 20 seconds behind Morbidelli. But first Hakkinen’s Peugeot engine gave up, then Morbidelli’s suspension fell apart three laps later, and when Berger spun once again, the Frenchman found himself back in P3, albeit way too far for starting a charge against the Williams duo, who were lapping steadily to ensure their 1-2 finish.
And so Damon Hill won the Japanese Grand Prix, with Mansell second, Alesi third and Berger fourth. With this result, Williams secured the constructors title, while Hill closed up to Michael Schumacher with only 4 points behind for season closing Australian Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello and Heinz-Harald Frentzen climbed up to fifth and sixth, profiting from the misfortune of Hakkinen and Morbidelli earlier. Merse Kovacshazi had shown a steady performance, finishing 11th, albeit 4 laps down, but ahead of David Brabham, Alessandro Zanardi and Paul Belmondo.
1994 Japanese Grand Prix – Final results:
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:40:54.359
2. Nigel Mansell – Williams-Renault +0:12.843
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:38.215
4. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:54.085
5. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
8. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +2 laps
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
10. Franck Lagorce – Ligier-Renault +4 laps
11. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +4 laps
12. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +5 laps
13. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
14. Paul Belmondo – Pacific-Ilmor +8 laps
DNF: Morbidelli (L33), Hakkinen (L30), Lehto (L25), Salo (L23), Martini (L22), Brundle (L15), Comas (L6), Fittipaldi (L5), Alboreto (L4), Noda (L3), Inue (L1), Katayama (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 15
1. Schumacher 84 (-)
2. Hill 80 (-)
3. Berger 34 (-)
4. Barrichello 24 (-)
5. Coulthard 21 (-)
6. Alesi 21 (-)
7. Hakkinen 17 (-)
8. Mansell 16 (-)
9. Brundle 9 (-)
10. Morbidelli 9 (-)
11. Larini 8 (-)
12. Verstappen 8 (-)
13. Frentzen 8 (-)
14. Katayama 7 (-)
15. Senna 6 (-)
16. Wendlinger 6 (-)
17. Irvine 5 (-)
18. Panis 4 (-)
19. Blundell 4 (-)
20. Martini 3 (-)
21. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
22. Lehto 2 (-)
23. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
24. de Cesaris 2 (-)
25. Herbert 1 (-)
26. Alboreto 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 15
1. Williams 123 (-)
2. Benetton 94 (-)
3. Ferrari 63 (-)
4. Jordan 31 (-)
5. McLaren 26 (-)
6. Sauber 16 (-)
7. Tyrrell 12 (-)
8. Footwork 11 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
Williams is already World Champion.
Lotus has been disqualified from the World Constructors Championship.
Verdict
The main event between the European and Japanese GPs was of course the final verdict in the Blockingate case. The FIA Court of Appeal changed the verdict of the court of first instance, partially accepting Benetton’s arguments. The team was banned from two events of the 1994 World Championship (one was served in Jerez and the second one would be in Suzuka) and its World Constructor Championship points were given back. Some say that Flavio Briatore’s promise of abolishing the cloudy connections between Benetton and Ligier played an important role in the decision of the court.
With that said, Flavio Briatore showed up alone in Suzuka, only to announce that he accepts the verdict and that he signed Johnny Herbert from Ligier for the remainder of the current season (a convenient injury having been dreamed up for Jos Verstappen), and for the next one, to partner Michael Schumacher. Oh and that he made a works engine deal with Renault – something that was thought to be a Williams exclusive before. And then he was off with his team to Aida to test four days before the final round in Australia.
There were few words to say about Lotus though. The Court of Appeal dismissed their arguments which practically meant the end of the team. They drafted up Mika Salo as Alex Zanardi's team mate in place of Eric Bernard for the last two races, with an option for the next season as well – that if they manage to survive that long…
Ligier had taken on young Frenchman Franck Lagorce for the last two races in place of Herbert. Karl Wendlinger's comeback with Sauber had been postponed and Andrea de Cesaris, not expecting to race, had gone off on holiday somewhere in the Pacific and could not be contacted and so Peter Sauber signed up JJ Lehto. Simtek needed more money and so took on pay-driver Taki Inoue in place of Mimmo Schiattarella.
The weather had shown its worst in early November. The Suzuka circuit was soaked all weekend without hope of sunshine. This still didn’t stop Williams from securing the front row, with Mansell ahead. The two Ferraris qualified into the second row in Berger-Alesi order. Hakkinen was fifth, and Morbidelli scored an excellent sixth position in the Footwork. Martin Brundle didn’t seem to find his wellingtons and qualified only 18th, behind Lotus’ young hotshot Salo, who was a shocking two seconds faster in the rain than his team-mate, Zanardi. As usual, Pacific struggled in the rain, with Belmondo 23rd and Kovacshazi 24th, but they were still faster than the local heroes, Noda and Inue.
Kovacshazi was still satisfied “I think we stepped forward.” he said “Our car is not undriveable any more. It’s very difficult to keep it on track, but at least it’s possible and we managed to be faster than some cars. That’s a big step forward from where we were in France.”
Japanese Grand Prix – Starting grid:
1. Mansell - Williams
2. Hill – Williams
3. Berger – Ferrari
4. Alesi - Ferrari
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Morbidelli - Footwork
7. Barrichello - Jordan
8. Frentzen - Sauber
9. Comas - Larrousse
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Fittipaldi - Footwork
12. Alboreto - Minardi
13. Martini - Minardi
14. Blundell - Tyrrell
15. Lehto - Sauber
16. Panis - Ligier
17. Salo - Lotus
18. Brundle - McLaren
19. Katayama - Tyrrell
20. Lagorce - Ligier
21. Zanardi - Lotus
22. Brabham - Simtek
23. Belmondo - Pacific
24. Kovacshazi - Pacific
25. Noda - Larrousse
26. Inue – Simtek
The weather hadn’t improved a bit till Sunday, and the race was started under heavy rain. Williams learned from the fiasco in Jerez and they left nothing to chance, covering every possible line after the start and turning one-two into the first corner with Hill ahead. They were followed by Berger, Hakkinen, Comas, Morbidelli, Alesi, Frentzen, Irvine and Alboreto. Katayama spun in the third corner and damaged his rear suspension – one Japanese of three was out. Only a few turns later Inue spun and stalled his Simtek – two of three – and in lap 3 Noda spun coming out of 130R and destroyed his Larrousse – three of three.
The rain was intensifying so a Safety Car was sent out while the crew cleared up the Larrousse’s remnants. Before the race was under its control, however Alboreto stopped with gearbox problems and Christian Fittipaldi dropped out with a big crash. It took six laps to clear up the wreckages, but even that was too much for Erik Comas’ Ford power plant which smoked away. Too bad, because he seemed to be very competitive in the rain, registering a 7th fastest time during the warmup session.
The race was restarted in lap 15. Hill started to pull away, while Mansell was covering the attacking line from Berger. Alesi passed Morbidelli and started to catch up on Hakkinen. Frentzen, Irvine, Barrichello and Panis completed top 10.
Williams kept the race totally under control. Hill pulled away from Mansell by a second per lap, yet he wasn’t taking any unnecessary risks. Meanwhile Il Leone kept Berger’s Ferrari at bay, slowing it down just enough so Hakkinen and Alesi could catch up on them, but he never let them close enough to pose a real threat.
Irvine opened the first pitstops from P9 in lap 18, and in 4 laps everyone got new tires and fuel. Alesi was given a big load, not planning to stop any more. Frentzen stayed out and stopped first in lap 30, being on a similar strategy.
Hill was leading by more than 30 seconds ahead of Mansell and Berger when Williams decide to release the lion. Mansell felt obliged to show that he was not slower than his team mate, running one fastest lap after another in the rain, while Hill was easing off in front, but was still faster than Berger, who spun at one point, handing over the podium place to Hakkinen.
Alesi’s strategy didn’t work out well, as he lost a lot of time behind the Jordans and was more than a 20 seconds behind Morbidelli. But first Hakkinen’s Peugeot engine gave up, then Morbidelli’s suspension fell apart three laps later, and when Berger spun once again, the Frenchman found himself back in P3, albeit way too far for starting a charge against the Williams duo, who were lapping steadily to ensure their 1-2 finish.
And so Damon Hill won the Japanese Grand Prix, with Mansell second, Alesi third and Berger fourth. With this result, Williams secured the constructors title, while Hill closed up to Michael Schumacher with only 4 points behind for season closing Australian Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello and Heinz-Harald Frentzen climbed up to fifth and sixth, profiting from the misfortune of Hakkinen and Morbidelli earlier. Merse Kovacshazi had shown a steady performance, finishing 11th, albeit 4 laps down, but ahead of David Brabham, Alessandro Zanardi and Paul Belmondo.
1994 Japanese Grand Prix – Final results:
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:40:54.359
2. Nigel Mansell – Williams-Renault +0:12.843
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:38.215
4. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:54.085
5. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +1 lap
8. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +2 laps
9. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Renault +2 laps
10. Franck Lagorce – Ligier-Renault +4 laps
11. Merse Kovacshazi – Pacific-Ilmor +4 laps
12. Alessandro Zanardi – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +5 laps
13. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +5 laps
14. Paul Belmondo – Pacific-Ilmor +8 laps
DNF: Morbidelli (L33), Hakkinen (L30), Lehto (L25), Salo (L23), Martini (L22), Brundle (L15), Comas (L6), Fittipaldi (L5), Alboreto (L4), Noda (L3), Inue (L1), Katayama (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 15
1. Schumacher 84 (-)
2. Hill 80 (-)
3. Berger 34 (-)
4. Barrichello 24 (-)
5. Coulthard 21 (-)
6. Alesi 21 (-)
7. Hakkinen 17 (-)
8. Mansell 16 (-)
9. Brundle 9 (-)
10. Morbidelli 9 (-)
11. Larini 8 (-)
12. Verstappen 8 (-)
13. Frentzen 8 (-)
14. Katayama 7 (-)
15. Senna 6 (-)
16. Wendlinger 6 (-)
17. Irvine 5 (-)
18. Panis 4 (-)
19. Blundell 4 (-)
20. Martini 3 (-)
21. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
22. Lehto 2 (-)
23. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
24. de Cesaris 2 (-)
25. Herbert 1 (-)
26. Alboreto 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 15
1. Williams 123 (-)
2. Benetton 94 (-)
3. Ferrari 63 (-)
4. Jordan 31 (-)
5. McLaren 26 (-)
6. Sauber 16 (-)
7. Tyrrell 12 (-)
8. Footwork 11 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
Williams is already World Champion.
Lotus has been disqualified from the World Constructors Championship.
Race commentaries wrote:Damon Hill (1st): It was a very difficult race, but our strategy worked perfectly. I managed to pull away, build up a gap and then all I had to do is to look out for the car. I’m only 4 points behind Michael in the championship so we will do everything we can to win the title. I heard that we secured the constructors title today, so we’ll do everything to win the driver’s championship too.
Nigel Mansell (2nd): Our main goal today was to secure the constructors championship and to help Damon to reduce his gap to Michael. We achieved both our goals so I am satisfied. I want to congratulate Damon, he was very convincing in these difficult conditions. Maybe at another point of the world championship the result would have been different, but I have serve the team’s interests first.
Jean Alesi (3rd): We tried out an alternative strategy today. We planned on sparing one stop, but I lost too much time behind the Jordans and it didn’t work out. Third place was the maximum I could get today, and I’m satisfied I finished ahead of Gerhard.
Merse Kovacshazi (11th): It was an exhausting race. Our car is very difficult to handle in the rain, but we kept improving during the whole weekend and today we even managed to be faster than some cars. I am very satisfied with both finishing the race and improving this much, especially that we’re focusing on the next season for a long time now.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Australian Grand Prix: Final
Round 16 – Australian Grand Prix
Finale
Kovacshazi made a comments on Thursday that summed the weekend prefectly:
Lovers of statistics had a real treat on their table for the last race. If Hill would win the race and Schumacher would finish second, they both would have 90 points with seven victories, two 2nd and three 3rd places, and no other classified results. There was some debate between the Schumacher and the Hill camp about which driver would be crowned to world champion in this case.
According to the rulebook in the case of a tie in points and in race point finish positions “other race results shall decide. If necessary pole positions, fastest laps and qualifying results shall be taken into account.”
Hill participated on all the 16 events while Schumacher was banned from two. According to Hill fans retirement is counts as a “result” as well, and so Hill would have five retirements against Schumacher’s three, and thus he would be champion. Schumacher fans argued of course that only classified results count and poles and fastest laps would decide, in the favor of Schumacher. Either way, in the case of a Hill-Schumacher 1-2, it will be the closest championship finish ever. FIA fell silent on the matter and everyone hoped that the 1994 World Championship won’t be decided at the green table.
There had been some changes to the field since Japan with the pay-drivers taking over. Larrousse was down to Jean-Denis Deletraz and Hideki Noda while Simtek had replaced Taki Inoue, giving another chance to Mimmo Schiattarella who was rumored to drive for the team in the next season as well. Benetton returned to the grid with Schumacher and Herbert to fight Hill and Mansell. Otherwise the field was the same as it had been in Suzuka. Returning Michael Schumacher was under pressure and crashed heavily on Friday afternoon. Still he was fastest than anybody on the rainy qualification and snatched the pole ahead of Mansell, Hill, Berger, Hakkinen, Alesi and Brundle. Herbert couldn’t find the grip in his new Benetton car and qualified only 16th, unlikely to be able to help Schumacher in his campaign for the world title. He finished just ahead of Mika Salo who outqualified his team-mate once again. Pacific was struggling as usual in the rain, Kovacshazi finished 26th and Belmondo 28th.
Australian Grand Prix – Starting Grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Mansell - Williams
3. Hill - Williams
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Brundle - McLaren
8. Barrichello - Jordan
9. Frentzen - Sauber
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Blundell - Tyrrell
12. Morbidelli - Footwork
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. Alboreto - Minardi
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Herbert - Benetton
17. Salo - Lotus
18. Panis - Ligier
19. Lehto - Sauber
20. Zanardi - Lotus
21. Fittipaldi - Footwork
22. Lagorce - Ligier
23. Brabham - Simtek
24. Schiattarella - Simtek
25. Noda - Larrousse
26. Kovacshazi – Pacific
There was some kind of nervousness in the air on Sunday morning. The monsoon rains during the night washed off the rubber form the surface of the track and it was extremely slippery during the warm-up session, which was red flagged no less than four times due various incidents.
The race also started with a bit of a chaos. Lehto stalled his car on the grid, and just like in Imola, he was hit by a Lotus – Zanardi this time. Hideki Noda gave up at the end of the first lap realizing that the debris damaged his brake duct so badly that he had to stop. Safety car was sent in holding the field back for two laps before the race really started.
When the track was clear again, Schumacher pulled away while Mansell made room for Hill. He was third ahead of Hakkinen, Alesi, Berger, Barrichello, Irvine, Frentzen, Blundell, Brundle, Panis and Morbidelli. Hill worked off his gap to Schumahcer in two laps and the leading duo was pulling away. Mansell spun at the Stag corner and lost his front wing in lap 5. He was copied by Alesi in the next lap. Frentzen also spun, but he managed to avoid the wall. Then Herbert retired with a rare Benetton gearbox problem, followed by Kovacshazi who broke his suspension on the kerbs. In lap 13 Alboreto had a brake failure chasing Franck Lagorce. The result was a spectacular crash at the Roundabout. Neither driver was hurt, and the race was continued with only yellow flags. Hill and Schumacher were leading ahead of Hakkinen and Berger by more than 11 seconds in lap 15. They were followed by the two Jordans, Panis, Morbidelli, Brundle, Mansell and Alesi. Fittipaldi and Blundell started the pitstops.
In lap 21 Hill was on Schumahcer’s tail, and the German cracked under the pressure. He went off and hit a wall, Hill tried to go around the Benetton in the next turn but Schumacher didn’t accept defeat and forced the Williams off the track and nose first into the barriers. Hill's suspension was damaged and he was out. Schumacher still tried to crawl back into the pits with his damaged car, but he was forced to stop when the steering rod broke. But by then he was world champion. Benetton closed down its garage door, but opened the champagne bottles.
Hakkinen inherited the lead with Berger some 5 seconds behind. Barrichello was third, Panis fourth, Morbidelli fifth Mansell sixth, Brundle seventh, and Katayama eighth. Alesi stopped three laps earlier for a new set of tires, and Irvine Damaged his front wing and was forced to make an early pitstop. Meanwhile Frentzen spun the third time. It seemed that we could have an unexpected winner in Hakkinen who lapped slightly faster than Berger. But the heavens denied this grace from the Finn. His right rear suspension collapsed at the Forster corner in lap 24. Simultaneously Barrichello pulled over with an engine failure.
Berger found himself on top, Panis was second, Morbidelli third, Mansell fourth, Katayama fifth, Brundle sixth, Irvine seventh, Blundell eighth and Alesi ninth. Most of the field was on a one-stop strategy, and they made their only pitstop around lap 38, but that didn’t change much on the order. Mansell got ahead of Morbidelli, while Alesi temporarily leapfrogged Brundle, Blundell and Irvine.
In lap 45 Mansell lost his front wing once again dropping himself back to 9th place. Morbidelli also made a mistake and spun, falling back behind Blundell, while Irvine was forced into the pits with electrical problems. Frentzen finally gave up the race in lap 52, after spinning the fifth time. The differential stopped working properly in his Sauber at the beginning of the race and now finally gave up completely.
In lap 55 Berger lapped down Panis, who had a comfortable lead ahead of Katayama, who was chased by Brundle and Blundell. Alesi was dropped back to 5th after his second pitstop, but soon he passed Blundell and was catching up on Brundle. The race eased back a bit at this point. Everyone was trying to get to the finish line. Alesi was lapping one second faster than anyone else, trying to catch Brundle. In lap 57 Panis had a heartbreaking crash due a brake failure. The Frenchman had a sensational race so far, and seemed like a sure podium finisher on this race. The extremely reliable Ligier car registered only three technical failures during the season so far of which two were in Aida.
The second position fell into the arms of no one else than Ukyo Katayama in the Tyrrell who had just enough gap to keep it till the checkered flag. Alesi climbed up to third after passing Brundle. The #4 Tyrrell driver had to suffer a last lap overtaking form Mansell too, who salvaged two points with this maneuver. And the winner was Gerhard Berger who drove without a mistake during this silly race, and after winning the season opener in Brazil, he framed the 1994 season with yet another victory, lapping everyone.
1994 Australian Grand Prix (81 laps) – Final results
1. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari 1:42:24.111
2. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +1 lap
4. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap
5. Nigel Mansell – Williams-Renault +1 lap
6. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
7. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
8. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +2 laps
9. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
10. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +3 laps
11. Mika Salo – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
12. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +3 laps
13. Domenico Schiattarella – Simtek-Ford +6 laps
DNF: Panis (L57), Frentzen (L52), Hakkinen (L24), Barrichello (L24), Schumacher (L21), Hill (L21), Alboreto (L13), Lagorce (L13), Kovacshazi (L9), Herbert (L8), Noda (L1), Lehto (L1), Zanardi (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 16
1. Schumacher 84 (-)
2. Hill 80 (-)
3. Berger 44 (-)
4. Alesi 25 (+2)
5. Barrichello 24 (-1)
6. Coulthard 21 (-1)
7. Mansell 18 (+1)
8. Hakkinen 17 (-1)
9. Katayama 13 (+5)
10. Brundle 12 (-1)
11. Morbidelli 9 (-1)
12. Larini 8 (-1)
13. Verstappen 8 (-1)
14. Frentzen 8 (-1)
15. Senna 6 (-)
16. Wendlinger 6 (-)
17. Irvine 5 (-)
18. Blundell 5 (+1)
19. Panis 4 (-1)
20. Martini 3 (-)
21. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
22. Lehto 2 (-)
23. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
24. de Cesaris 2 (-)
25. Herbert 1 (-)
26. Alboreto 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 16
1. Williams 125 (-)
2. Benetton 94 (-)
3. Ferrari 77 (-)
4. McLaren 29 (+1)
5. Jordan 29 (-1)
6. Tyrrell 18 (+1)
7. Sauber 16 (-1)
8. Footwork 11 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
After the race FIA examined the Schumacher-Hill incident. It was found that Schumacher’s front right suspension was damaged due the hit on the wall. It was also found that there was just enough room for Schumacher to turn in the next corner but he rammed into Hill. Benetton argued that this was because the steering was damaged and the car couldn’t turn as tight as it used to. As this couldn’t be ruled out the incident was declared a racing accident.
And so Michael Schumacher won the 1994 World Driver’s Championship with a knockout, ahead of Damon Hill, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi, Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard. Merse Kovacshazi finished 23rd with 2 ponts. Williams won the Constructor’s Championship, Benetton finished second, and Ferrari third.
Footnote: I couldn't have dreamed it better. I didn't have to do anything, the game reproduced me the 1994 Australian GP almost completely. After I DNF-ed, I watched as Schumacher had brake failure, hit the wall, bounced back and hit Hill who tried to avoid him. All I did was flavoring it up a bit Next I'm planning an article about the winter season then we're up to 1995 when I plan to drift focus back to Kovacshazi and Pacific and write less about the world championship.
Finale
Kovacshazi made a comments on Thursday that summed the weekend prefectly:
This is an excellent track, a real delight to drive on. Too bad that our car won’t like it. And with all the mid-season rule changes, I bet it will be a chaotic race. The last race of the season is like the last week in school anyway. Everyone knows that the vacation is near. Everyone is tired, a bit silly, not focusing any more, everyone is joking a bit more than usual. But there are always some who still have to fight for their grades.
Lovers of statistics had a real treat on their table for the last race. If Hill would win the race and Schumacher would finish second, they both would have 90 points with seven victories, two 2nd and three 3rd places, and no other classified results. There was some debate between the Schumacher and the Hill camp about which driver would be crowned to world champion in this case.
According to the rulebook in the case of a tie in points and in race point finish positions “other race results shall decide. If necessary pole positions, fastest laps and qualifying results shall be taken into account.”
Hill participated on all the 16 events while Schumacher was banned from two. According to Hill fans retirement is counts as a “result” as well, and so Hill would have five retirements against Schumacher’s three, and thus he would be champion. Schumacher fans argued of course that only classified results count and poles and fastest laps would decide, in the favor of Schumacher. Either way, in the case of a Hill-Schumacher 1-2, it will be the closest championship finish ever. FIA fell silent on the matter and everyone hoped that the 1994 World Championship won’t be decided at the green table.
There had been some changes to the field since Japan with the pay-drivers taking over. Larrousse was down to Jean-Denis Deletraz and Hideki Noda while Simtek had replaced Taki Inoue, giving another chance to Mimmo Schiattarella who was rumored to drive for the team in the next season as well. Benetton returned to the grid with Schumacher and Herbert to fight Hill and Mansell. Otherwise the field was the same as it had been in Suzuka. Returning Michael Schumacher was under pressure and crashed heavily on Friday afternoon. Still he was fastest than anybody on the rainy qualification and snatched the pole ahead of Mansell, Hill, Berger, Hakkinen, Alesi and Brundle. Herbert couldn’t find the grip in his new Benetton car and qualified only 16th, unlikely to be able to help Schumacher in his campaign for the world title. He finished just ahead of Mika Salo who outqualified his team-mate once again. Pacific was struggling as usual in the rain, Kovacshazi finished 26th and Belmondo 28th.
Australian Grand Prix – Starting Grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Mansell - Williams
3. Hill - Williams
4. Berger - Ferrari
5. Hakkinen - McLaren
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Brundle - McLaren
8. Barrichello - Jordan
9. Frentzen - Sauber
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Blundell - Tyrrell
12. Morbidelli - Footwork
13. Katayama - Tyrrell
14. Alboreto - Minardi
15. Martini - Minardi
16. Herbert - Benetton
17. Salo - Lotus
18. Panis - Ligier
19. Lehto - Sauber
20. Zanardi - Lotus
21. Fittipaldi - Footwork
22. Lagorce - Ligier
23. Brabham - Simtek
24. Schiattarella - Simtek
25. Noda - Larrousse
26. Kovacshazi – Pacific
There was some kind of nervousness in the air on Sunday morning. The monsoon rains during the night washed off the rubber form the surface of the track and it was extremely slippery during the warm-up session, which was red flagged no less than four times due various incidents.
The race also started with a bit of a chaos. Lehto stalled his car on the grid, and just like in Imola, he was hit by a Lotus – Zanardi this time. Hideki Noda gave up at the end of the first lap realizing that the debris damaged his brake duct so badly that he had to stop. Safety car was sent in holding the field back for two laps before the race really started.
When the track was clear again, Schumacher pulled away while Mansell made room for Hill. He was third ahead of Hakkinen, Alesi, Berger, Barrichello, Irvine, Frentzen, Blundell, Brundle, Panis and Morbidelli. Hill worked off his gap to Schumahcer in two laps and the leading duo was pulling away. Mansell spun at the Stag corner and lost his front wing in lap 5. He was copied by Alesi in the next lap. Frentzen also spun, but he managed to avoid the wall. Then Herbert retired with a rare Benetton gearbox problem, followed by Kovacshazi who broke his suspension on the kerbs. In lap 13 Alboreto had a brake failure chasing Franck Lagorce. The result was a spectacular crash at the Roundabout. Neither driver was hurt, and the race was continued with only yellow flags. Hill and Schumacher were leading ahead of Hakkinen and Berger by more than 11 seconds in lap 15. They were followed by the two Jordans, Panis, Morbidelli, Brundle, Mansell and Alesi. Fittipaldi and Blundell started the pitstops.
In lap 21 Hill was on Schumahcer’s tail, and the German cracked under the pressure. He went off and hit a wall, Hill tried to go around the Benetton in the next turn but Schumacher didn’t accept defeat and forced the Williams off the track and nose first into the barriers. Hill's suspension was damaged and he was out. Schumacher still tried to crawl back into the pits with his damaged car, but he was forced to stop when the steering rod broke. But by then he was world champion. Benetton closed down its garage door, but opened the champagne bottles.
Hakkinen inherited the lead with Berger some 5 seconds behind. Barrichello was third, Panis fourth, Morbidelli fifth Mansell sixth, Brundle seventh, and Katayama eighth. Alesi stopped three laps earlier for a new set of tires, and Irvine Damaged his front wing and was forced to make an early pitstop. Meanwhile Frentzen spun the third time. It seemed that we could have an unexpected winner in Hakkinen who lapped slightly faster than Berger. But the heavens denied this grace from the Finn. His right rear suspension collapsed at the Forster corner in lap 24. Simultaneously Barrichello pulled over with an engine failure.
Berger found himself on top, Panis was second, Morbidelli third, Mansell fourth, Katayama fifth, Brundle sixth, Irvine seventh, Blundell eighth and Alesi ninth. Most of the field was on a one-stop strategy, and they made their only pitstop around lap 38, but that didn’t change much on the order. Mansell got ahead of Morbidelli, while Alesi temporarily leapfrogged Brundle, Blundell and Irvine.
In lap 45 Mansell lost his front wing once again dropping himself back to 9th place. Morbidelli also made a mistake and spun, falling back behind Blundell, while Irvine was forced into the pits with electrical problems. Frentzen finally gave up the race in lap 52, after spinning the fifth time. The differential stopped working properly in his Sauber at the beginning of the race and now finally gave up completely.
In lap 55 Berger lapped down Panis, who had a comfortable lead ahead of Katayama, who was chased by Brundle and Blundell. Alesi was dropped back to 5th after his second pitstop, but soon he passed Blundell and was catching up on Brundle. The race eased back a bit at this point. Everyone was trying to get to the finish line. Alesi was lapping one second faster than anyone else, trying to catch Brundle. In lap 57 Panis had a heartbreaking crash due a brake failure. The Frenchman had a sensational race so far, and seemed like a sure podium finisher on this race. The extremely reliable Ligier car registered only three technical failures during the season so far of which two were in Aida.
The second position fell into the arms of no one else than Ukyo Katayama in the Tyrrell who had just enough gap to keep it till the checkered flag. Alesi climbed up to third after passing Brundle. The #4 Tyrrell driver had to suffer a last lap overtaking form Mansell too, who salvaged two points with this maneuver. And the winner was Gerhard Berger who drove without a mistake during this silly race, and after winning the season opener in Brazil, he framed the 1994 season with yet another victory, lapping everyone.
1994 Australian Grand Prix (81 laps) – Final results
1. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari 1:42:24.111
2. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +1 lap
4. Martin Brundle – McLaren-Peugeot +1 lap
5. Nigel Mansell – Williams-Renault +1 lap
6. Mark Blundell – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
7. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Ford +1 lap
8. Christian Fittipaldi – Footwork-Ford +2 laps
9. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Hart +2 laps
10. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +3 laps
11. Mika Salo – Lotus-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
12. David Brabham – Simtek-Ford +3 laps
13. Domenico Schiattarella – Simtek-Ford +6 laps
DNF: Panis (L57), Frentzen (L52), Hakkinen (L24), Barrichello (L24), Schumacher (L21), Hill (L21), Alboreto (L13), Lagorce (L13), Kovacshazi (L9), Herbert (L8), Noda (L1), Lehto (L1), Zanardi (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 16
1. Schumacher 84 (-)
2. Hill 80 (-)
3. Berger 44 (-)
4. Alesi 25 (+2)
5. Barrichello 24 (-1)
6. Coulthard 21 (-1)
7. Mansell 18 (+1)
8. Hakkinen 17 (-1)
9. Katayama 13 (+5)
10. Brundle 12 (-1)
11. Morbidelli 9 (-1)
12. Larini 8 (-1)
13. Verstappen 8 (-1)
14. Frentzen 8 (-1)
15. Senna 6 (-)
16. Wendlinger 6 (-)
17. Irvine 5 (-)
18. Blundell 5 (+1)
19. Panis 4 (-1)
20. Martini 3 (-)
21. Fittipaldi 2 (-)
22. Lehto 2 (-)
23. Kovacshazi 2 (-)
24. de Cesaris 2 (-)
25. Herbert 1 (-)
26. Alboreto 1 (-)
Constructors Championship – after Round 16
1. Williams 125 (-)
2. Benetton 94 (-)
3. Ferrari 77 (-)
4. McLaren 29 (+1)
5. Jordan 29 (-1)
6. Tyrrell 18 (+1)
7. Sauber 16 (-1)
8. Footwork 11 (-)
9. Minardi 4 (-)
10. Ligier 4 (-)
11. Pacific 2 (-)
Race commentaries wrote:Gerhard Berger (1st): “This was a crazy race indeed; the track had no grip whatsoever. I managed to avoid any trouble but it didn’t seem likely that I could win here. But then the cars ahead of me were dropped out one after another and I found myself in the lead, one lap ahead of P2. It was pretty easy from there.
Ukyo Katayama (2nd): “It’s a great feeling to be on the podium. This is the best result a Japanese driver ever achieved in Formula 1 and I’m very proud of it. We profited a lot from the misfortune of the others, but this is motor racing, and we didn’t make any mistakes today. I think we deserved this result.”
Jean Alesi (3rd): “It was a silly race indeed. I lost my front wing early and I had to stop, then I had to overtake everyone, on a very slippery track. But my strategy worked, I was faster than almost anyone, and it helped me to climb back to the podium. It’s a great way to close the season and we’re looking forward to similar results in the next one.”
Michael Schumacher (DNF): “It certainly wasn’t the way I wanted to win the championship. I made a mistake, Hill was next to me, but I had the corner, and he closed the door on me, I had no way to go. It was a stupid mistake of him, but it doesn’t matter much because we were both out.”
Damon Hill (DNF): “I saw Michael hitting the wall. I tried to avoid him, I was already ahead of him, but he hit me and pushed me into the wall. It’s not the first time he was aggressive, it’s very like him to knock me out to win the championship. His car was damaged, he had no chance of continuing the race, so he decided to crash into me.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “It was a very difficult race, we were struggling with the lack of grip during the whole weekend. My start was good but then I hit one of the kerbs too hard, and my suspension broke. Too bad, I wanted to end the season with a race finish. I saw what happened to Schumacher, his suspension was bend after he hit the wall, there was no way he could continue, and so he decided to knock Damon out. Of ourse my word doesn’t count much and it won’t change the result anyway…”
After the race FIA examined the Schumacher-Hill incident. It was found that Schumacher’s front right suspension was damaged due the hit on the wall. It was also found that there was just enough room for Schumacher to turn in the next corner but he rammed into Hill. Benetton argued that this was because the steering was damaged and the car couldn’t turn as tight as it used to. As this couldn’t be ruled out the incident was declared a racing accident.
And so Michael Schumacher won the 1994 World Driver’s Championship with a knockout, ahead of Damon Hill, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi, Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard. Merse Kovacshazi finished 23rd with 2 ponts. Williams won the Constructor’s Championship, Benetton finished second, and Ferrari third.
Footnote: I couldn't have dreamed it better. I didn't have to do anything, the game reproduced me the 1994 Australian GP almost completely. After I DNF-ed, I watched as Schumacher had brake failure, hit the wall, bounced back and hit Hill who tried to avoid him. All I did was flavoring it up a bit
Next I'm planning an article about the winter season then we're up to 1995 when I plan to drift focus back to Kovacshazi and Pacific and write less about the world championship.Re: Rider of the Carpathians – 1994-1995 Silly Season
1994 - 1995 Silly Season
The 1994 season was controversial to the very least, and everyone was happy to leave it behind. The drivers bid farewell to Adelaide with a huge party in downtown. The evening wasn’t completely pleasant, with harsh words between the camp of Alesi and Martini, who were supporting Schumacher and the Blundell-Brundle-Kovacshazi trio who thought that the collision was caused by the deliberate maneuver of the German. Fortunately, the two mentioned above kept a cool head. They shared some pleasant words and tried to avoid each other during the whole night afterwards.
December 9th was the date of the FIA Prize Giving Gala. Schumacher and Patrick Head in the name of Williams received the trophies for winning the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship. David Coulthard was elected Rookie of the Year, ahead of Frentzen, Kovacshazi and Panis.
The same day Autosport released its usual assessment of the year, giving every driver a possible maximum of 10 points. Hill received a generous 9.1 while world champion Schumacher got only 8.3. Coulthard was given a strong 8.5, and Gerhard Berger also finished ahead of Schumacher with 8.4 points. Kovacshazi finished in the midfield with his 6.6 points, a few tenths extra for scoring two points but losing some for rookie mistakes and two DNQs. Autosport characterized him as someone who “definitely got some talent, but just how good he could be is still uncertain.” Paul Belmondo had the dubious honor of being second worst among those who managed to qualify, getting mere 2 points, one extra for seeing the checkered flag in Japan…
The silly season was rather quiet at first, but heated up later. Let’s see how the teams spent the winter months.
Benetton tried to keep a low profile during the winter. They confirmed both drivers before the end of the 1994 season and they were busy with their testing program even before the B195 was launched. Despite still having the best aerodynamic package, it seemed that their advantage shrunk a lot compared to the Williams FW17. But with the Renault engine they can compensate with speed what they lost in downforce.
It was well-known that Damon Hill will be number one driver at Williams in 1995, but there were rumors in Australia about that Coulthard signed a multi-years contract with McLaren. Frank Williams claimed to have an option on the Scotsman. The teams went to the FIA Contract Recognition Board, after a short hearing Coulthard remained in the service of Williams for 1995, but press information said that he was still going to join McLaren in 1996.
After that, it was quite a peaceful silly season for Williams, dominating the tests in par with Benetton.
Scuderia Ferrari had to face the fact that for four years now they have to fight with other teams for being third in the championship. This was of course unacceptable which lead to some personnel changes. The goal was to eventually lure Schumacher to the team. Whatever it takes. The 412T2 wasn’t too convincing during the pre-season tests, and the Tipo 044/1 engine gave some headache to the mechanics with its notorious unreliability.
McLaren started the 1994 season the first time in a decade when they were not considered championship contenders. Yet, both Mika Hakkinen and Martin Brundle had the chance to win a GP at some point.
For 1995 the team planned to sign David Coulthard, but then they settled with returning Nigel Mansell. The unlikely pairing raised a few eyebrows. It was unclear how the flamboyant Mansell would fit into the strict team of Ron Dennis.
The MP4/10 didn’t seem to be a world-beater. In fact it seemed to be only the fifth fastest car, being slower than the two Jordans. Even worse, it turned out that Mansell couldn’t fit into the cockpit, so Mark Blundell would drive the #7 car in the first few events. On the bright side, it seemed that at some point in the future Alain Prost may be involved with the team.
The sympathetic Jordan team had a quiet, but encouraging winter. They kept both of their drivers, and the car seemed to be both reliable and fast, thanks to the powerful Peugeot engine and their unique seven gear gearbox. This one gave some headache to the mechanics in the first few weeks, but it looked like Jordans could keep up with the Renault powered teams in the straights.
As Lotus inevitably folded, Tyrrell promptly announced that they signed Mika Salo. Pacific considered itself the legal successor of Lotus, so the two teams met at the Contract Recognition Board in Geneva. Rumor said that Salo has a strong $3.5 million in Nokia sponsorship for the year ahead, so it wasn't only about a talented young driver. Peter Collins, former team boss of Lotus appeared as a witness on behalf of Tyrrell. The court ruled in favor of the Brackley outfit, because the Team Lotus which Salo had signed for was not the same Team Lotus which now claimed his services.
Tyrrell could be the dark horse of the season with its powerful Yamaha engine, last season’s surprise man Katayama and the talented Salo.
After losing Mercedes, Sauber was in a tough situation. The Ford Zetec engine was weaker than their previous powerplant, and the C14 chassis was both bulky and slightly overweight. But they managed to acquire two new, powerful sponsors: Red Bull energy drink company and Petronas oil company, which meant that the team’s future was secured. Frentzen was considered one of the most talented young drivers in the field, and Wendlinger’s return was another ray of hope for the team.
As always, Footwork was short on cash at the end of the last season, so they were forced to sign Japanese pay driver Takichiro Inue to partner Gianni Morbidelli, who also had to throw in some money. Inue seemed to be a bad sign from the very first day. He was horribly off the pace and had several embarrassing spins and crashes during the tests, giving a lot of extra work to his team. The FA16 was an evolution of last year's chassis, and it was powered by the new Hart V8 engine, which was rumored to be 50 HP stronger than the Ford engines the team used in 1994.
Larrousse’s only measurable result in 1994 was Erik Comas’ second position form the season opener. The team’s coffers were empty, the LH95 was done on paper but, because no funding arrived, it has not been built. The wannabe new F1 team, DAMS tried to buy out Gerard Larousse, but the negotiations stalled. Larrousse has been trying to convince DAMS to run his F1 operation for him while he had nothing to offer but the entry rights of the team, and being qualified for FOCA travel benefits.
Larrousse then managed to convince the men behind the stillborn Junior Team F1 program to back his case. Junior Team had a large percentage of the budget necessary to run a team, but not the full amount. With Ligier foreign-owned, Larrousse was hoping that the French government would step in to help him because they would want to see a French team active in Grand Prix racing. Fortunately for him, Francois Mitterand saw it as a last time opportunity to raise his popularity before the French presidential elections. The team was safe - for a while at least.
On again, off again Larrousse driver, Eric Bernard would represented experience and Elf backed Christophe Bouchut was intended to bring fresh talent to the team. On the side of personnel the team seemed to be fine. Machinery however was a whole other case. Money was tight so Larrousse bought a dozen ’94 spec Peugeot engines which were modified indoors. Those engines were powerful, but with the new engine rule they became heavy, bulky and unreliable. As money was low, the team was forced to build a hybrid chassis, a modified LH94 with the elements of LH95. Considering that last year’s chassis was a modified 1993 car and that the design is much the same as that used in 1992, the team wasn't expected to be competitive.
Minardi’s future seemed to be brighter. They had the experienced Pierluigi Martini, and young hotshot Luca Badoer on board. They also built the aerodynamically efficient M195 chassis, a big leap forward from last year’s chassis, powered by Mugen-Honda. However, at the last-minute Benetton boss Flavio Briatore had somehow convinced the Japanese to supply Ligier instead. The Minardi team has been working flat out to build a car with for a Ford ED engine, but the car was barely finished before the Brazilian GP. Giancarlo Minardi summoned Mugen to to the court, but all he could hope was some compensation.
The Ligier team was in the focus last year, but for wrong reasons, and Briatore's action to get the Mugen engines for them deteriorated their reputation even more. And finally, when the Ligier-Mugen-Honda JS41 was unveiled, it had stirred up discontent among rival Formula 1 teams. Most observers reckoned that the design was the same as the Benetton, with the only modifications being for the installation of the Mugen engine and rival team owners are complaining that no-one should be allowed to control more than one team.
Merse Kovacshazi commented when he saw the car „I thought I have double vision when I saw it! It’s just a darker blue Benetton! I can’t imagine FIA allows this… Sorry, I must go. I have to ask Keith to buy the Williams chassis…”
The two cars certainly look similar and even Ligier's technical director Frank Dernie admitted that: "the two cars do look a lot like each other. There will be some differences: the engine, the suspension, the rear bodywork because of the engine. The rest, it's true, will be very similar - even the general aerodynamics."
The Concorde Agreement outlaws cars of the same design being used by two different teams; but it would be very difficult for FIA engineers to prove anything but a strong similarity, particularly as Benetton seemed to have little fear of the FIA and has adopted a robust attitude towards the governing body. This was demonstrated last year when Benetton was found guilty of using an illegal refuelling system at the German Grand Prix. The FIA decided not to take any action against the team because it feared the possibility of civil legal action from Benetton.
Ligier is now looking ahead with a potentially very competitive package while other teams are considering the possibility that they may have to start buying up rivals to compete - and to ensure their political power is not undermined.
Ligier had to pay for the Mugen-Honda engines with guaranteeing Aguri Suzuki eight races with the team, including the first three GPs. As Panis already had a confirmed full-year contract with the team, that meant that their other driver, Martin Brundle would have to sit out half of the season.
Winter brought some big changes for Pacific. First, they signed a two years engine deal with Imor. But it meant much more than that... The Ilmor F195A was in fact a re-badged, brand new Mercedes-Benz FO 110 V10 engine, the same one that was supplied to McLaren! The engine regulations of this year required every engine supplier to build new engines for the new 3 liter formula. Unlike other brands who modified their already out-ironed blocks however, Mercedes build a brand new power plant from scratch.
Keith Wiggins wrote the story of the deal in his biography later:
Second, when Lotus, not being able to attract any major sponsor eventually folded, most of its assets were bought by Pacific. Wiggins confirmed that the PR02 will get a new paint job featuring the Lotus badge and a green and yellow stripe, which is often associated with Lotus. However, they lost Mika Salo and his $3.5 million Nokia sponsorship to Tyrrell. Elf-backed Jean-Marc Gounon, who befriended Kovacshazi during the last season came on board to drive the second car.
Hungarian Auto-Motor also worked hard to raise Kovacshazi' popularity on home soil and to find some sponsorship money for his team. They released no less than three full-page articles during the silly season (a driver bio, an interview and an in-depth introduction of Pacific Grand Prix), and they wrote about every bit of news about the team. But they had little success, as recession and the aftershock of the democratic transition struck the country hard, and Kovacshazi was mostly looked at with envious eyes for wasting money he didn’t earn, while others have to struggle for the daily bread.
The brand new PR02 was cured of the notorious instability of the PR01, but it had horrible understeer, which couldn’t be fixed during the short two weeks the team had for testing.
Dutchman Jos Verstappen has signed to drive for Simtek. The team already had a deal to use Benetton's gearbox electronics package and the Verstappen deal was part of that arrangement. Instead of paying for the electronics, Simtek took on Verstappen instead. More cynical members of the F1 fraternity also see the deal as another Benetton concession to the FIA. Simtek was previously owned by FIA president Max Mosley and, by helping the team, Flavio Briatore seems to be trying to make peace with Mosley.
Verstappen was joined at Simtek by Hideki Noda and Mimmo Schiatarella, who will share the second car.
The new Simtek-Ford S195 was assembled the first time in the garage of Interlagos, although the team was confident that it will be a big step forward from last year's cars.
The sole new entry of 1995, Forti was busy organizing the team. They made next to no testing before the first race, and the car was mocked for being awfully similar to Fodmetal’s GR02 from 1992. Featuring the only manual gearshift in pit lane working a thoroughly troublesome gearbox, the car was seriously overweight and aerodynamically inefficient. But Forti planned the first season for takeoff anyway.
*NOTE: Starting from 1995 every event and decision which differs from what originally happened will be determined by complex equations with up to 25(!) variables. Historical accuracy ALWAYS plays a big role in these cases, but I also consider factors that changed in this "universe" compared to the original. And randomness of course
For instance, when I decided about engine deal for Pacific, there were 5 candidates: Ford ED, Ford Zetec, Yamaha/Judd '95 spec and Ilmor/Mercedes '94 and '95 spec. I considered factors like team results, sponsorships, engine supply available, enthusiasm of the team and the engine supplier (Mercedes had a slight advantage here over Yamaha), price of the engines, news I found (and generated) about the team and the engine etc. EDs had the biggest chance and they were intendedto be the cheapest and most likely to be done a deal with the team. The chances of getting the '95 spec Mercedes was approximately 3%, but several lucky rolls turned the factors on its favor. They asked for a much lower amount than they were intended to, but it still stretched Pacific's budget to its limits so if the team can't produce results it could mean the end for them.
The 1994 season was controversial to the very least, and everyone was happy to leave it behind. The drivers bid farewell to Adelaide with a huge party in downtown. The evening wasn’t completely pleasant, with harsh words between the camp of Alesi and Martini, who were supporting Schumacher and the Blundell-Brundle-Kovacshazi trio who thought that the collision was caused by the deliberate maneuver of the German. Fortunately, the two mentioned above kept a cool head. They shared some pleasant words and tried to avoid each other during the whole night afterwards.
December 9th was the date of the FIA Prize Giving Gala. Schumacher and Patrick Head in the name of Williams received the trophies for winning the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship. David Coulthard was elected Rookie of the Year, ahead of Frentzen, Kovacshazi and Panis.
The same day Autosport released its usual assessment of the year, giving every driver a possible maximum of 10 points. Hill received a generous 9.1 while world champion Schumacher got only 8.3. Coulthard was given a strong 8.5, and Gerhard Berger also finished ahead of Schumacher with 8.4 points. Kovacshazi finished in the midfield with his 6.6 points, a few tenths extra for scoring two points but losing some for rookie mistakes and two DNQs. Autosport characterized him as someone who “definitely got some talent, but just how good he could be is still uncertain.” Paul Belmondo had the dubious honor of being second worst among those who managed to qualify, getting mere 2 points, one extra for seeing the checkered flag in Japan…
The silly season was rather quiet at first, but heated up later. Let’s see how the teams spent the winter months.
Benetton tried to keep a low profile during the winter. They confirmed both drivers before the end of the 1994 season and they were busy with their testing program even before the B195 was launched. Despite still having the best aerodynamic package, it seemed that their advantage shrunk a lot compared to the Williams FW17. But with the Renault engine they can compensate with speed what they lost in downforce.
It was well-known that Damon Hill will be number one driver at Williams in 1995, but there were rumors in Australia about that Coulthard signed a multi-years contract with McLaren. Frank Williams claimed to have an option on the Scotsman. The teams went to the FIA Contract Recognition Board, after a short hearing Coulthard remained in the service of Williams for 1995, but press information said that he was still going to join McLaren in 1996.
After that, it was quite a peaceful silly season for Williams, dominating the tests in par with Benetton.
Scuderia Ferrari had to face the fact that for four years now they have to fight with other teams for being third in the championship. This was of course unacceptable which lead to some personnel changes. The goal was to eventually lure Schumacher to the team. Whatever it takes. The 412T2 wasn’t too convincing during the pre-season tests, and the Tipo 044/1 engine gave some headache to the mechanics with its notorious unreliability.
McLaren started the 1994 season the first time in a decade when they were not considered championship contenders. Yet, both Mika Hakkinen and Martin Brundle had the chance to win a GP at some point.
For 1995 the team planned to sign David Coulthard, but then they settled with returning Nigel Mansell. The unlikely pairing raised a few eyebrows. It was unclear how the flamboyant Mansell would fit into the strict team of Ron Dennis.
The MP4/10 didn’t seem to be a world-beater. In fact it seemed to be only the fifth fastest car, being slower than the two Jordans. Even worse, it turned out that Mansell couldn’t fit into the cockpit, so Mark Blundell would drive the #7 car in the first few events. On the bright side, it seemed that at some point in the future Alain Prost may be involved with the team.
The sympathetic Jordan team had a quiet, but encouraging winter. They kept both of their drivers, and the car seemed to be both reliable and fast, thanks to the powerful Peugeot engine and their unique seven gear gearbox. This one gave some headache to the mechanics in the first few weeks, but it looked like Jordans could keep up with the Renault powered teams in the straights.
As Lotus inevitably folded, Tyrrell promptly announced that they signed Mika Salo. Pacific considered itself the legal successor of Lotus, so the two teams met at the Contract Recognition Board in Geneva. Rumor said that Salo has a strong $3.5 million in Nokia sponsorship for the year ahead, so it wasn't only about a talented young driver. Peter Collins, former team boss of Lotus appeared as a witness on behalf of Tyrrell. The court ruled in favor of the Brackley outfit, because the Team Lotus which Salo had signed for was not the same Team Lotus which now claimed his services.
Tyrrell could be the dark horse of the season with its powerful Yamaha engine, last season’s surprise man Katayama and the talented Salo.
After losing Mercedes, Sauber was in a tough situation. The Ford Zetec engine was weaker than their previous powerplant, and the C14 chassis was both bulky and slightly overweight. But they managed to acquire two new, powerful sponsors: Red Bull energy drink company and Petronas oil company, which meant that the team’s future was secured. Frentzen was considered one of the most talented young drivers in the field, and Wendlinger’s return was another ray of hope for the team.
As always, Footwork was short on cash at the end of the last season, so they were forced to sign Japanese pay driver Takichiro Inue to partner Gianni Morbidelli, who also had to throw in some money. Inue seemed to be a bad sign from the very first day. He was horribly off the pace and had several embarrassing spins and crashes during the tests, giving a lot of extra work to his team. The FA16 was an evolution of last year's chassis, and it was powered by the new Hart V8 engine, which was rumored to be 50 HP stronger than the Ford engines the team used in 1994.
Larrousse’s only measurable result in 1994 was Erik Comas’ second position form the season opener. The team’s coffers were empty, the LH95 was done on paper but, because no funding arrived, it has not been built. The wannabe new F1 team, DAMS tried to buy out Gerard Larousse, but the negotiations stalled. Larrousse has been trying to convince DAMS to run his F1 operation for him while he had nothing to offer but the entry rights of the team, and being qualified for FOCA travel benefits.
Larrousse then managed to convince the men behind the stillborn Junior Team F1 program to back his case. Junior Team had a large percentage of the budget necessary to run a team, but not the full amount. With Ligier foreign-owned, Larrousse was hoping that the French government would step in to help him because they would want to see a French team active in Grand Prix racing. Fortunately for him, Francois Mitterand saw it as a last time opportunity to raise his popularity before the French presidential elections. The team was safe - for a while at least.
On again, off again Larrousse driver, Eric Bernard would represented experience and Elf backed Christophe Bouchut was intended to bring fresh talent to the team. On the side of personnel the team seemed to be fine. Machinery however was a whole other case. Money was tight so Larrousse bought a dozen ’94 spec Peugeot engines which were modified indoors. Those engines were powerful, but with the new engine rule they became heavy, bulky and unreliable. As money was low, the team was forced to build a hybrid chassis, a modified LH94 with the elements of LH95. Considering that last year’s chassis was a modified 1993 car and that the design is much the same as that used in 1992, the team wasn't expected to be competitive.
Minardi’s future seemed to be brighter. They had the experienced Pierluigi Martini, and young hotshot Luca Badoer on board. They also built the aerodynamically efficient M195 chassis, a big leap forward from last year’s chassis, powered by Mugen-Honda. However, at the last-minute Benetton boss Flavio Briatore had somehow convinced the Japanese to supply Ligier instead. The Minardi team has been working flat out to build a car with for a Ford ED engine, but the car was barely finished before the Brazilian GP. Giancarlo Minardi summoned Mugen to to the court, but all he could hope was some compensation.
The Ligier team was in the focus last year, but for wrong reasons, and Briatore's action to get the Mugen engines for them deteriorated their reputation even more. And finally, when the Ligier-Mugen-Honda JS41 was unveiled, it had stirred up discontent among rival Formula 1 teams. Most observers reckoned that the design was the same as the Benetton, with the only modifications being for the installation of the Mugen engine and rival team owners are complaining that no-one should be allowed to control more than one team.
Merse Kovacshazi commented when he saw the car „I thought I have double vision when I saw it! It’s just a darker blue Benetton! I can’t imagine FIA allows this… Sorry, I must go. I have to ask Keith to buy the Williams chassis…”
The two cars certainly look similar and even Ligier's technical director Frank Dernie admitted that: "the two cars do look a lot like each other. There will be some differences: the engine, the suspension, the rear bodywork because of the engine. The rest, it's true, will be very similar - even the general aerodynamics."
The Concorde Agreement outlaws cars of the same design being used by two different teams; but it would be very difficult for FIA engineers to prove anything but a strong similarity, particularly as Benetton seemed to have little fear of the FIA and has adopted a robust attitude towards the governing body. This was demonstrated last year when Benetton was found guilty of using an illegal refuelling system at the German Grand Prix. The FIA decided not to take any action against the team because it feared the possibility of civil legal action from Benetton.
Ligier is now looking ahead with a potentially very competitive package while other teams are considering the possibility that they may have to start buying up rivals to compete - and to ensure their political power is not undermined.
Ligier had to pay for the Mugen-Honda engines with guaranteeing Aguri Suzuki eight races with the team, including the first three GPs. As Panis already had a confirmed full-year contract with the team, that meant that their other driver, Martin Brundle would have to sit out half of the season.
Winter brought some big changes for Pacific. First, they signed a two years engine deal with Imor. But it meant much more than that... The Ilmor F195A was in fact a re-badged, brand new Mercedes-Benz FO 110 V10 engine, the same one that was supplied to McLaren! The engine regulations of this year required every engine supplier to build new engines for the new 3 liter formula. Unlike other brands who modified their already out-ironed blocks however, Mercedes build a brand new power plant from scratch.
Keith Wiggins wrote the story of the deal in his biography later:
First I approached Ford. We wanted a powerful engine for our car but they already sold Zetecs to Sauber and they made it clear that they won’t supply two teams. They offered the ED instead. So I turned to Yamaha. I planned to get their engine and run them as Judds, but the negotiations progressed very slowly. When we tested in Portugal back in late November, and most of the field was there, I asked Mario Illien if he could supply us with last year’s 2175B engines rebadged to Ilmor. He said “I have to ask Mercedes, give me two days”. It was a long shot of course and I didn’t expect to get anywhere, not for a price Pacific could pay at least, but two days later he called me and asked “How about the new engines instead?” I thought he was joking so I said “Sure”, but he wasn’t! We met Norbert Haug in Brixworth two days later, he seemed very excited about working with us. The deal was done within the week. Everyone at the team was very excited of course, especially because they made a very generous offer. We didn’t know how much headache this deal gonna give us later.
Second, when Lotus, not being able to attract any major sponsor eventually folded, most of its assets were bought by Pacific. Wiggins confirmed that the PR02 will get a new paint job featuring the Lotus badge and a green and yellow stripe, which is often associated with Lotus. However, they lost Mika Salo and his $3.5 million Nokia sponsorship to Tyrrell. Elf-backed Jean-Marc Gounon, who befriended Kovacshazi during the last season came on board to drive the second car.
Hungarian Auto-Motor also worked hard to raise Kovacshazi' popularity on home soil and to find some sponsorship money for his team. They released no less than three full-page articles during the silly season (a driver bio, an interview and an in-depth introduction of Pacific Grand Prix), and they wrote about every bit of news about the team. But they had little success, as recession and the aftershock of the democratic transition struck the country hard, and Kovacshazi was mostly looked at with envious eyes for wasting money he didn’t earn, while others have to struggle for the daily bread.
The brand new PR02 was cured of the notorious instability of the PR01, but it had horrible understeer, which couldn’t be fixed during the short two weeks the team had for testing.
Dutchman Jos Verstappen has signed to drive for Simtek. The team already had a deal to use Benetton's gearbox electronics package and the Verstappen deal was part of that arrangement. Instead of paying for the electronics, Simtek took on Verstappen instead. More cynical members of the F1 fraternity also see the deal as another Benetton concession to the FIA. Simtek was previously owned by FIA president Max Mosley and, by helping the team, Flavio Briatore seems to be trying to make peace with Mosley.
Verstappen was joined at Simtek by Hideki Noda and Mimmo Schiatarella, who will share the second car.
The new Simtek-Ford S195 was assembled the first time in the garage of Interlagos, although the team was confident that it will be a big step forward from last year's cars.
The sole new entry of 1995, Forti was busy organizing the team. They made next to no testing before the first race, and the car was mocked for being awfully similar to Fodmetal’s GR02 from 1992. Featuring the only manual gearshift in pit lane working a thoroughly troublesome gearbox, the car was seriously overweight and aerodynamically inefficient. But Forti planned the first season for takeoff anyway.
*NOTE: Starting from 1995 every event and decision which differs from what originally happened will be determined by complex equations with up to 25(!) variables. Historical accuracy ALWAYS plays a big role in these cases, but I also consider factors that changed in this "universe" compared to the original. And randomness of course
For instance, when I decided about engine deal for Pacific, there were 5 candidates: Ford ED, Ford Zetec, Yamaha/Judd '95 spec and Ilmor/Mercedes '94 and '95 spec. I considered factors like team results, sponsorships, engine supply available, enthusiasm of the team and the engine supplier (Mercedes had a slight advantage here over Yamaha), price of the engines, news I found (and generated) about the team and the engine etc. EDs had the biggest chance and they were intendedto be the cheapest and most likely to be done a deal with the team. The chances of getting the '95 spec Mercedes was approximately 3%, but several lucky rolls turned the factors on its favor. They asked for a much lower amount than they were intended to, but it still stretched Pacific's budget to its limits so if the team can't produce results it could mean the end for them.
Last edited by Julien on 27 Nov 2014, 18:12, edited 2 times in total.
Rider of the Carpathians – Brutal Beginning
Chapter 2 – 1995
Baptism of Fire
Round 1 – Brazilian Grand Prix
Brutal Beginning
On the bumps of Interlagos it soon emerged that the Williams-Renaults of Damon Hill and David Coulthard were the most stable cars. The Benettons of Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert did not have the same fluidity of movement. They actually looked a bit of a handful. Pacifics were struggling with massive understeer, but still were the ones who delivered the first sensation of the weekend. Jean-Marc (or Jimmy, as he was called in the team) Gounon qualified second, separating the two Williamses.
“We analyzed every inch of Jimmy’s lap” Mark Shurety, Kovacshazi’s chief mechanic told Autosport later “It was beyond perfect, every corner, every braking point. He was two seconds faster than we thought it is possible. He caught some slipstream in the last corner that was some help, but even without that he would have been really fast.”
The team tried to repeat the result on the warm-up next day, but neither driver managed to get close to Saturday’s time.
The disappointment of Saturday was Katayama. He was one of the stars of 1994, finishing second in Australia and registering four more point finishes, but it seemed that Mika Salo was giving him a hard time, qualifying two seconds faster, and seven places ahead of the Japanese.
Forti and Larrousse were off the pace, one second away even from the slowest cars. They still could be satisfied, as they shared the last row, Bouchut and Diniz being faster than their team mates.
Brazilian Grand Prix – Starting Grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Gounon - Pacific
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Schumacher - Benetton
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Herbert - Benetton
7. Alesi - Ferrari
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Hakkinen - McLaren
10. Barrichello -Jordan
11. Kovacshazi -Pacific
12. Frentzen -Sauber
13. Blundell -McLaren
14. Suzuki -Ligier
15. Salo -Tyrrell
16. Panis -Ligier
17. Morbidelli -Footwork
18. Wendlinger -Sauber
19. Badoer -Minardi
20. Verstappen -Simtek
21. Inue -Footwork
22. Katayama -Tyrrell
23. Martini -Minardi
24. Schiattarella -Simtek
25. Bochut -Larrousse
26. Diniz -Forti
DNQ: Bernard, Moreno
Hill had a clear start on Sunday, while Gounon kept his second place thanks to Coulthard, who stalled his car. But the French driver was nowhere near his Saturday pace, and he was gradually falling behind. Schumacher and Herbert were chasing Hill, behind them Berger, Alesi, Hakkinen, Barrichello, Frentzen and Kovacshazi were fighting for points at the early stages.
Irvine was stopped in lap 3 by gearbox problems, while Bouchut’s homemade Peugeot engine blew up after only 4 laps. Meanwhile Hill was steadily increasing his lead over 15 seconds to Schumacher. Berger passed Herbert in lap 11, but the #2 Benetton got the second Ferrari behind him to worry about. Hakkinen built up some gap in 6th position ahead of the fighting pair of Barrichello and Kovacshazi.
Alesi was the first to stop in lap 17, followed by Schumahcer in the next lap. The German had a very quick pitstop, but not fast enough to catch up on Hill. However, because Schumacher remained on low fuel, the gap started to slowly close up. The pitstops scattered the pack, the race was settling down until half distance.
In lap 31 Kovacshazi’s car stopped before the Subida dos Boxes corner, then Hill spun out in the Descide do Lago corner due a brake failure, losing 10 valuable points. Schumacher took the lead, and stopped for the second time three laps later. The Benetton was on a three stop strategy, which didn’t work out well, and Berger climbed back to a few seconds behind Schumy, making the chase for victory interesting again.
The leading pair made its last stop in the same lap, Ferrari working slightly faster than Benetton this time, gaining an extra second, but there were still 5 left for Berger to work down, and Herbert wasn’t far behind either. It seemed like an exciting race till the finish line when, at the end of lap 58 it happened...
Schumacher was giving the 7th lap to Pedro Diniz. The Forti driver pulled to the inside the Subida dos Boxes corner to give way, but then he slightly changed his direction for some reason, just as Schumacher passed by. The two cars tangled and the Benetton, losing grip rocketed into the Armco. Barrichello, who was one lap down, but just behind Schumacher arrived with full speed, and was unable to avoid the scattering parts of Schumacher’s car. A loose wheel broke the Jordan’s front right suspension. The Brazilian slammed into the pit wall then bounced back, right in front of Berger, who couldn’t avoid him. The impact destroyed the nose of the Ferrari and sent the Jordan back into the pit wall.
Herbert somehow managed to pass through among the flying wreckages without hitting anyone, but Alesi behind him wasn’t so lucky. He collected some debris which damaged his right front suspension as well as causing a puncture, so he was forced to stop two corners later.
The race was stopped, and the cars were lining up before the pit entrance because the start-finish straight was occupied by the medical staff. Berger and Schumacher left their cars on their own feet, although the German seemed dizzy and limping. They were both transported to the track hospital. Barrichello didn’t leave his car. He was unconscious even when he was airlifted in a medical bed into the closest hospital. Later he was diagnosed with serious concussion and two cracked vertebrae, nothing permanent, but he will be unable to drive for several months.
The race wasn’t restarted, but it took the stewards some time to determine the final results. According to the rulebook, if the race is stopped, the standing in the last full lap determines the final standings. The race was stopped in Lap 59. Herbert was the first to cross the start-finish line at the end of Lap 58, followed by Alesi (who stopped two corners later) and Hakkinen, so they were classified 1-2-3. Berger got farther than Schumacher, stopping in the middle of the start-finish lane, while the Benetton was at the beginning of pitlane, so they were classified 4th and 5th. Mark Blundell, who was the first among those who were one lap down stepped up to 6th position. Barrichello was dropped back to 13th. The podium celebration was cancelled.
After the race, Diniz was charged for causing a nearly lethal pileup. Inspections discovered that the sudden change in the Forti’s trajectory, which started the whole incident was caused solely by the driver, either because he was unfit, or he evaluated the situation badly. FIA kept his unforgiving attitude towards those who cause collisions and disqualified Diniz and stripped him from his superlicense and banned him from any FIA events for 3 years for being unfit to drive an F1 car. Forti appealed of course, as it was the Diniz family whose money kept their show running. Losing their pay would have cut their F1 campaign embarrassingly short. The FIA Court of Appeal was slightly more understanding, and they changed the verdict to an eight races ban. They still suggested Diniz to take part in a few races in lower categories to gain some more experience.
Brazilian Grand Prix – Final Results
1. Johnny Herbert – Benetton-Renault 59 laps, 1:16:05.113
2. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:03.557
3. Mika Hakkinen - McLaren-Mercedes +0:27.331
4. Gerhard Berger –Ferrari +1 lap
5. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault +1 lap
6. Mark Blundell – McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +1 lap
8. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Hart +1 lap
9. Jean-Marc Gounon – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
10. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Ford +1 lap
11. Mika Salo – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
12. Luca Badoer – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
13. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Peugeot +2 laps
14. Taki Inuoe – Footwork-Hart +3 laps
15. Domenico Schiattarella – Simtek-Ford +3 laps
16. Pedro Diniz – Forti-Ford +6 laps
DNF: Panis (L42), Hill (L32), Kovacshazi (L31), Martini (L18), Katayama (L16), Verstappen (L11), Suzuki (L6), Bouchut (L4), Irvine (L3), Coulthard (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 1
1. Herbert 10
2. Alesi 6
3. Hakkinen 4
4. Berger 3
5. Schumacher 2
6. Blundell 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 1
1. Benetton 12
2. Ferrari 9
3. McLaren 5
Baptism of Fire
Keith Wiggins wrote:The first season is easy. You're new, you're still learning. There is no pressure, you still have the full confidence and all the patience of your partners. Your rookie mistakes are forgiven and every small result is celebrated like a victory. The second season on the other hand totally different. The public starts to expect a step forward, they expect and good results from you. Suddenly your business partners want to get the money back they invested. You're no longer a rookie so all your mistakes are watched by hyenas who will do everything to force them out form you and then to show it the world how bad you are. The second year is when your talent, your ability to succeed, is being questioned. The second year is always the hardest. For a driver and for a team as well. The second season is when your career in motor racing really begins. It's the true baptism of fire.
Round 1 – Brazilian Grand Prix
Brutal Beginning
Kovacshazi wrote:“It is a really strange feeling to actually RETURN to a track. The sights, the smells, the environment are familiar, but because of the rule changes and the new car, it’s still very different.”
On the bumps of Interlagos it soon emerged that the Williams-Renaults of Damon Hill and David Coulthard were the most stable cars. The Benettons of Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert did not have the same fluidity of movement. They actually looked a bit of a handful. Pacifics were struggling with massive understeer, but still were the ones who delivered the first sensation of the weekend. Jean-Marc (or Jimmy, as he was called in the team) Gounon qualified second, separating the two Williamses.
“We analyzed every inch of Jimmy’s lap” Mark Shurety, Kovacshazi’s chief mechanic told Autosport later “It was beyond perfect, every corner, every braking point. He was two seconds faster than we thought it is possible. He caught some slipstream in the last corner that was some help, but even without that he would have been really fast.”
The team tried to repeat the result on the warm-up next day, but neither driver managed to get close to Saturday’s time.
The disappointment of Saturday was Katayama. He was one of the stars of 1994, finishing second in Australia and registering four more point finishes, but it seemed that Mika Salo was giving him a hard time, qualifying two seconds faster, and seven places ahead of the Japanese.
Forti and Larrousse were off the pace, one second away even from the slowest cars. They still could be satisfied, as they shared the last row, Bouchut and Diniz being faster than their team mates.
Brazilian Grand Prix – Starting Grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Gounon - Pacific
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Schumacher - Benetton
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Herbert - Benetton
7. Alesi - Ferrari
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Hakkinen - McLaren
10. Barrichello -Jordan
11. Kovacshazi -Pacific
12. Frentzen -Sauber
13. Blundell -McLaren
14. Suzuki -Ligier
15. Salo -Tyrrell
16. Panis -Ligier
17. Morbidelli -Footwork
18. Wendlinger -Sauber
19. Badoer -Minardi
20. Verstappen -Simtek
21. Inue -Footwork
22. Katayama -Tyrrell
23. Martini -Minardi
24. Schiattarella -Simtek
25. Bochut -Larrousse
26. Diniz -Forti
DNQ: Bernard, Moreno
Hill had a clear start on Sunday, while Gounon kept his second place thanks to Coulthard, who stalled his car. But the French driver was nowhere near his Saturday pace, and he was gradually falling behind. Schumacher and Herbert were chasing Hill, behind them Berger, Alesi, Hakkinen, Barrichello, Frentzen and Kovacshazi were fighting for points at the early stages.
Irvine was stopped in lap 3 by gearbox problems, while Bouchut’s homemade Peugeot engine blew up after only 4 laps. Meanwhile Hill was steadily increasing his lead over 15 seconds to Schumacher. Berger passed Herbert in lap 11, but the #2 Benetton got the second Ferrari behind him to worry about. Hakkinen built up some gap in 6th position ahead of the fighting pair of Barrichello and Kovacshazi.
Alesi was the first to stop in lap 17, followed by Schumahcer in the next lap. The German had a very quick pitstop, but not fast enough to catch up on Hill. However, because Schumacher remained on low fuel, the gap started to slowly close up. The pitstops scattered the pack, the race was settling down until half distance.
In lap 31 Kovacshazi’s car stopped before the Subida dos Boxes corner, then Hill spun out in the Descide do Lago corner due a brake failure, losing 10 valuable points. Schumacher took the lead, and stopped for the second time three laps later. The Benetton was on a three stop strategy, which didn’t work out well, and Berger climbed back to a few seconds behind Schumy, making the chase for victory interesting again.
The leading pair made its last stop in the same lap, Ferrari working slightly faster than Benetton this time, gaining an extra second, but there were still 5 left for Berger to work down, and Herbert wasn’t far behind either. It seemed like an exciting race till the finish line when, at the end of lap 58 it happened...
Schumacher was giving the 7th lap to Pedro Diniz. The Forti driver pulled to the inside the Subida dos Boxes corner to give way, but then he slightly changed his direction for some reason, just as Schumacher passed by. The two cars tangled and the Benetton, losing grip rocketed into the Armco. Barrichello, who was one lap down, but just behind Schumacher arrived with full speed, and was unable to avoid the scattering parts of Schumacher’s car. A loose wheel broke the Jordan’s front right suspension. The Brazilian slammed into the pit wall then bounced back, right in front of Berger, who couldn’t avoid him. The impact destroyed the nose of the Ferrari and sent the Jordan back into the pit wall.
Herbert somehow managed to pass through among the flying wreckages without hitting anyone, but Alesi behind him wasn’t so lucky. He collected some debris which damaged his right front suspension as well as causing a puncture, so he was forced to stop two corners later.
The race was stopped, and the cars were lining up before the pit entrance because the start-finish straight was occupied by the medical staff. Berger and Schumacher left their cars on their own feet, although the German seemed dizzy and limping. They were both transported to the track hospital. Barrichello didn’t leave his car. He was unconscious even when he was airlifted in a medical bed into the closest hospital. Later he was diagnosed with serious concussion and two cracked vertebrae, nothing permanent, but he will be unable to drive for several months.
The race wasn’t restarted, but it took the stewards some time to determine the final results. According to the rulebook, if the race is stopped, the standing in the last full lap determines the final standings. The race was stopped in Lap 59. Herbert was the first to cross the start-finish line at the end of Lap 58, followed by Alesi (who stopped two corners later) and Hakkinen, so they were classified 1-2-3. Berger got farther than Schumacher, stopping in the middle of the start-finish lane, while the Benetton was at the beginning of pitlane, so they were classified 4th and 5th. Mark Blundell, who was the first among those who were one lap down stepped up to 6th position. Barrichello was dropped back to 13th. The podium celebration was cancelled.
After the race, Diniz was charged for causing a nearly lethal pileup. Inspections discovered that the sudden change in the Forti’s trajectory, which started the whole incident was caused solely by the driver, either because he was unfit, or he evaluated the situation badly. FIA kept his unforgiving attitude towards those who cause collisions and disqualified Diniz and stripped him from his superlicense and banned him from any FIA events for 3 years for being unfit to drive an F1 car. Forti appealed of course, as it was the Diniz family whose money kept their show running. Losing their pay would have cut their F1 campaign embarrassingly short. The FIA Court of Appeal was slightly more understanding, and they changed the verdict to an eight races ban. They still suggested Diniz to take part in a few races in lower categories to gain some more experience.
Brazilian Grand Prix – Final Results
1. Johnny Herbert – Benetton-Renault 59 laps, 1:16:05.113
2. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:03.557
3. Mika Hakkinen - McLaren-Mercedes +0:27.331
4. Gerhard Berger –Ferrari +1 lap
5. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault +1 lap
6. Mark Blundell – McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +1 lap
8. Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork-Hart +1 lap
9. Jean-Marc Gounon – Pacific-Ilmor +1 lap
10. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Ford +1 lap
11. Mika Salo – Tyrrell-Yamaha +1 lap
12. Luca Badoer – Minardi-Ford +1 lap
13. Rubens Barrichello – Jordan-Peugeot +2 laps
14. Taki Inuoe – Footwork-Hart +3 laps
15. Domenico Schiattarella – Simtek-Ford +3 laps
16. Pedro Diniz – Forti-Ford +6 laps
DNF: Panis (L42), Hill (L32), Kovacshazi (L31), Martini (L18), Katayama (L16), Verstappen (L11), Suzuki (L6), Bouchut (L4), Irvine (L3), Coulthard (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 1
1. Herbert 10
2. Alesi 6
3. Hakkinen 4
4. Berger 3
5. Schumacher 2
6. Blundell 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 1
1. Benetton 12
2. Ferrari 9
3. McLaren 5
Race commentaries wrote:Johnny Herbert (1st): “I knew I could get my first victory in this year, I just hoped it wouldn’t be like this. I couldn’t keep the pace of the front runners but then there was that crash and I ended up in front. It’s beautiful, especially that I’m leading the championship, but I still have mixed feelings.”
Jean Alesi (2nd): “It wasn’t a too strong race for us. I was chasing Herbert all day, and I couldn’t catch him. Then I saw the wrecks on the track, I tried to pass as slow as possible, but I still collected some debris and I had to stop two corners later. Fortunately the race was over by then.”
Mika Hakkinen (3rd): “I’ve never dreamed about a podium, and normally I would have finished somewhere around 6th. But other’s misfortune helped us. I hope Rubens will be all right, he is a good guy, and we’re all with him in these moments.”
Michael Schumacher (5th): “I don’t know exactly what happened in the last lap. I tried to lap the Forti, then I felt a hit and the next thing I remember I’m sitting at the middle of the track with wrecks everywhere around me.”
Damon Hill (DNF): “It seems we have the pace to beat Benetton in this year. We were faster during the whole weekend, but unfortunately our reliability isn’t there yet. I had a comfortable lead when my brakes seized and I had to give up the race. It’s never good to finish with a double DNF, but our pace gives us hope for the future.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “We planned this race to be a test, as we had very little time to try out our car. It behaves much better on the bumps than the old one. It’s very stable. In fact, it’s too stable, we can’t make it to produce any oversteer at all which makes it difficult to drive. I’m a bit concerned about slow tracks right now but we have the basics to be a stable midfielder."
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – 1995 Race 1
Gounon 2nd on the grid
Born on the same day as HWNSNBM!
Fan of: Ricciardo, Räikkönen and Marussia (R.I.P?).
Fan of: Ricciardo, Räikkönen and Marussia (R.I.P?).
Rider of the Carpathians – Argentine GP: Chaotic Continuatio
Round 2 – Argentine Grand Prix
Chaotic Continuation
Rubens Barrichello suffered serious injuries in the season opener and he was off for several months, unknown when he could return. Optimists said Silverstone, pessimists were talking about the Nurburgring. Eddie Jordan needed someone to replace the Brazilian. His choice was his old friend and former driver, Bertrand Gachot who was lurking around in the paddocks of Interlagos, hoping to find the golden opportunity to return to F1. Forti also needed a replacement for Pedro Diniz. They have chosen Pacific’s test driver Andrea Montermini, whose personal sponsors were tied to Pacific but they still managed to pay some cash for the seat.
The first one and a half day of the Argentine GP was soaked. The slippery track and the monsoon like rain gave hard time to everyone. The first three sessions were stopped no less than 11 times due spins and accidents. Fortunately for Saturday afternoon the clouds went away and even though the qualification started on wet track, it dried up quickly. Hill was fastest, ahead of Schumacher, Berger, Herbert, Coulthard, Alesi, the two Jordans and the two McLarens.
The Pacific drivers were complaining about the understeer all weekend, which came somewhat handy in the rain, but it was a major disadvantage on dry track. They also had no less than three engine related problems, being responsible for two red flags on Friday. Kovacshazi qualified 13th, and Gounon only 17th, nowhere near to repeat his performance form two weeks earlier.
At the back of the grid Montermini easily outqualified his team mate, Inue and Schiattarella, while Larrousse was way off the pace and ended the weekend with a double DNQ.
Argentine Grand Prix – Startign Grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Berger - Ferrari
4. Herbert - Benetton
5. Coulthard - Williams
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Irvine - Jordan
8. Gachot - Jordan
9. Hakkinen - McLaren
10. Blundell - McLaren
11. Frentzen - Sauber
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Kovacshazi - Pacific
14. Suzuki - Ligier
15. Salo - Tyrrell
16. Morbidelli - Footwork
17. Gounon - Pacific
18. Katayama - Tyrrell
19. Badoer - Minardi
20. Wendlinger - Sauber
21. Martini - Minardi
22. Verstappen - Simtek
23. Montermini - Forti
24. Inue - Footwork
25. Schiattarella - Simtek
26. Moreno - Forti
DNQ: Bernard, Bouchut
It was almost certain that something is going to happen at the start. A new track with a short straight and a difficult corner at the end, no real grip. These conditions were begging for a start accident. And that’s exactly what happened, as Verstappen collided with Katayama and stopped his Simtek in the middle of the track. Red flags went out, restart!
For the second attempt, Herbert almost stalled his Benetton and when he tried to get back some places, he tangled with Morbidelli and Kovacshazi, running over the Pacific’s front wing. Jonny was out with a puncture, while Merse was heading back to the pits for a new nose.
Schumacher got the better start and he was leading, but Hill and Coulthard were chasing him. The Ferraris bled out early, Alesi was stopped in lap 4 with brakes problem, Berger was out with a suspension failure in lap 13. But soon he was followed by Coulthard when his brakes started to overheat.
After 16 laps of 83 four of the six frontrunners were already out. Schumacher and Hill were far ahead, when they started the pitstops in lap 18. Williams’ mechanics were working slightly faster, allowing Hill to pass his rival in the pitlane. Hakkinen was third, Irvine fourth, Blundell fifth and Panis sixth.
Mayhem hit the track again in lap 23, when Panis gave up with brake failure. Simultaneously, as Hakkinen was trying to pass Katayama who temporarily got ahead of him due his alternative strategy, the Japanese spun and knocked the McLaren out of the race. Only seconds later, as Irvine was lapping down Montermini, the Forti had a brake failure and slammed into the Jordan. With wrecks all over the place, the Safety Car was sent in to harness the field. Hill was ahead of Schumacher and Blundell. Morbidelli, Frentzen, Gachot, Suzuki, Gounon, Salo were already one lap down.
The race was restarted in la 31 but it was practically over immediately. Hill’s brakes cooled down too much and they seized after a few corners, presenting Schumacher with an easy victory and registering another double DNF for Williams. The world champion was comfortably pulling away from Blundell, while Morbidelli stooped with gearbox failure, throwing away valuable points. The rest of the cars slowly scattered on the track, only Suzuki, Salo and Gounon were fighting for points, while Kovacshazi was trying to catch up on them, being half a lap down but almost a second faster than them.
The next two retirements were the Minardis in lap 40 and 49 with gearbox failures, losing their chance of scoring a point. Gachot passed Frentzen with his better strategy, but he was more than a lap down to Blundell and two behind Schumacher.
When it seemed that the race is finally settling down, within 8 laps Moreno got stuck in 4th gear, Kovacshazi spun out with brake failure, Gounon smoked away his engine and Blundell’s McLaren lost 4th, 5th, and 6th gear and he was forced to retire. Gachot found himself in second place with a mammoth 2 laps behind Schumacher, and followed by Frentzen, Suzuki, Salo, Wnedlinger, Inue and Schiattarella. At this point the everyone was easing off, lapping almost two seconds slower than before, preserving their positions. Salo launched some half-hearted attacks against Suzuki, but that was all.
Michael Schumacher won the Argentine Grand Prix with two laps ahead of Bertrand Gachot who paid the trust of Eddie Jordan back with the team’s best result so far. Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third, scoring the first podium of Sauber. After two races, Benetton was way ahead in the World Championship, and Williams still stands on 0 points.
Argentine Grand Prix – final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault 1:56:09.826
2. Bertrand Gachot – Jordan-Peugeot +2 laps
3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +3 laps
4. Aguri Suzuki – Liger-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
5. Mika Salo – Tyrrell-Yamaha +3 laps
6. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Ford +5 laps
7. Taki Inoue – Footwork-Hart +7 laps
8. Domenico Schiattarella – Simtek-Ford +7 laps
DNF: Blundell (L65), Gounon (L62), Kovacshazi (L60), Moreno (L57), Martini (L49), Badoer (L40), Morbidelli (L36), Hill (L32), Irvine (L24), Montermini (L23), Katayama (L23), Hakkinen (L23), Panis (L23), Coulthard (L16), Berger (L13), Alesi (L4), Herbert (L1), Verstappen (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 2
1. Schumacher 12 (+4)
2. Herbert 10 (-1)
3. Alesi 6 (-1)
4. Gachot 6
5. Hakkinen 4 (-2)
6. Frentzen 4
7. Berger 3 (-3)
8. Suzuki 3
9. Salo 2
10. Blundell 1 (-4)
11. Wendlinger 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 2
1. Benetton 22
2. Ferrari 9
3. Jordan 6
4. McLaren 5 (-1)
5. Sauber 5
6. Ligier 3
7. Tyrrell 2
Gachot apparently still held a grudge against Pacific, and his comment was only the first of a series of statements form both sides and the opener of a feud between Jordan and Pacific teams.
Chaotic Continuation
Kovacshazi wrote:"It was great to be back to Fangio’s home country. It was awesome that when we arrived at the track, he greeted us personally! I wish the weather would have been better…"
Rubens Barrichello suffered serious injuries in the season opener and he was off for several months, unknown when he could return. Optimists said Silverstone, pessimists were talking about the Nurburgring. Eddie Jordan needed someone to replace the Brazilian. His choice was his old friend and former driver, Bertrand Gachot who was lurking around in the paddocks of Interlagos, hoping to find the golden opportunity to return to F1. Forti also needed a replacement for Pedro Diniz. They have chosen Pacific’s test driver Andrea Montermini, whose personal sponsors were tied to Pacific but they still managed to pay some cash for the seat.
The first one and a half day of the Argentine GP was soaked. The slippery track and the monsoon like rain gave hard time to everyone. The first three sessions were stopped no less than 11 times due spins and accidents. Fortunately for Saturday afternoon the clouds went away and even though the qualification started on wet track, it dried up quickly. Hill was fastest, ahead of Schumacher, Berger, Herbert, Coulthard, Alesi, the two Jordans and the two McLarens.
The Pacific drivers were complaining about the understeer all weekend, which came somewhat handy in the rain, but it was a major disadvantage on dry track. They also had no less than three engine related problems, being responsible for two red flags on Friday. Kovacshazi qualified 13th, and Gounon only 17th, nowhere near to repeat his performance form two weeks earlier.
At the back of the grid Montermini easily outqualified his team mate, Inue and Schiattarella, while Larrousse was way off the pace and ended the weekend with a double DNQ.
Argentine Grand Prix – Startign Grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Berger - Ferrari
4. Herbert - Benetton
5. Coulthard - Williams
6. Alesi - Ferrari
7. Irvine - Jordan
8. Gachot - Jordan
9. Hakkinen - McLaren
10. Blundell - McLaren
11. Frentzen - Sauber
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Kovacshazi - Pacific
14. Suzuki - Ligier
15. Salo - Tyrrell
16. Morbidelli - Footwork
17. Gounon - Pacific
18. Katayama - Tyrrell
19. Badoer - Minardi
20. Wendlinger - Sauber
21. Martini - Minardi
22. Verstappen - Simtek
23. Montermini - Forti
24. Inue - Footwork
25. Schiattarella - Simtek
26. Moreno - Forti
DNQ: Bernard, Bouchut
It was almost certain that something is going to happen at the start. A new track with a short straight and a difficult corner at the end, no real grip. These conditions were begging for a start accident. And that’s exactly what happened, as Verstappen collided with Katayama and stopped his Simtek in the middle of the track. Red flags went out, restart!
For the second attempt, Herbert almost stalled his Benetton and when he tried to get back some places, he tangled with Morbidelli and Kovacshazi, running over the Pacific’s front wing. Jonny was out with a puncture, while Merse was heading back to the pits for a new nose.
Schumacher got the better start and he was leading, but Hill and Coulthard were chasing him. The Ferraris bled out early, Alesi was stopped in lap 4 with brakes problem, Berger was out with a suspension failure in lap 13. But soon he was followed by Coulthard when his brakes started to overheat.
After 16 laps of 83 four of the six frontrunners were already out. Schumacher and Hill were far ahead, when they started the pitstops in lap 18. Williams’ mechanics were working slightly faster, allowing Hill to pass his rival in the pitlane. Hakkinen was third, Irvine fourth, Blundell fifth and Panis sixth.
Mayhem hit the track again in lap 23, when Panis gave up with brake failure. Simultaneously, as Hakkinen was trying to pass Katayama who temporarily got ahead of him due his alternative strategy, the Japanese spun and knocked the McLaren out of the race. Only seconds later, as Irvine was lapping down Montermini, the Forti had a brake failure and slammed into the Jordan. With wrecks all over the place, the Safety Car was sent in to harness the field. Hill was ahead of Schumacher and Blundell. Morbidelli, Frentzen, Gachot, Suzuki, Gounon, Salo were already one lap down.
The race was restarted in la 31 but it was practically over immediately. Hill’s brakes cooled down too much and they seized after a few corners, presenting Schumacher with an easy victory and registering another double DNF for Williams. The world champion was comfortably pulling away from Blundell, while Morbidelli stooped with gearbox failure, throwing away valuable points. The rest of the cars slowly scattered on the track, only Suzuki, Salo and Gounon were fighting for points, while Kovacshazi was trying to catch up on them, being half a lap down but almost a second faster than them.
The next two retirements were the Minardis in lap 40 and 49 with gearbox failures, losing their chance of scoring a point. Gachot passed Frentzen with his better strategy, but he was more than a lap down to Blundell and two behind Schumacher.
When it seemed that the race is finally settling down, within 8 laps Moreno got stuck in 4th gear, Kovacshazi spun out with brake failure, Gounon smoked away his engine and Blundell’s McLaren lost 4th, 5th, and 6th gear and he was forced to retire. Gachot found himself in second place with a mammoth 2 laps behind Schumacher, and followed by Frentzen, Suzuki, Salo, Wnedlinger, Inue and Schiattarella. At this point the everyone was easing off, lapping almost two seconds slower than before, preserving their positions. Salo launched some half-hearted attacks against Suzuki, but that was all.
Michael Schumacher won the Argentine Grand Prix with two laps ahead of Bertrand Gachot who paid the trust of Eddie Jordan back with the team’s best result so far. Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third, scoring the first podium of Sauber. After two races, Benetton was way ahead in the World Championship, and Williams still stands on 0 points.
Argentine Grand Prix – final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault 1:56:09.826
2. Bertrand Gachot – Jordan-Peugeot +2 laps
3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +3 laps
4. Aguri Suzuki – Liger-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
5. Mika Salo – Tyrrell-Yamaha +3 laps
6. Karl Wendlinger – Sauber-Ford +5 laps
7. Taki Inoue – Footwork-Hart +7 laps
8. Domenico Schiattarella – Simtek-Ford +7 laps
DNF: Blundell (L65), Gounon (L62), Kovacshazi (L60), Moreno (L57), Martini (L49), Badoer (L40), Morbidelli (L36), Hill (L32), Irvine (L24), Montermini (L23), Katayama (L23), Hakkinen (L23), Panis (L23), Coulthard (L16), Berger (L13), Alesi (L4), Herbert (L1), Verstappen (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 2
1. Schumacher 12 (+4)
2. Herbert 10 (-1)
3. Alesi 6 (-1)
4. Gachot 6
5. Hakkinen 4 (-2)
6. Frentzen 4
7. Berger 3 (-3)
8. Suzuki 3
9. Salo 2
10. Blundell 1 (-4)
11. Wendlinger 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 2
1. Benetton 22
2. Ferrari 9
3. Jordan 6
4. McLaren 5 (-1)
5. Sauber 5
6. Ligier 3
7. Tyrrell 2
Race commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “It was an odd race on a difficult track in difficult conditions. Brake overheating was a serious issue for everyone, and it seemed that we don’t have the pace to battle the Williams. But they dropped out and I cored a very easy victory, so I’m satisfied. I know I need these points because we won’t always be this lucky.
Bertrand Gachot (2nd): “It is great to be on the podium. It is especially satisfying because I scored more points on one race than my former team in the whole last season. I want to thank Eddie the chance he gave me, I will score as many points as possible and to prove that I’m worthy of his trust.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (3rd): “I’m very glad we finished in the points with both cars, especially because it didn’t seem like we would be able to fight for the points here.we have a long way to go to be where we want to be, but we can build on this result.”
Mika Salo (5th): “It was a great race, I really enjoyed it. I avoided all the trouble the others had. I had some great battles during the race, but at the end I wasn’t fast enough to pass Suzuki and the team said to stand down because they need these points. I’m glad I could deliver the first points of the team this year.”
Domenico Schiattarella (8th): “I have mixed feelings about this race. it’s great to finish such a problematic weekend, and I heard that it is the team’s best result so far, but we had many little problems with the electronics, with the suspension with the engine. My gearbox was malfunctioning at the end of the race and I had to slow down, and we were off the pace here anyway, so we have a lot of work to do.”
Damon Hill (DNF): “We had the pace, but not the reliability again. I was haead of Schumacher and I was faster than him, but behind the safety car my brakes coled down and when I tried to brake hard, they seized. too bad, because I retired from the first position again.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “The track was very slippery, bumpy and tight, which didn’t help our work here. At the second start the Benetton run over my front wing so I dropped at the end of the field. Then my pace was OK, but I lost my brakes and I had to give up. It’s too bad, because with more reliability we could have scored points here.”
Gachot apparently still held a grudge against Pacific, and his comment was only the first of a series of statements form both sides and the opener of a feud between Jordan and Pacific teams.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Chaotic second race!
Round 3 – San Marino Grand Prix
San Marino uphill
Most of the drivers had similar opinions about the new track. Kovacshazi however was pretty satisfied with the new course, maybe because he adapted to the track faster than anyone else, and finished third on the first practice session. “I can’t say what happened, we just found something and it works extremely well now. I never felt so good in the car before” he said before the Saturday qualifying.
Hill scored his third consecutive pole position ahead Schumacher and Coulthard. Kovacshazi kept his great form and qualified in the spectacular 7th position. Mansell’s debut with McLaren was a disappointment, qualifying only 11th, one place and half a second down to Hakkinen. Karl Wendlinger had a frustrating qualification as well and could do no more than a 19th laptime. Forti and Larrousse qualified with one car each, Montermini and Bernard being the faster this time.
San Marino Grand Prix – Starting Grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Herbert – Benetton
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Kovacshazi - Pacific
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Gachot - Jordan
10. Hakkinen - McLaren
11. Mansell - McLaren
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Panis - Ligier
14. Suzuki - Ligier
15. Salo - Tyrrell
16. Gounon - Pacific
17. Morbidelli - Footwork
18. Katayama - Tyrrell
19. Wendlinger - Sauber
20. Badoer - Minardi
21. Martini - Minardi
22. Inue - Footwork
23. Verstappen - Simtek
24. Montermini - Forti
25. Schiattarella - Simtek
26. Bernard – Larrousse
DNQ: Moreno, Bouchut
Sunday morning was rainy but the hillsides of Imola were packed with the joyful Ferrari fans from dawn onwards. They hooted their horns, waved their flags and displayed their obnoxious banners. As the grid lined up teams had to decide whether to race on slick tires or on wets. The top six cars, Gachot and Verstappen decided to start on wets, while everyone else was voting for dry compounds.
Schumacher took the better start, passing Hill who dropped behind Coulthard to third position. Alesi, Berger, Herbert, Kovacshazi and Gachot followed the leading trio. The latter two weren’t best buddies but this race just made things worse. The Jordan was faster on its wet tires but Kovacshazi didn’t leave a gap open and Gachot was too impatient and he made one tiny mistake after another, leaving the track twice in the first three laps.
The track dried up rapidly and it was evident that dry tires were the good choice, Schumacher decided to change his rubbers first in lap 5. As the leaders stopped Kovacshazi got rid of Gachot’s smoking Jordan and found himself in 6th position, lapping faster than Herbert behind and Berger ahead of him. Hakkinen passed Irvine while Mansell made an embarrassing spin in lap 12 and dropped back to 14th position. Verstappen on the other hand profited from his strategy and climbed up to 10th.
Schumacher, Coulthard and Hill were within 5 seconds to each other, while Alesi was falling behind in fourth position. Kovacshazi and Hakkinen were the only ones on two stop strategy, and it paid out perfectly. Being constantly on lower fuel load and fresher tires than the frontrunners they could keep up with them. We will never know how far the McLaren driver could have got because his Mercedes engine blew up in lap 23, but Kovacshazi was closing up on Berger and he caught up just when the Austrian had to pit.
In lap 31 Hill spun at the Rivazza corner. It was unclear if it was an unforced driver error, or a mechanical failure, but one thing was sure: Damon recorded three poles and three DNFs in the first three races, falling way back behind Schumacher in the world championship - again. This also meant that at halfway point Alesi was third, Kovacshazi fourth, Berger fifth and Herbert sixth. Verstappen, Frentzen and Panis were fighting for seventh position and hoping for further DNFs which would promote them to point scorers.
Coulthard was chasing Schumacher running one fastest lap after another, but the German never gave him a chance to pass. Meanwhile Verstappen’s Ford engine broke down, taking the chance of scoring Simtek’s first point away. Kovacshazi was easing up, trying to spare his car till the end. He still inherited third place when Alesi decided to stop once more in lap 54. There were only eight laps left and Alesi was five second behind the Hungarian but he was closing up on him rapidly.
At the end of Lap 57 the Ferrari was already behind the Pacific, and supported by the roar of twenty thousand tifosi Alesi deployed every trick he had to take back third place. Finally in Lap 60 he forced his way to the front at Rivazza, only to realize meters away that he has no transmission any more…
Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix, scoring his second consecutive victory. A great result considering that Coulthard was right behind him during the whole afternoon. Coulthard scored the first points for Williams with his second place, while Kovacshazi stepped onto the podium the first time. A truly excellent performance. Berger finished fourth, Herbert fifth, the last point was awarded to Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
San Marino Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher 1:33:14.456
2. David Coulthard +0:02.368
3. Merse Kovacshazi +0:38.983
4. Gerhard Berger +0:51.441
5. Johnny Herbert +1.13.124
6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen +1 lap
7. Olivier Panis +1 lap
8. Nigel Mansell +2 laps
9. Mika Salo +2 laps
10. Jean Alesi +3 laps
11. Karl Wendlinger +3 laps
12. Luca Badoer +4 laps
13. Ukyo Katayama +4 laps
14. Pierluigi Martini +4 laps
DNF: Inue (L54), Suzuki (L48), Verstappen (L42), Montermini (L31), Hill (L31), Hakkinen (L23), Irvine (L22), Schiattarella (L20), Bernard (L18), Gounon (L16), Gachot (L6), Morbidelli (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 3
1. Schumacher 22 (-)
2. Herbert 12 (-)
3. Alesi 6 (-)
4. Coulthard 6
5. Gachot 6 (-1)
6. Berger 6
7. Frentzen 5 (-)
8. Hakkinen 4 (-3)
9. Kovacshazi 4
10. Suzuki 3 (-2)
11. Salo 2 (-2)
12. Blundell 1 (-2)
13. Wendlinger 1 (-2)
Constructors Championship – after Round 3
1. Benetton 34 (-)
2. Ferrari 12 (-)
3. Williams 6
4. Jordan 6 (-1)
5. Sauber 6 (-)
6. McLaren 5 (-2)
7. Pacific 4
8. Ligier 3 (-2)
9. Tyrrell 2 (-2)
San Marino uphill
Berger wrote:“It’s strange to be her after what happened to Roland and Ayrton. The track isn’t the same any more. Maybe it’s because of the new layout. They changed so many things that it doesn’t feel like the same track. The milieu of the old Imola is gone, but that eerie feeling of the last race remained, that’s how I could summarize it.”
Most of the drivers had similar opinions about the new track. Kovacshazi however was pretty satisfied with the new course, maybe because he adapted to the track faster than anyone else, and finished third on the first practice session. “I can’t say what happened, we just found something and it works extremely well now. I never felt so good in the car before” he said before the Saturday qualifying.
Hill scored his third consecutive pole position ahead Schumacher and Coulthard. Kovacshazi kept his great form and qualified in the spectacular 7th position. Mansell’s debut with McLaren was a disappointment, qualifying only 11th, one place and half a second down to Hakkinen. Karl Wendlinger had a frustrating qualification as well and could do no more than a 19th laptime. Forti and Larrousse qualified with one car each, Montermini and Bernard being the faster this time.
San Marino Grand Prix – Starting Grid
1. Hill - Williams
2. Schumacher - Benetton
3. Coulthard - Williams
4. Herbert – Benetton
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Kovacshazi - Pacific
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Gachot - Jordan
10. Hakkinen - McLaren
11. Mansell - McLaren
12. Frentzen - Sauber
13. Panis - Ligier
14. Suzuki - Ligier
15. Salo - Tyrrell
16. Gounon - Pacific
17. Morbidelli - Footwork
18. Katayama - Tyrrell
19. Wendlinger - Sauber
20. Badoer - Minardi
21. Martini - Minardi
22. Inue - Footwork
23. Verstappen - Simtek
24. Montermini - Forti
25. Schiattarella - Simtek
26. Bernard – Larrousse
DNQ: Moreno, Bouchut
Sunday morning was rainy but the hillsides of Imola were packed with the joyful Ferrari fans from dawn onwards. They hooted their horns, waved their flags and displayed their obnoxious banners. As the grid lined up teams had to decide whether to race on slick tires or on wets. The top six cars, Gachot and Verstappen decided to start on wets, while everyone else was voting for dry compounds.
Schumacher took the better start, passing Hill who dropped behind Coulthard to third position. Alesi, Berger, Herbert, Kovacshazi and Gachot followed the leading trio. The latter two weren’t best buddies but this race just made things worse. The Jordan was faster on its wet tires but Kovacshazi didn’t leave a gap open and Gachot was too impatient and he made one tiny mistake after another, leaving the track twice in the first three laps.
The track dried up rapidly and it was evident that dry tires were the good choice, Schumacher decided to change his rubbers first in lap 5. As the leaders stopped Kovacshazi got rid of Gachot’s smoking Jordan and found himself in 6th position, lapping faster than Herbert behind and Berger ahead of him. Hakkinen passed Irvine while Mansell made an embarrassing spin in lap 12 and dropped back to 14th position. Verstappen on the other hand profited from his strategy and climbed up to 10th.
Schumacher, Coulthard and Hill were within 5 seconds to each other, while Alesi was falling behind in fourth position. Kovacshazi and Hakkinen were the only ones on two stop strategy, and it paid out perfectly. Being constantly on lower fuel load and fresher tires than the frontrunners they could keep up with them. We will never know how far the McLaren driver could have got because his Mercedes engine blew up in lap 23, but Kovacshazi was closing up on Berger and he caught up just when the Austrian had to pit.
In lap 31 Hill spun at the Rivazza corner. It was unclear if it was an unforced driver error, or a mechanical failure, but one thing was sure: Damon recorded three poles and three DNFs in the first three races, falling way back behind Schumacher in the world championship - again. This also meant that at halfway point Alesi was third, Kovacshazi fourth, Berger fifth and Herbert sixth. Verstappen, Frentzen and Panis were fighting for seventh position and hoping for further DNFs which would promote them to point scorers.
Coulthard was chasing Schumacher running one fastest lap after another, but the German never gave him a chance to pass. Meanwhile Verstappen’s Ford engine broke down, taking the chance of scoring Simtek’s first point away. Kovacshazi was easing up, trying to spare his car till the end. He still inherited third place when Alesi decided to stop once more in lap 54. There were only eight laps left and Alesi was five second behind the Hungarian but he was closing up on him rapidly.
At the end of Lap 57 the Ferrari was already behind the Pacific, and supported by the roar of twenty thousand tifosi Alesi deployed every trick he had to take back third place. Finally in Lap 60 he forced his way to the front at Rivazza, only to realize meters away that he has no transmission any more…
Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix, scoring his second consecutive victory. A great result considering that Coulthard was right behind him during the whole afternoon. Coulthard scored the first points for Williams with his second place, while Kovacshazi stepped onto the podium the first time. A truly excellent performance. Berger finished fourth, Herbert fifth, the last point was awarded to Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
Car #14 Ursus Pacific Grand Prix: wrote:Mark Shurety: “Congratulations mate, well done! You just scored your first podium finish! Unbelievable mate! Unbelievable”
Merse Kovacshazi: “Wooooohoohooohoooooo! Yes!!!!! We did it! I can’t believe we did it! I was so afraid the car would broke. Thank you very much!”
Keith Wiggins: “Congratulations! I knew you can do it!”
Mark Shurety: “Keep in mind, you’re on low fuel, we need at least one liter for the fuel check! So come in on low rev!”
Merse Kovacshazi: “Thank you guys! Thank you! The car was beautiful today! Next time we’re going for the second place!”
San Marino Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher 1:33:14.456
2. David Coulthard +0:02.368
3. Merse Kovacshazi +0:38.983
4. Gerhard Berger +0:51.441
5. Johnny Herbert +1.13.124
6. Heinz-Harald Frentzen +1 lap
7. Olivier Panis +1 lap
8. Nigel Mansell +2 laps
9. Mika Salo +2 laps
10. Jean Alesi +3 laps
11. Karl Wendlinger +3 laps
12. Luca Badoer +4 laps
13. Ukyo Katayama +4 laps
14. Pierluigi Martini +4 laps
DNF: Inue (L54), Suzuki (L48), Verstappen (L42), Montermini (L31), Hill (L31), Hakkinen (L23), Irvine (L22), Schiattarella (L20), Bernard (L18), Gounon (L16), Gachot (L6), Morbidelli (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 3
1. Schumacher 22 (-)
2. Herbert 12 (-)
3. Alesi 6 (-)
4. Coulthard 6
5. Gachot 6 (-1)
6. Berger 6
7. Frentzen 5 (-)
8. Hakkinen 4 (-3)
9. Kovacshazi 4
10. Suzuki 3 (-2)
11. Salo 2 (-2)
12. Blundell 1 (-2)
13. Wendlinger 1 (-2)
Constructors Championship – after Round 3
1. Benetton 34 (-)
2. Ferrari 12 (-)
3. Williams 6
4. Jordan 6 (-1)
5. Sauber 6 (-)
6. McLaren 5 (-2)
7. Pacific 4
8. Ligier 3 (-2)
9. Tyrrell 2 (-2)
Race Commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “It was a very difficult race, David kept me under a huge pressure. I’m very glad I could make it. I had to concentrate the whole time, I couldn’t make any mistake, but I’m glad I could do it and I think that’s why we lead the championship.”
David Coulthard (2nd): “Our start wasn’t the best, and Schumacher got past. We tried everything to overtake him but it’s very difficult on this track and he didn’t make any mistake. I’m glad we finally managed to finish the race, but I think there was more in it than only a second place. It was an exciting battle though, I really enjoyed it.”
Merse Kovacshazi (3rd): “What could I say, this was awesome. From halfway I knew we can score a lot of points here and I was concerned about the car so I tried to be as gentle as possible. I was so nervous the team didn’t dare to tell me that Jimmy was out because they didn’t want to scare me. I had a great battle with Gachot, then with Alesi. I was lucky that the Ferrari stopped after it passed me, but that’s part of motor racing.”
Jean Alesi (DNF): “Our strategy wasn’t optimal today and we couldn’t fight with Williams and Benetton. I’m said we couldn’t give the result to our fans what they deserve. At the end of the race I had to stop because I had a slow puncture. Then I lost power when I got back to third, and that was it. I’m disappointed but we know where we have to improve to be on top again.”
Damon Hill (DNF): “It was a very hard race. I had too much wheelspin at the start and I got stuck behind David and Schumacher. Then suddenly I spun on a braking point and I got stuck into the gravel. It is frustrating to finish the race this way, but we must focus on the races to come. Our disadvantage is not too big in the championship so it’s not over yet.”
Last edited by Julien on 14 Jul 2014, 15:36, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Chaotic second race!
I noticed a slight mistake in your post. What the bathplug is the Argentine Grand Prix doing in San Marino 
Born on the same day as HWNSNBM!
Fan of: Ricciardo, Räikkönen and Marussia (R.I.P?).
Fan of: Ricciardo, Räikkönen and Marussia (R.I.P?).
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Chaotic second race!
Thanks, fixed
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Inue's invervention
Round 4 –Spanish Grand Prix
Inoue’s intervention
After the San Marino GP the debate between Gachot and Kovacshazi didn’t settle. The Frenchman criticized Kovacshazi for his aggressiveness calling him reckless. The Hungarian fought back telling the press that if Gachot would have shown more initiative he wouldn’t have been sacked by Pacific in the middle of the last season.
Brundle had a horrific crash on Friday when his brakes failed at the end of the main straight, but thanks to the latest safety development, he left his totaled Ligier unharmed.
The Williams duo dominated the first three sessions, recording laps more than half a second faster than everybody. It was a bit of a shocker then when Schumacher snatched Pole position ahead of Coulthard and Hill. Nigel Mansell swore that this time he would show what he is capable of, but he qualified only 10th three places behind Hakkinen. Kovacshazi had a sedulous weekend, testing a new aero package for Pacific and finished 11th, while Gounon had to search for excuses the first time after qualifying 5 places and more than one second down to his team-mate. Karl Wendlinger had yet another frustrating qualifying, he finished 18th, registering a fastest lap one and a half second slower than Frentzen’s.
Spanish Grand Prix – Starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Coulthard – Williams
3. Hill - Williams
4. Herbert - Benetton
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Gachot - Jordan
10. Mansell - McLaren
11. Kovacshazi - Pacific
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. Brundle - Ligier
15. Salo - Tyrrell
16. Gounon - Pacific
17. Katayama - Tyrrell
18. Wendlinger - Sauber
19. Badoer - Minardi
20. Martini - Minardi
21. Morbidelli - Footwork
22. Verstappen - Simtek
23. Inoue - Footwork
24. Montermini - Forti
25. Schiattarella - Simtek
26. Bernard - Larrousse
DNQ: Bouchut, Moreno
The Williams duo left no question that they are the fastest in Barcelona and by lap 3 Hill and Coulthard were pulling away from Schumacher, Berger, Alesi, Herbert, Hakkinen, Irvine, Gachot and Kovacshazi. The latter two delivered the show for the first few laps. The Pacific was faster in the corners but the Jordan was stronger in the straights. Kovacshazi couldn’t find a place to overtake until in lap 9 the Jordan missed the kerbs by a few inches coming out from the last corner. This was just enough for the Pacific driver to stay close in the main straight, to force his opponent to the wrong line, and finally to come out triumphant from the Renault corner.
In lap 13 Hill was about to lap Inue at the same place. The Japanese had problems with that hillclimb before, spinning twice on Friday, and now he lost control just as the Williams was going around him. The cars contacted and both spun. They managed to avoid being stuck in the sand trap, but the incident damaged Hill’s front wing, and had to stop for repairs, falling back to 12th. In the Japanese driver’s defense it has to be noted that Schiattarella spun out at the same spot one lap earlier, so there could be some oil on the track there.
Coulthard stopped one lap after Hill for his first of three planned pitstops, temporarily passing the lead to Schumacher, but he took it back when the German made his first of two stops in lap 21 and came back in first position when he stopped the second time in lap 31. The three stop strategy only worked for Williams, but not for Hakkinen and Irvine who couldn’t be fast enough and dropped back behind Kovacshazi.
At halfway of the race Coulthard was leading by 15 seconds ahead of Schumacher and 25 ahead of Berger and Herbert who chased each other from the first lap. Alesi had to make an extra stop to reset his failing electronic system and dropped back to 8th, behind Kovacshazi, Hill and Hakkinen. In lap 34 the race was suddenly over for Kovacshazi. In what seemed to be an unprovoked driver error in the Repsol corner he blocked his fronts and crashed into the wall. The team wanted to sell it as a brake failure but after the race Kovacshazi took full responsibility later.
Hill was up to 5th and he was chasing down the Berger-Herbert duo. It seemed that he could salvage a podium finish, but fortune struck down on the Williams team once again in the shape of Taki Inoue. The Japanese driver stopped his flaming Footwork in lap 51 at the inner side of the Campsa corner. Hill was the first to pass by and as he cornered in a slightly wider angle he lost grip and rumbled through the kerbs, ripping off the aero parts from the front of his car. And that wasn’t all, because as the workers cleared the track some of the fire extinguisher liquid spilled on the track, and it was Coulthard who mopped that up. He had to pit for some repairs as well and as the team was still busy fixing Hill’s car and eventually releasing him 7th, David lost extra time, dropping back to 4th.
What seemed to be an unquestionable Williams 1-2 eventually turned out to be a lucky Schumacher victory with Berger 2nd and Herbert 3rd. The Williamses were doing flying laps, but Coulthard caught up with Herbert only in the last lap and had no chance to pass. Alesi finished 5th while Hill passed Hakkinen for 6th three laps before the checkered flag. The Grove outfit was naturally upset after the weekend. Schumacher took his second victory in a row, pulling away from everyone else at an alarming rate in the championship. Even worse, Benetton collected more points in the first three races than the following three teams together.
1995 Spanis Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault 1:32:44.151
2. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:14.579
3. Johnny Herbert – Benetton-Renault +0:27.625
4. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:27.689
5. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:45.671
6. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault +1 lap
7. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
8. Bertrand Gachot – Jordan-Peugeot +1 lap
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +1 lap
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
11. Nigel Mansell – McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
12. Gianni Morbidelli – Jrdan-Hart +3 laps
13. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +4 laps
14. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +4 laps
15. Martin Brundle – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +4 laps
16. Andrea Montermini – Forti-Ford +5 laps
DNF: Salo (L59), Inue (L51), Irvine (L49), Kovacshazi (L34), Wendlinger (L15), Bernard (L13), Badoer (L13), Schiattarella (L12), Verstappen (L9), Gounon (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 3
1. Schumacher 32 (-)
2. Herbert 16 (-)
3. Berger 12 (+3)
4. Coulthard 9 (-)
5. Alesi 8 (-2)
6. Gachot 6 (-1)
7. Frentzen 5 (-)
8. Hakkinen 4 (-)
9. Kovacshazi 4 (-)
10. Suzuki 3 (-)
11. Salo 2 (-)
12. Wendlinger 1 (-)
13. Blundell 1 (-)
14. Hill 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 3
1. Benetton 48 (-)
2. Ferrari 20 (-)
3. Williams 10 (-)
4. Jordan 6 (-)
5. Sauber 6 (-)
6. McLaren 5 (-)
7. Pacific 4 (-)
8. Ligier 3 (-)
9. Tyrrell 2 (-)
Inoue’s intervention
Brundle wrote:“Nobody thought that this guy, Taki inue could so directly influence the outcome of a grand prix. And yet it happened...”
After the San Marino GP the debate between Gachot and Kovacshazi didn’t settle. The Frenchman criticized Kovacshazi for his aggressiveness calling him reckless. The Hungarian fought back telling the press that if Gachot would have shown more initiative he wouldn’t have been sacked by Pacific in the middle of the last season.
Brundle had a horrific crash on Friday when his brakes failed at the end of the main straight, but thanks to the latest safety development, he left his totaled Ligier unharmed.
The Williams duo dominated the first three sessions, recording laps more than half a second faster than everybody. It was a bit of a shocker then when Schumacher snatched Pole position ahead of Coulthard and Hill. Nigel Mansell swore that this time he would show what he is capable of, but he qualified only 10th three places behind Hakkinen. Kovacshazi had a sedulous weekend, testing a new aero package for Pacific and finished 11th, while Gounon had to search for excuses the first time after qualifying 5 places and more than one second down to his team-mate. Karl Wendlinger had yet another frustrating qualifying, he finished 18th, registering a fastest lap one and a half second slower than Frentzen’s.
Spanish Grand Prix – Starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Coulthard – Williams
3. Hill - Williams
4. Herbert - Benetton
5. Alesi - Ferrari
6. Berger - Ferrari
7. Hakkinen - McLaren
8. Irvine - Jordan
9. Gachot - Jordan
10. Mansell - McLaren
11. Kovacshazi - Pacific
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. Brundle - Ligier
15. Salo - Tyrrell
16. Gounon - Pacific
17. Katayama - Tyrrell
18. Wendlinger - Sauber
19. Badoer - Minardi
20. Martini - Minardi
21. Morbidelli - Footwork
22. Verstappen - Simtek
23. Inoue - Footwork
24. Montermini - Forti
25. Schiattarella - Simtek
26. Bernard - Larrousse
DNQ: Bouchut, Moreno
The Williams duo left no question that they are the fastest in Barcelona and by lap 3 Hill and Coulthard were pulling away from Schumacher, Berger, Alesi, Herbert, Hakkinen, Irvine, Gachot and Kovacshazi. The latter two delivered the show for the first few laps. The Pacific was faster in the corners but the Jordan was stronger in the straights. Kovacshazi couldn’t find a place to overtake until in lap 9 the Jordan missed the kerbs by a few inches coming out from the last corner. This was just enough for the Pacific driver to stay close in the main straight, to force his opponent to the wrong line, and finally to come out triumphant from the Renault corner.
In lap 13 Hill was about to lap Inue at the same place. The Japanese had problems with that hillclimb before, spinning twice on Friday, and now he lost control just as the Williams was going around him. The cars contacted and both spun. They managed to avoid being stuck in the sand trap, but the incident damaged Hill’s front wing, and had to stop for repairs, falling back to 12th. In the Japanese driver’s defense it has to be noted that Schiattarella spun out at the same spot one lap earlier, so there could be some oil on the track there.
Coulthard stopped one lap after Hill for his first of three planned pitstops, temporarily passing the lead to Schumacher, but he took it back when the German made his first of two stops in lap 21 and came back in first position when he stopped the second time in lap 31. The three stop strategy only worked for Williams, but not for Hakkinen and Irvine who couldn’t be fast enough and dropped back behind Kovacshazi.
At halfway of the race Coulthard was leading by 15 seconds ahead of Schumacher and 25 ahead of Berger and Herbert who chased each other from the first lap. Alesi had to make an extra stop to reset his failing electronic system and dropped back to 8th, behind Kovacshazi, Hill and Hakkinen. In lap 34 the race was suddenly over for Kovacshazi. In what seemed to be an unprovoked driver error in the Repsol corner he blocked his fronts and crashed into the wall. The team wanted to sell it as a brake failure but after the race Kovacshazi took full responsibility later.
Hill was up to 5th and he was chasing down the Berger-Herbert duo. It seemed that he could salvage a podium finish, but fortune struck down on the Williams team once again in the shape of Taki Inoue. The Japanese driver stopped his flaming Footwork in lap 51 at the inner side of the Campsa corner. Hill was the first to pass by and as he cornered in a slightly wider angle he lost grip and rumbled through the kerbs, ripping off the aero parts from the front of his car. And that wasn’t all, because as the workers cleared the track some of the fire extinguisher liquid spilled on the track, and it was Coulthard who mopped that up. He had to pit for some repairs as well and as the team was still busy fixing Hill’s car and eventually releasing him 7th, David lost extra time, dropping back to 4th.
What seemed to be an unquestionable Williams 1-2 eventually turned out to be a lucky Schumacher victory with Berger 2nd and Herbert 3rd. The Williamses were doing flying laps, but Coulthard caught up with Herbert only in the last lap and had no chance to pass. Alesi finished 5th while Hill passed Hakkinen for 6th three laps before the checkered flag. The Grove outfit was naturally upset after the weekend. Schumacher took his second victory in a row, pulling away from everyone else at an alarming rate in the championship. Even worse, Benetton collected more points in the first three races than the following three teams together.
1995 Spanis Grand Prix – Final results
1. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault 1:32:44.151
2. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +0:14.579
3. Johnny Herbert – Benetton-Renault +0:27.625
4. David Coulthard – Williams-Renault +0:27.689
5. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:45.671
6. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault +1 lap
7. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
8. Bertrand Gachot – Jordan-Peugeot +1 lap
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +1 lap
10. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
11. Nigel Mansell – McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
12. Gianni Morbidelli – Jrdan-Hart +3 laps
13. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +4 laps
14. Ukyo Katayama – Tyrrell-Yamaha +4 laps
15. Martin Brundle – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +4 laps
16. Andrea Montermini – Forti-Ford +5 laps
DNF: Salo (L59), Inue (L51), Irvine (L49), Kovacshazi (L34), Wendlinger (L15), Bernard (L13), Badoer (L13), Schiattarella (L12), Verstappen (L9), Gounon (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 3
1. Schumacher 32 (-)
2. Herbert 16 (-)
3. Berger 12 (+3)
4. Coulthard 9 (-)
5. Alesi 8 (-2)
6. Gachot 6 (-1)
7. Frentzen 5 (-)
8. Hakkinen 4 (-)
9. Kovacshazi 4 (-)
10. Suzuki 3 (-)
11. Salo 2 (-)
12. Wendlinger 1 (-)
13. Blundell 1 (-)
14. Hill 1
Constructors Championship – after Round 3
1. Benetton 48 (-)
2. Ferrari 20 (-)
3. Williams 10 (-)
4. Jordan 6 (-)
5. Sauber 6 (-)
6. McLaren 5 (-)
7. Pacific 4 (-)
8. Ligier 3 (-)
9. Tyrrell 2 (-)
Race Commentaries wrote:Michael Schumacher (1st): “It was a lucky race indeed. Maybe we weren’t the fastest here, but in the end we were first to cross the finish line and only this matters. But we still have a lot of work to do because Williams is obviously strong.”
Gerhard Berger (2nd): “I had a very difficult race from the beginning. We were together with Alesi and Herbert, our strategy was similar so nobody was in advantage. I managed to hold Herbert behind and I heard on radio that Jean had to stop for some reason, so I’m happy with this result.”
Johnny Herbert (3rd): “I wasn’t fast enough today. I was struggling with the car all weekend and I couldn’t pass the Ferraris. But today we were a bit lucky and I’m on the podium. I’m glad we scored many points here.”
Damon Hill (6th): “Well I’m obviously very upset, because we had a great chance to win here and it was ruined by one driver. The gap is big to Michael and the Benetton at the moment, but let’s hope that this was the end of our bad luck for the rest of the season.”
Merse Kovacshazi (DNF): “I was trying to keep Damon behind me a little longer. I braked too late in the corner. My wheels blocked and I couldn’t stop before I hit the wall. It’s a shame because we could have scored some points. But I’m happy that we were proven to be competitive on a track where we were struggling last year.”
Patrick Head: “This is simply ridiculous! If they took the superlicense of Diniz away, I think they should do the same to him as well! He obviously barely can control his car and he doesn’t even know where to park his car when it’s in flames? The idiocy of Inue took a one-two from us, I’m sure of it.”
Re: Rider of the Carpathians – Boredom of Monaco
Round 5 –Monaco Grand Prix
Boredom of Monaco
Although in Spain Ron Dennis was still talking about his hopes that Mansell would turn around and start delivering the results, in Monaco he announced that “with mutual consent” McLaren and Mansell part ways and Mark Blundell would take over the #7 MP4/10 for the rest of the season.
Karl Wendlinger was getting his last chance to prove himself after a disappointing return to Sauber, while Simtek was in almost hopeless situation, running out of gearboxes and not being able to muster enough sponsorship money to purchase any more. Verstappen and Schiattarella had to share a single car on Thursday, then on Saturday Domenico had to try his best in a car that was not much more than a pile of spare parts. Not surprisingly he didn’t make the cut.
Schumacher was fastest on Saturday, ahead of Hill, Berger, Herbert, Alesi, Coulthard and Kovacshazi. Gounon finished in a disappointing 16th position, 1.5 seconds off his team-mate’s pace. Wendlinger qualified only one place ahead of him and two places down to Frentzen who had to sit almost the whole qualifying out due an oil leak.
Monaco Grand Prix – Starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Alesi - Ferrari
4. Herbert - Benetton
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Coulthard - Williams
7. Kovacshazi - Pacific
8. Hakkinen - McLaren
9. Blundell - McLaren
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Gachot - Jordan
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. Brundle - Ligier
15. Wendlinger - Sauber
16. Gounon - Pacific
17. Salo - Tyrrell
18. Morbidelli - Footwork
19. Katayama - Tyrrell
20. Badoer - Minardi
21. Martini - Minardi
22. Verstappen - Simtek
23. Inoue - Footwork
24. Montermini - Forti
25. Bernard - Larrousse
26. Bouchut - Larrousse
DNQ: Moreno, Schiattarella
The drivers were rather careful at the start. The only retirement was Gounon whose broken front right suspension meant that he made no more than 500 meters on the last two Grand Prix combined.
Schumacher was leading the pack ahead of Hill, Herbert, Alesi, Berger, Coulthard, Kovacshazi and Hakkinen. The leading duo dictated the pace while Herbert held off the field. Coulthard was the second retirement, he was forced into the garage with falling brake pressure. He was soon followed by Kovacshazi who pulled over into the escape road in Portier with an engine failure. Keith Wiggins seemed rather unhappy with a weekend over after 12 laps.
In the lead, Schumacher had troubles keeping Hill behind who launched his attacks mostly after the tunnel. In lap 14 Hill lunged into a gap that was barely there, and Schumacher decided to cut the chicane to keep his position. Two laps later the incident was repeated but this time he was warned that next time he will be penalized. And so, when in lap 17 Hill made his move, Schumacher had to let him pass.
And that was it, basically the Monaco GP was over at that point, the race turned into an endless loop of train, only the pitstops mixed things up. It was obvious that two stop strategy was the right choice, when Schumacher emerged 15 seconds behind Hill after his single stop and was lapping almost a second slower than his rival who planned two stops. Herbert lost his podium place to Alesi during the pitstops, then lost several others when he knocked off his front wing and had to pit again. Berger’s stuck wheel nut meant he had an extra long stop. Hakkinen and Irvine were profiting from this and climbed up to 4th and 5th.
Wenldinger had an embarrassing end of his race, crashing out with nobody around to blame.
Damon Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix the second time in a row, his first unproblematic race in the season. Schumacher minimized his losses with his second place and still had a huge lead in the drivers’ championship, and Jean alesi registered his second podium in the season.
Monaco Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:51:15.652
2. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault +0:25.912
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:49.443
4. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
5. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Peugeot +1 lap
6. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +2 laps
7. Mark Blundell – McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
8. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +3 laps
10. Johnny Herbert – Benetton-Renault +3 laps
11. Martin Brundle – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
12. Mika Salo – Tyrrell-Yamaha +4 laps
13. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +4 laps
14. Jos Verstappen – Simtek-Ford +4 laps
15. Andrea Montermini – Forti-Ford +5 laps
16. Eric Bernard – Larrousse-Peugeot +5 laps
17. Bouchut – Larrousse Peugeot +6 laps
DNF: Gachot (L43), Badoer (L40), Inue (L39), Morbidelli (L25), Wendlinger (L20), Katayama (L19), Kovacshazi (L12), Coulthard (L7), Gounon (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 5
1. Schumacher 38 (-)
2. Herbert 16 (-)
3. Berger 13 (-)
4. Alesi 12 (+1)
5. Hill 11 (+9)
6. Coulthard 9 (-2)
7. Hakkinen 7 (+1)
8. Gachot 6 (-2)
9. Frentzen 5 (-2)
10. Kovacshazi 4 (-1)
11. Suzuki 3 (-1)
12. Salo 2 (-1)
13. Irvine 2
14. Wendlinger 1 (-2)
15. Blundell 1 (-2)
Constructors Championship – after Round 5
1. Benetton 54 (-)
2. Ferrari 25 (-)
3. Williams 20 (-)
4. Jordan 8 (-)
5. McLaren 8 (+1)
6. Sauber 6 (-1)
7. Pacific 4 (-)
8. Ligier 3 (-)
9. Tyrrell 2 (-)
Boredom of Monaco
Murray Walker wrote:"Well, you can say many things about this Monaco Grand Prix, but certainly not that it was exciting."
Although in Spain Ron Dennis was still talking about his hopes that Mansell would turn around and start delivering the results, in Monaco he announced that “with mutual consent” McLaren and Mansell part ways and Mark Blundell would take over the #7 MP4/10 for the rest of the season.
Karl Wendlinger was getting his last chance to prove himself after a disappointing return to Sauber, while Simtek was in almost hopeless situation, running out of gearboxes and not being able to muster enough sponsorship money to purchase any more. Verstappen and Schiattarella had to share a single car on Thursday, then on Saturday Domenico had to try his best in a car that was not much more than a pile of spare parts. Not surprisingly he didn’t make the cut.
Schumacher was fastest on Saturday, ahead of Hill, Berger, Herbert, Alesi, Coulthard and Kovacshazi. Gounon finished in a disappointing 16th position, 1.5 seconds off his team-mate’s pace. Wendlinger qualified only one place ahead of him and two places down to Frentzen who had to sit almost the whole qualifying out due an oil leak.
Monaco Grand Prix – Starting grid
1. Schumacher - Benetton
2. Hill - Williams
3. Alesi - Ferrari
4. Herbert - Benetton
5. Berger - Ferrari
6. Coulthard - Williams
7. Kovacshazi - Pacific
8. Hakkinen - McLaren
9. Blundell - McLaren
10. Irvine - Jordan
11. Gachot - Jordan
12. Panis - Ligier
13. Frentzen - Sauber
14. Brundle - Ligier
15. Wendlinger - Sauber
16. Gounon - Pacific
17. Salo - Tyrrell
18. Morbidelli - Footwork
19. Katayama - Tyrrell
20. Badoer - Minardi
21. Martini - Minardi
22. Verstappen - Simtek
23. Inoue - Footwork
24. Montermini - Forti
25. Bernard - Larrousse
26. Bouchut - Larrousse
DNQ: Moreno, Schiattarella
The drivers were rather careful at the start. The only retirement was Gounon whose broken front right suspension meant that he made no more than 500 meters on the last two Grand Prix combined.
Schumacher was leading the pack ahead of Hill, Herbert, Alesi, Berger, Coulthard, Kovacshazi and Hakkinen. The leading duo dictated the pace while Herbert held off the field. Coulthard was the second retirement, he was forced into the garage with falling brake pressure. He was soon followed by Kovacshazi who pulled over into the escape road in Portier with an engine failure. Keith Wiggins seemed rather unhappy with a weekend over after 12 laps.
In the lead, Schumacher had troubles keeping Hill behind who launched his attacks mostly after the tunnel. In lap 14 Hill lunged into a gap that was barely there, and Schumacher decided to cut the chicane to keep his position. Two laps later the incident was repeated but this time he was warned that next time he will be penalized. And so, when in lap 17 Hill made his move, Schumacher had to let him pass.
And that was it, basically the Monaco GP was over at that point, the race turned into an endless loop of train, only the pitstops mixed things up. It was obvious that two stop strategy was the right choice, when Schumacher emerged 15 seconds behind Hill after his single stop and was lapping almost a second slower than his rival who planned two stops. Herbert lost his podium place to Alesi during the pitstops, then lost several others when he knocked off his front wing and had to pit again. Berger’s stuck wheel nut meant he had an extra long stop. Hakkinen and Irvine were profiting from this and climbed up to 4th and 5th.
Wenldinger had an embarrassing end of his race, crashing out with nobody around to blame.
Damon Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix the second time in a row, his first unproblematic race in the season. Schumacher minimized his losses with his second place and still had a huge lead in the drivers’ championship, and Jean alesi registered his second podium in the season.
Monaco Grand Prix – Final results
1. Damon Hill – Williams-Renault 1:51:15.652
2. Michael Schumacher – Benetton-Renault +0:25.912
3. Jean Alesi – Ferrari +0:49.443
4. Mika Hakkinen – McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
5. Eddie Irvine – Jordan-Peugeot +1 lap
6. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari +2 laps
7. Mark Blundell – McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
8. Olivier Panis – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +2 laps
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Ford +3 laps
10. Johnny Herbert – Benetton-Renault +3 laps
11. Martin Brundle – Ligier-Mugen-Honda +3 laps
12. Mika Salo – Tyrrell-Yamaha +4 laps
13. Pierluigi Martini – Minardi-Ford +4 laps
14. Jos Verstappen – Simtek-Ford +4 laps
15. Andrea Montermini – Forti-Ford +5 laps
16. Eric Bernard – Larrousse-Peugeot +5 laps
17. Bouchut – Larrousse Peugeot +6 laps
DNF: Gachot (L43), Badoer (L40), Inue (L39), Morbidelli (L25), Wendlinger (L20), Katayama (L19), Kovacshazi (L12), Coulthard (L7), Gounon (L1)
Drivers Championship – after Round 5
1. Schumacher 38 (-)
2. Herbert 16 (-)
3. Berger 13 (-)
4. Alesi 12 (+1)
5. Hill 11 (+9)
6. Coulthard 9 (-2)
7. Hakkinen 7 (+1)
8. Gachot 6 (-2)
9. Frentzen 5 (-2)
10. Kovacshazi 4 (-1)
11. Suzuki 3 (-1)
12. Salo 2 (-1)
13. Irvine 2
14. Wendlinger 1 (-2)
15. Blundell 1 (-2)
Constructors Championship – after Round 5
1. Benetton 54 (-)
2. Ferrari 25 (-)
3. Williams 20 (-)
4. Jordan 8 (-)
5. McLaren 8 (+1)
6. Sauber 6 (-1)
7. Pacific 4 (-)
8. Ligier 3 (-)
9. Tyrrell 2 (-)
Race Commentaries wrote:Damon Hill (1st) – “It was a very difficult race at first, but it’s always like that in Monaco. I saw that Michael was cutting the chicane twice, then I was told to keep attack there, and eventually I passed him. From there all I had to do is concentrate on not to make any mistake.”
Michael Schumacher (2nd) – “In hindsight it was the bad decision to run with only one pitstop. My car was very nervous on high fuel load and I couldn’t keep Hill behind. After that all I could do was to concentrate on my own race and to hope that he makes a mistake. It didn’t happen but fortunately I haven’t lost too many points.”
Jean Ales (3rd) – “It was very difficult here, as it is always. I was faster than Herbert but I couldn’t find a gap to pass, then I made my pitstop and came back ahead of him. But by that time I was too far behind to catch up on the leaders, which is unfortunate because I think we had a chance hereto beat them.”
Kovacshazi (DNF) – “There is nothing much to say, really. My pace was good, I was behind the Ferraris, then I suddenly lost all the power and I had to stop.”