Join Murray Walker, James Hunt, Jonathan Palmer and guest commentator 1980 F1 World Champion Alan Jones for coverage of the entire 1993 season on DVD.
RACES ARE
DISC 1 SOUTH AFRICA,BRAZIL
DISC 2 EUROPE,SAN MARINO
DISC 3 SPAIN ,MONACO
DISC 4 CANADA,FRANCE
DISC 5 GREAT BRITAIN,GERMANY
DISC 6 HUNGARY,BELGIUM
DISC 7 ITALY,PORTUGAL
DISC 8 JAPAN,AUSTRALIA
1993 Formula One season
Alain Prost (pictured in 2008) won his fourth and final title with Williams.
Former triple world champion Ayrton Senna was the runner-up.
Prost's team-mate Damon Hill finished the season ranked third.
The 1993 Formula One season was the 44th FIAFormula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 14, 1993 and ended on November 7 after sixteen races. Alain Prost won his fourth Drivers' world championship, and his Williams team retained their Constructors' world title.
1993 saw a major shake-up of drivers, especially among the top
teams. Across the grid a number of experienced drivers retired or moved
to other series and new faces emerged.
Williams completed the signing of Alain Prost, returning to the
sport after a "sabbatical" year. Nigel Mansell opted not to remain with
the team to defend his title and moved to IndyCar racing in the US. Prost's team-mate would be Damon Hill, son of Graham Hill
and Williams's test driver in 1992. The absence of the defending
champion meant that Williams could not use the number 1 on their cars,
so the cars were numbered 0 and 2, with Prost electing to use number 2.
Uncertainty also surrounded the McLaren team, whose iconic driver Ayrton Senna was reluctant to re-sign for 1993 as the team had lost their Honda engines and were not expected to be competitive with their customer Ford engines. McLaren signed Michael Andretti, a successful IndyCar driver, and Mika Häkkinen
who had impressed for Lotus in 1991-92. Senna eventually signed on a
race-by-race basis for the team and was partnered by Andretti for most
of the season.
Ligier reunited British drivers Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell: the two had previously driven for Brabham in 1991 but to the relief of commentators everywhere had seldom troubled the TV coverage.
Sauber were the only new team in this year's grid, a Swiss team with Ilmor engines and much-publicised backing by Mercedes. Their driver line-up saw Karl Wendlinger who had impressed in two races for March the previous year, paired with JJ Lehto.
The worldwide recession in the early 1990s had taken its toll: the March and Fondmetal teams had folded in the off-season, while the Brabham and Andrea Moda Formula
teams had failed to complete the 1992 season, so the number of drivers
and teams overall had reduced, down to 30 drivers competing for 26 grid
positions.
Race-by-Race
Race One: South Africa
The season started off in Kyalami where Prost took pole ahead of
Senna, Schumacher, Hill, Alesi and Lehto, impressing in Sauber's first
Grand Prix. At the start, Prost was poor and Senna and Hill (who was
already ahead of Schumacher) got ahead of him. Then, Hill spun in front
of Prost and dropped well down the field, Prost being forced to back
off and let Schumacher through to second. Senna led Schumacher, Prost,
Lehto, Wendlinger and Alesi at the end of lap one.
Prost attacked Schumacher, took second on lap 13 and set off after
Senna. Five laps later, he attacked into the first corner but Senna
took the inside and defended. However, Senna could not do anything when
Prost attacked on lap 25 with the inside line. He took the lead and
motored off. Schumacher also passed Senna to take second soon after.
Both of them pitted unlike Prost, but Senna was quicker and rejoined
ahead.
Schumacher was in no mood to stay third and attacked Senna on lap
40. There was minor contact and Schumacher spun off into retirement.
Patrese was third but he too spun off on lap 47 just as Christian Fittipaldi passed Lehto. Prost won from Senna, Blundell, Fittipaldi, Lehto and Berger (he was out but was classified sixth).
Race Two: Brazil
Brazil was Senna's home race but he was able to do nothing to
prevent the Williamses being 1-2 in qualifying with Prost on pole ahead
of Hill. Senna was third ahead of Schumacher, Andretti and Patrese. At
the start, Senna got ahead of Hill but Andretti was slow and got hit by
Berger. Both of them along with Brundle and Fabrizio Barbazza's Minardi were out. The order was: Prost, Senna, Hill, Schumacher, Patrese and Lehto.
Patrese only lasted until the fourth lap when his suspension failed.
While Prost motored away, Senna was under pressure from Hill who took
second on lap 11. On lap 25, Senna was issued a stop-go penalty for
lapping a backmarker under yellow flags and dropped behind Schumacher.
There was a rainstorm, and many drivers spun, two retiring. Fittipaldi
spun on lap 30 with his car on the track. He was trying to rejoin when
Prost, about to lap him, rain straight into him. Both were out and the
new Safety Car was sent out. At this point, Hill was leading Schumacher
, Senna, Alesi, Lehto and Karl Wendlinger.
It began to dry and everyone stopped for dry tyres, with Schumacher's car falling off its jack. He rejoined behind Senna with Johnny Herbert
and Blundell gaining. Then, Senna passed Hill for the lead and pulled
away. Behind, Schumacher and Alesi had stop-go penalties for passing
under yellow flags, Schumacher dropping to fifth and Alesi going down
to ninth. Schumacher passed Blundell and then Herbert to take third.
Senna won from Hill, Schumacher, Herbert, Blundell and Alessandro Zanardi.
Race Three: Europe
The new European Grand Prix at Donington Park
was next and the Williamses were 1-2 in qualifying with Prost on pole
ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Senna, Wendlinger and Andretti. At the
start, it was damp and Schumacher blocked Senna and both lost time and
Wendlinger took third. Senna quickly passed Schumacher at the third
corner. He then went after Wendlinger, passing him through the Craner
Curves with Schumacher and Andretti trying to follow through.
Schumacher went through but Andretti hit Wendlinger and both were out.
Senna went after Hill now and took second at the Coppice Corner. Now
Prost was the target and the lead was taken at the last corner - the
Melbourne Hairpin. Senna led Prost, Hill, Barrichello, Schumacher and
Lehto into lap 2.
The track began to dry and everyone pitted for dry tyres. Lehto was
fifth but he retired with handling problems on lap 14. Berger took the
place but he too retired with suspension problems six laps later. It
rained again and the leaders now pitted for wets. Schumacher stayed out
and was leading but spun off on lap 23 because he was on the wrong
tyres. The track began to dry and everyone pitted once again with Senna
having a problem and losing 20 seconds. Prost now led Senna, Hill, Rubens Barrichello, Derek Warwick and Herbert.
It began to rain and the two Williamses stopped for wets while Senna
stayed out. It was the correct decision because it began to rain again.
The Williamses stopped yet again for dries. Prost stalled in the pits
in his stop and when he rejoined, he was a lap behind and down in
fourth. Barrichello was now second but it rained and then stopped
again. He went to the pits twice and by now Hill was in second, albeit
a lap down. Barrichello, third, had trouble with his fuel pressure and
retired, giving the place to Prost. Senna won from Hill, Prost,
Herbert, Patrese and Barbazza.
Race Four: San Marino
Now to San Marino and the Williamses were 1-2 in qualifying with
Prost on pole ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Senna, Wendlinger and
Andretti. At the start, Prost was passed by Hill and Senna (who had
already got ahead of Schumacher). Hill led Senna, Prost, Schumacher,
Wendlinger and Andretti at the end of lap 1.
Hill pulled away quickly while Senna held up Prost. Prost passed
Senna on lap 8 and set off after Hill. It was time for the stops and
Senna got ahead of Prost in these stops. On lap 17, Prost audaciously
overtook both Hill and Senna at Tosa in the presence of backmarkers. At
the same time, Senna got ahead of Hill. Hill didn't last long, retiring
with brake failure on lap 21. Both McLarens soon went out, Andretti
from fifth on lap 33 by spinning off and Senna from second on lap 43
with a hydraulic failure. In between, Alesi, who took fifth after
Andretti's spin retired with clutch failure.
Schumacher was now second and Wendlinger was third but Wendlinger
retired with engine failure on lap 49, giving third to Brundle. Prost
won from Schumacher, Brundle, Lehto, Philippe Alliot and Barbazza.
Race Five: Spain
As usual, the Williamses took 1-2 in qualifying in Spain, with Prost
ahead of Hill, Senna, Schumacher, Patrese and Wendlinger. At the start,
Hill got ahead of Prost with no changes behind. Hill was leading Prost,
Senna, Schumacher, Patrese and Wendlinger.
Hill and Prost pulled away from the rest with Prost taking the lead
on lap 11. It was soon time for the stops but the stops changed nothing
except that the gap between Prost and Hill had increased and that the
one between Senna and Schumacher had decreased. Schumacher attacked
Senna but bounced over a sandtrap and lost 15 seconds but not a place.
Meanwhile, Prost's car began to handle oddly and Hill closed up on him.
The gap was down to 2 seconds but Hill's engine failed on lap 41.
Wendlinger only lasted a lap longer before troubles with his fuel
system forced him to retire. Prost won from Senna, Schumacher, Patrese,
Andretti and Berger.
Race Six: Monaco
Monaco was next and Prost took pole ahead of Schumacher, Senna,
Hill, Alesi and Patrese. Prost jumped the start with Berger getting
ahead of Patrese. The order was: Prost, Schumacher, Senna, Hill, Alesi
and Berger.
Then Prost was penalised for the jump start with a stop-go penalty.
He went on lap 12 but stalled the car as he was trying to exit. Finally
the problem was fixed but he was a lap down and in 17th. Schumacher,
now leading, pulled away as Alesi waved through teammate Berger.
Schumacher, comfortably ahead, suddenly slowed down with a hydraulic
problem on lap 33 and retired. The main entertainment was provided by
Prost as he climbed up the field despite difficult overtaking at the
Monaco street circuit.
It was time for the stops with no changes in the top 6 but Prost was
the big gainer as he climbed from 10th to 7th. This became 6th and into
the points when Patrese's engine failed on lap 54. Prost passed
Fittipaldi for fifth soon after. On lap 71, Berger attacked Hill and
there was contact. Hill rejoined but Berger was out immediately. Senna
won from Hill, Alesi, Prost, Fittipaldi and Brundle.
Race Seven: Canada
There was a Noah's Ark ("two by two") formation in qualifying in
Canada as the Williamses were ahead of the Benettons and the Ferraris.
Prost took pole ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Patrese, Berger and Alesi.
At the start, Hill beat off Prost while the Benettons were slow and
were passed by Berger and the amazing Senna (who had already got ahead
of Brundle and then Alesi). Hill was leading Prost, Berger, Senna,
Schumacher and Patrese.
Senna was on a mission, passing Berger for third on lap 2. On lap 6,
Prost took the lead from Hill. Soon afterwards, Schumacher passed
Berger with Patrese following him through five laps later. The order
stabilized at: Prost, Hill, Senna, Schumacher, Patrese and Berger.
During the mid-race stops, Hill had a problem and dropped behind
Senna and Schumacher. Schumacher now set off after Senna. Senna, with
Schumacher right behind, pushed his car too hard and his engine
stalled. He was out. Prost won ahead of Schumacher, Hill, Berger,
Brundle and Wendlinger.
Race Eight: France
Now to France and with local hero Prost taking pole in all the
previous seven races, there was a massive turnout for qualifying where
the Williamses are usually dominant. The Williamses did take 1-2 in
qualifying ahead of the Ligiers but it was Hill who took pole ahead of
Prost, Brundle, Blundell, Senna and Alesi. At the start, the top 5
stayed the same while Schumacher got ahead of Alesi. Hill led from
Prost, Brundle, Blundell, Senna and Schumacher.
The Williamses pulled away while Brundle pulled away from Blundell
who was holding up Senna and Schumacher. However, this ended when
Blundell, under pressure from Senna spun off on lap 21 into retirement.
It was time for the mid-race stops during which Prost got ahead of Hill
and Senna and Schumacher closed up on Brundle.
During the second stops, Prost stayed ahead - just by two-tenths
while Senna and Schumacher got ahead of Brundle. Schumacher passed
Senna when the two were going through traffic and pulled away. Prost
won with Hill right behind to make it a Williams 1-2 ahead of
Schumacher, Senna, Brundle and Andretti.
Thus, at the halfway stage of the season, Prost led the World
Championship with 57 points. Senna was a further 12 points behind in
second with 45, Hill was third with 28, Schumacher was fourth with 24,
Brundle fifth with 9, Blundell sixth with 6, Herbert seventh with 6 and
Lehto eighth with 5. There were no real battles in the Constructors
Championship with Williams comfortably leading with 85 points with
McLaren 37 points behind in second with 48. Benetton are third with 29
and Ligier were fourth with 15.
Race Nine: Great Britain
Now to Britain; with home favourite Nigel Mansell now plying his
trade in the US, British racing fans had taken Damon Hill to their
hearts, especially following his excellent start to the season. The
Williamses took 1-2 in qualifying with Prost on pole ahead of home hero
Hill, Schumacher, Senna, Patrese and Brundle. At the start, Hill got
ahead of Prost and Senna got by Schumacher. Through Maggotts they went
and Senna went round Prost to take second. The fans went wild as Hill
was leading ahead of Senna, Prost, Schumacher, Patrese and Brundle.
While Hill pulled away at the front, Senna was holding up both Prost
and Schumacher. Finally Prost took the place on lap 7 but Hill was
already 5 second up the road. On lap 13, Schumacher passed Senna for
third and pulled away as the order settled down. Gradually Prost closed
up on Hill, narrowing the gap to 3 seconds after the mid-race stops.
There were no changes behind them either. Then, Luca Badoer
crashed, bringing out the Safety Car and reducing the 3 seconds gap
between Hill and Prost to nothing. The Safety car then went out but two
laps later, on lap 42, Hill's engine blew.
Brundle's engine failed on lap 54 when he was fifth. Finally, on the
last lap, Senna's car ran out of fuel. Prost won ahead of Schumacher,
Patrese, Herbert, Senna (who was classified fifth) and Warwick.
Race Ten: Germany
The field went to Hockenheim now and the Williamses were 1-2 in
qualifying with Prost on pole ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Senna,
Blundell and Brundle. At the start, Prost was poor as usual and was
passed by Hill and Schumacher. Senna spun, dropping to the back but
gained one place immediately when Brundle spun as well at the chicane,
dropping to the back, behind Senna. Hill led Schumacher, Prost,
Blundell, Patrese and Aguri Suzuki into lap 2.
Prost was on a charge, passing Schumacher on lap 6. He closed up on
Hill three laps later. Behind, on the next lap, Berger tried to pass
Suzuki and they collided, with Suzuki spinning off. Yellow flags were
waved and Hill slowed down a little on the next lap. Prost took his
chance and passed Hill to lead. However, he was given a stop-go penalty
for the manoeuver, and dropped back to fifth and was stuck behind
Patrese.
The Williamses and Senna did not pit unlike the rest, and Hill was
left 15 seconds ahead of Prost with Senna up to seventh. The Brazilian
soon passed Berger for sixth and then Patrese for fifth three laps
later. Hill's lead was reduced to 8 seconds by the penultimate lap and
Prost had given up on the win when Hill's left rear tyre punctured,
spinning him out. Prost won ahead of Schumacher, Blundell, Senna,
Patrese and Berger.
Race Eleven: Hungary
As usual, the two Williamses were 1-2 in qualifying in Hungary with
Prost on pole ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Senna, Patrese and Berger. At
the parade lap, Prost stalled and had to start at the back. At the
start, Schumacher got pushed down by Senna, Berger (who was already
ahead of Patrese) and Patrese. Hill was leading Senna, Berger, Patrese,
Schumacher and Alesi.
Schumacher tried to pass Patrese on lap 4 but spun and dropped back
to 10th. Both McLarens had throttle problems, Andretti slowing down in
front of Schumacher on lap 16 and making Schumacher spin again,
dropping down to 14th, right behind the recovering Prost. Senna also
retired on lap 18 with throttle problems as everyone pitted except the
Williamses and Schumacher. This left Hill ahead of Patrese, Prost,
Schumacher, Berger and Alesi.
Then, Prost had to go into the pits because of problems with his
rear wing. He rejoined seven laps behind. On lap 23, Alesi spun off and
retired as Patrese waved through Schumacher who took second. However,
he retired three laps later with fuel pump problems. Berger pitted from
third and rejoined in fifth but he quickly passed Brundle and then
Warwick to get back third. Hill took his first ever win ahead of
Patrese, Berger, Warwick, Brundle and Wendlinger.
Race Twelve: Belgium
In Belgium, the grid was similar with Williamses 1-2 in qualifying,
Prost taking pole ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Alesi, Senna and Suzuki.
At the start, Senna got ahead of both Schumacher and Alesi with Alesi
also getting by Schumacher. The order at the end of lap 1 was: Prost,
Hill, Senna, Alesi, Schumacher and Suzuki.
Alesi retired then with suspension troubles on lap 4, releasing
Schumacher. Schumacher then set off after Senna and went to the grass
to pass him on lap 10. The first stops did not change anything, with
Prost leading from Hill, Schumacher, Senna, Suzuki and Herbert.
Suzuki's gearbox failed on lap 15 and he retired. Prost had troubles
during his second stop, and when Hill and Schumacher had made theirs,
they were ahead.
Prost smashed the lap record on lap 41 in his chase of Schumacher,
but he found out that he was just a tenth quicker and settled for
third. Hill won, wrapping up the Constructors Championship for Williams
with Schumacher and Prost close behind ahead of Senna, Herbert and
Patrese.
Thus, with three-quarters of the season gone, Prost was a full 28
points ahead and could sense the championship, having 81 points to
Senna's 53. Hill was third with 48, Schumacher was fourth with 42,
Patrese was fifth with 18, Brundle was sixth with 11, Herbert was
seventh with 11 and Blundell was eighth with 10. In the Constructors
Championship, Williams were World Champions with 129 points ahead of
Benetton who were second with 60, McLaren close behind in third with 56
and Ligier a surprising fourth with 21 - their best performance in some
years.
Race Thirteen: Italy
Now Italy and the Williamses took 1-2 in qualifying with Prost on
pole as usual ahead of Hill. Alesi made the Ferrari fans happy with
third ahead of Senna, Schumacher and Berger. At the start, Alesi got
ahead of Hill and as Senna tried to do the same there was contact,
Senna dropping to ninth and Hill dropping to tenth. Midway through the
lap, Schumacher took second from Alesi. Prost led Schumacher, Alesi,
Berger, Herbert and Brundle into lap 2.
At the end of lap 8, Prost was leading and both Senna and Hill were
outside the points. Prost's hopes of winning the championship increased
further as Senna, trying to take sixth from Brundle, hit Brundle and
both retired. Hill, now sixth had just gained two places from the
collision and gained two more when Herbert spun off on lap 15 and then,
on the next lap, Berger's suspension failed. Then, he would pass Alesi
on lap 18 and as Schumacher's engine failed on lap 22, Hill was second,
5 seconds behind Prost. Prost pushed hard and Hill could not catch up
enough.
In 26 laps, the gap was down to 2 seconds and it was clear that Hill
was too far to catch up at the correct rate. On lap 49, with less than
5 laps to go, with one hand on the trophy, Prost's engine failed. He
was out and his celebrations would be delayed. Hill won with Alesi a
fine second ahead of Andretti, Wendlinger, Patrese and Comas.
Race Fourteen: Portugal
Two major news stories broke as the teams descended on Estoril,
Prost announcing his retirement at the end of the season and Andretti
being fired from McLaren after a poor season (his podium place in Italy
notwithstanding) and being replaced by Häkkinen.
The Williamses were 1-2 in qualifying ahead of the McLarens but
Hill, desperate to keep his Championship hopes alive took pole from
Prost, with Häkkinen surprisingly ahead of Senna with Alesi and
Schumacher behind. However, Hill stalled on the parade lap and had to
start at the back. At the start, Prost got squeezed out by the McLarens
and Alesi, with Alesi getting ahead of the McLarens with Senna ahead of
Häkkinen. Alesi led Senna, Häkkinen, Prost, Schumacher and Berger.
The top six stayed together but the Williamses and Schumacher were
on a one-stop strategy unlike the McLarens and Ferraris. On lap 20,
Senna's engine blew as Alesi, Häkkinen and Schumacher pitted, with
Alesi losing out to both. This left Prost leading from Blundell, Hill,
Häkkinen, Schumacher and Alesi. Schumacher passed Häkkinen on lap 25
and pulled away. Prost would stop on lap 29 but Schumacher would rejoin
ahead. When Hill stopped as well, Schumacher was leading from Prost,
Häkkinen, Hill, Alesi and Berger.
On lap 33, Häkkinen crashed into the wall at the last corner and
Berger's suspension failed three laps later. Blundell crashed from
sixth on lap 52 as Prost began to hassle Schumacher. However, second
place was enough for Prost to win the championship, so the French
driver did not take any risks. Patrese was fifth but he too crashed on
lap 64. Schumacher had a minor off but still just kept his lead.
Schumacher won from new World Champion Prost, Hill, Alesi, Wendlinger
and Brundle.
With only two more races to go, Prost was the World Champion with 87
points but there was battle for second between Hill, Senna and
Schumacher. Hill was second with 62, Senna was third with 53 and
Schumacher was fourth with 52. Behind, Patrese was fifth with 20, Alesi
was sixth with 13, Brundle was seventh with 12 and Herbert was eighth
with 11. In the Constructors Championship, Williams were the World
Champions with 149 points but there was a battle for second between
Benetton with 72 and McLaren with 60. Ferrari were fourth with 23.
Race Fifteen: Japan
In Japan now and Prost took pole ahead of Senna, Häkkinen,
Schumacher, Berger and Hill. At the start, Senna got ahead of Prost
while Berger took Schumacher. Eddie Irvine,
the fifth occupant of the second Jordan this year, then got by both
Schumacher and Hill. Hill briefly passed Schumacher in the esses but
Schumacher retook the position. The order was: Senna, Prost, Häkkinen,
Berger, Irvine and Schumacher. Schumacher would pass Irvine on lap 2
with Hill getting ahead two laps later.
Schumacher and Hill then closed in on Berger. At the end of lap 9,
the three came out of the final chicane nose to tail and Hill passed
Schumacher on the start/finish straight to take 5th place away. On lap
11, Hill got a run on Berger coming out of the 130R and Berger took the
inside line going into the chicane. Hill tried to pass on the outside
but was not able to complete the move. Schumacher, having stayed to the
inside, couldn't stop fast enough as Hill turned in behind Berger and
hit Hill's right rear wheel, damaging his left front suspension and
putting himself out. Hill was able to keep going and inherited 4th on
the next lap when Berger came in for tires.
Meanwhile, Prost inherited the lead when Senna pitted for tires.
Shortly after it began to rain, which was an advantage for Prost and
other drivers who had not yet stopped for tires since they would have
to make one less stop. Senna began to catch Prost as the track got
wetter and on lap 21, as the rain intensified, Senna passed Prost on
the approach to the Spoon curve. At the end of the lap, Senna was two
seconds in front and the two both pitted for wets. Senna pulled away
rapidly in the wet conditions, building over a 30 second lead by lap
27. Prost then went off at the first corner but was able to rejoin
without losing time to Senna, who was delayed by traffic. The rain then
stopped and drivers began coming in for slick tires as the track began
to dry. Hill rejoined after his pit stop nearly a lap down to Senna,
who was still on wets. Unable to lap Hill, Senna was re-passed by
Irvine, who had been lapped but was chasing Hill for 4th position.
Irvine, who was also still on wets, challenged Hill in the first corner
but was not able to make the pass stick while Senna waited behind to
lap the pair. Senna lost 15 seconds to Prost by the time he forced his
way back past Irvine and Hill let him through. At the end of lap 42,
after he and Prost had made their pit stops for slicks, Senna's lead
was back up to 24 seconds. With only 12 laps remaining, Prost never
challenged after that and settled for second. Hakkinen's 3rd place was
his first podium finish.
Behind, Barrichello had got Irvine during the stops for wets and
then Berger's engine failed on lap 41. With 4 laps to go and battling
with Derek Warwick for 6th, Irvine ran into the back of Warwick under
braking on the approach to the chicane and knocked him out of the race.
Irvine was able to continue and finish with a point in his first grand
prix. Irvine's debut was slightly marred in a post-race altercation
with Ayrton Senna, who had strong words and a punch for the Ulsterman.
Senna won ahead of Prost, Häkkinen, Hill, Barrichello and Irvine.
Race Sixteen: Australia
The last race of the season was in Adelaide and Senna prevented the
Williams team from a clean sweep of poles by taking pole ahead of
Prost, Hill, Schumacher, Häkkinen and Berger. At the start, the top 4
stayed the same while Berger got ahead of Häkkinen.
While Senna pulled out a small lead, the two Williamses and
Schumacher stayed together. Schumacher passed Hill on lap 8 and
attacked Prost. He pitted early on lap 15 and rejoined in fourth but
his engine failed on lap 20. During the stops, Häkkinen was slow and
Alesi and Brundle got ahead of him. His engine failed on lap 29.
During the second round of stops, Senna kept his 10 second lead
while Alesi got ahead of Berger and Patrese got ahead of Brundle. On
lap 61, Hill tried to catch Prost by surprise to take second. As Prost
moved over to block, Hill had to back off and he spun, losing time but
no places. Patrese was set to finish sixth in his 256th and last race
but his fuel pressure dropped on the last lap. Senna won with Prost
finishing his last race in second ahead of Hill, Alesi, Berger and
Brundle.
At the end of the season, Prost finished off his career with the
World Championship with 99 points with arch-rival Senna second with 73,
Hill third with 69, Schumacher fourth with 52, Patrese fifth with 20,
Alesi sixth with 16, Brundle seventh with 13 and Berger eighth with 12.
In the Constructors' Championship, Williams were dominant World
Champions with 168 points, double the tally of second-placed McLaren
who got 84 and just beat Benetton with 72 into third. Ferrari were
fourth with 28 - better than 1992, but still a disappointing season by
their high standards.
With Prost not defending his title, the Williams cars would once again bear numbers 0 and 2 for 1994.
