1994 Spanish Grand Prix
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| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 16 in the 1994 Formula One season | ||
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| Date | May 29, 1994 | |
| Official name | XXXVI Gran Premio Marlboro de España | |
| Location | Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain | |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 4.747 km (2.966 mi) |
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| Distance | 65 laps, 308.555 km (192.846 mi) | |
| Weather | Sunny | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Time | 1:21.908 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Time | 1:25.155 on lap 18 | |
| Podium | ||
| First |  Damon Hill |
Williams-Renault |
| Second | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Third | Mark Blundell |
Tyrrell-Yamaha |
The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 29, 1994 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. It was the 5th race of the 1994 Formula One season.
Contents |
[edit] Report
[edit] Pre-Race
This was the first race for the newly formed Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA). Several top level names, including Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, and Gehard Berger, were intrumental in the set up and running of the GPDA, and they took the decision to install a temporary chicane at the Nissan corner, to attempt to slow the cars down before the La Ciaxa Hairpin. This was an attempt to improve safety, a well as limit speeds around the track, as the Nisan corner was generally taken at near flat-out speeds[1]
[edit] Qualifying
[edit] Race
Coulthard climbed up to 6th, but his car stalled in the pits on lap 16. He managed to get back up to 12th, before retiring on lap 32. Despite the problems, DC said it was a "good debut overall".[2] While Williams notched up their first victory of the season, and first after the death of Ayrton Senna, championship leader Michael Schumacher finished a strong second, despite being stuck in fifth gear for most of the race[2]. Knowing that he had a major problem, he managed to make a pitstop (and get away from the pit stop in 5th gear), and as the race unfolded gave nothing to the leading Hill's pace. He changed his driving style around the twisty track, finding new trajectories and corner apexes[3]. His past experience as a World Sports Car driver for team Sauber helped him control the car effectively despite being stuck in one gear. After hearing this, Patrick Head jokingly questioned why the championship was still going when a driver of Schumacher's caliber was racing in a competitive car.[citation needed]
[edit] Post-Race
After the race, the Williams team were very emotional with Hill's win.
| “ | I don't think I have known such a difficult month. Everyone at Williams has been through a terrible time. This victory must go to them and to all the fans of Ayrton Senna who I met in Brazil. They wanted Williams to be successful. It was important to do well in this race and to win it is better than I expected to do. | ” |
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—Damon Hill speaking about Senna, Transcript of recording from Grand Prix Racing. |
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[edit] Classification
[edit] Qualifying
[edit] Race
[edit] Notes
- Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher 1m 25.155s
- First race: David Coulthard, Andrea Montermini
- This was the Williams team first victory in 1994.
- Andrea Montermini replaced the late Roland Ratzenberger at Simtek but suffered a huge accident in practice resulting in his withdrawal from the race.
- Mark Blundell's 3rd place was the 77th and last podium finish for Tyrrell, in their 28 seasons of Formula 1.
[edit] References
- ^ "YouTube - F1 - 1994 FIA Review - 05 Spain". Archived from the original on 2009-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5hAFyIpbv. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.
- ^ a b Spanish Grand Prix, Spanish GP
- ^ Grand Prix flashback: Spain 1994
| Previous race: 1994 Monaco Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1994 season |
Next race: 1994 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1993 Spanish Grand Prix |
Spanish Grand Prix | Next race: 1995 Spanish Grand Prix |
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