1994 German Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 16 in the 1994 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Date | 31 July 1994 | ||
| Official name | LVI Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland | ||
| Location | Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 6.823 km (4.264 mi) | ||
| Distance | 45 laps, 307.035 km (191.896 mi) | ||
| Weather | Sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:43.582 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 David Coulthard | Williams-Renault | |
| Time | 1:46.211 on lap 11 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Ligier-Renault | ||
| Third | Ligier-Renault | ||
The 1994 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 31 July 1994 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim. The race, contested over 45 laps, was the ninth race of the 1994 Formula One season and was won by Gerhard Berger, driving a Ferrari, with Ligier drivers Olivier Panis and Éric Bernard second and third respectively.
Report
The fast Hockenheim circuit had been modified from the year before, with the fast Senna chicane being made slower.
The Ferraris qualified first and second, with Gerhard Berger in pole position and Jean Alesi lining up alongside.
The race was notable for its high rate of attrition, with 11 retirements on the opening lap. Within ten seconds of the start Alex Zanardi and Andrea de Cesaris tangled towards the back of the pack, taking out both Michele Alboreto and Pierluigi Martini before even reaching the first corner. Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard then tangled going into the first corner, the Finn sliding in front of a group of cars into the wall on the outside of the circuit while the Scot continued to the pits to replace his front wing. Mark Blundell braked hard to avoid the McLaren only to be hit from behind by Eddie Irvine, while Rubens Barrichello had nowhere to go but the gravel. In the melee behind this incident, Johnny Herbert and Martin Brundle tangled, the Lotus spinning to a halt while the second McLaren continued. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was also pushed into the gravel and managed to continue, but stopped towards the end of the lap with broken suspension and a punctured tyre. Damon Hill also damaged his suspension in a first-lap contact with Ukyo Katayama and, as a result, circulated outside the points for the remainder of the race. Jean Alesi had gotten away unscathed, having qualified second, only for his Ferrari to stop with electrical problems on the run to the first chicane.
It was a bad weekend for the Benetton team. After the first lap mayhem, Schumacher went on to take on the leading Ferrari of Gerhard Berger but fell away with engine problems very quickly. Benetton driver Jos Verstappen also came into the pits; while refuelling, some fuel was accidentally sprayed onto the hot bodywork of the car, and a few seconds later the fuel ignited and Verstappen's car was engulfed in a ball of flames. The Dutchman escaped the incident with burns around his eyes, as he had his visor up during the pit stop. No other crew members or any persons were injured severely or killed.
As well as Ferrari winning its first and only race of the 1994 Formula One season, the race was especially good for Ligier with Olivier Panis finishing second and Éric Bernard coming home third.
Classification
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 |  Gerhard Berger |
Ferrari | 1:44.616 | 1:43.582 | |
| 2 | 27 |  Jean Alesi |
Ferrari | 1:45.272 | 1:44.012 | +0.430 |
| 3 | 0 | Damon Hill |
Williams-Renault | 1:44.026 | 1:44.131 | +0.444 |
| 4 | 5 |  Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford | 1:44.875 | 1:44.268 | +0.686 |
| 5 | 3 |  Ukyo Katayama |
Tyrrell-Yamaha | 1:46.534 | 1:44.718 | +1.136 |
| 6 | 2 | David Coulthard |
Williams-Renault | 1:45.477 | 1:45.146 | +1.564 |
| 7 | 4 | Mark Blundell |
Tyrrell-Yamaha | 1:45.814 | 1:45.474 | +1.892 |
| 8 | 7 |  Mika Häkkinen |
McLaren-Peugeot | 1:45.487 | 1:45.878 | +1.905 |
| 9 | 30 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
Sauber-Mercedes | 1:46.488 | 1:45.893 | +2.311 |
| 10 | 15 | Eddie Irvine |
Jordan-Hart | 1:45.911 | 1:45.942 | +2.329 |
| 11 | 14 |  Rubens Barrichello |
Jordan-Hart | 1:45.962 | 1:45.939 | +2.357 |
| 12 | 26 | Olivier Panis |
Ligier-Renault | 1:47.925 | 1:46.185 | +2.603 |
| 13 | 8 | Martin Brundle |
McLaren-Peugeot | 1:46.644 | 1:46.218 | +2.636 |
| 14 | 25 | Éric Bernard |
Ligier-Renault | 1:47.531 | 1:46.290 | +2.708 |
| 15 | 12 | Johnny Herbert |
Lotus-Mugen-Honda | 1:48.621 | 1:46.630 | +3.048 |
| 16 | 10 |  Gianni Morbidelli |
Footwork-Ford | 1:47.814 | 1:46.817 | +3.235 |
| 17 | 9 | Christian Fittipaldi |
Footwork-Ford | 1:47.150 | 1:47.102 | +3.520 |
| 18 | 29 | Andrea de Cesaris |
Sauber-Mercedes | 1:47.745 | 1:47.235 | +3.653 |
| 19 | 6 |  Jos Verstappen |
Benetton-Ford | 40:34.496 | 1:47.316 | +3.734 |
| 20 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini |
Minardi-Ford | 1:47.831 | 1:47.402 | +3.820 |
| 21 | 11 | Alessandro Zanardi |
Lotus-Mugen-Honda | 1:47.678 | 1:47.425 | +3.843 |
| 22 | 20 | Érik Comas |
Larrousse-Ford | 1:48.770 | 1:48.229 | +4.647 |
| 23 | 24 | Michele Alboreto |
Minardi-Ford | 1:48.402 | 1:48.295 | +4.713 |
| 24 | 19 |  Olivier Beretta |
Larrousse-Ford | 1:48.681 | 1:48.875 | +5.099 |
| 25 | 31 |  David Brabham |
Simtek-Ford | 1:50.685 | 1:48.870 | +5.288 |
| 26 | 32 | Jean-Marc Gounon |
Simtek-Ford | 1:50.361 | 1:49.204 | +5.622 |
| DNQ | 33 | Paul Belmondo |
Pacific-Ilmor | 1:51.916 | 1:51.122 | +7.540 |
| DNQ | 34 | Bertrand Gachot |
Pacific-Ilmor | 1:52.839 | 1:51.292 | +7.710 |
Race
Notes
- First fastest lap: David Coulthard
- First podium: Olivier Panis, Éric Bernard
- First points: Olivier Panis
- Last podium: Éric Bernard
- Last points: Éric Bernard, Érik Comas, Christian Fittipaldi
- This was the first win for Ferrari since the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, some 59 races previously.
- This was also the only race of 1994 not to be won by the Benetton or Williams teams.
- Jos Verstappen's car was set alight during a pit stop. The fire ended with Verstappen's retirement from the race and an inquiry from the FIA into the incident.
- As of December 2014, this was the last time that two drivers both scored their first podium finish at the same race (Olivier Panis and Éric Bernard). At the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen finished second and third on the road, which would have been the first podium finishes for both drivers, but Ricciardo was subsequently disqualified.
Championship standings after the race
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References
- ↑ "1994 German Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1994 German Grand Prix. |
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FIA Formula One World Championship 1994 season |
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