1994 Brazilian Grand Prix
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| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 16 in the 1994 Formula One season. | ||
| Date | March 27, 1994 | |
| Official name | XXIII Grande Prêmio do Brasil | |
| Location | Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.703 mi / 4.325 km |
|
| Distance | 71 laps, 191.921 mi / 307.075 km | |
| Weather | Sunny | |
| Pole | ||
| Driver |  Ayrton Senna |
Williams-Renault |
| Time | 1:15.962 | |
| Fastest Lap | ||
| Driver |  Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Time | 1:18.455 (on lap 7 of 71) | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford |
| Second |  Damon Hill |
Williams-Renault |
| Third |  Jean Alesi |
Ferrari |
The 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 27, 1994 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. It was the 1st race of the 1994 Formula One season.
Contents |
[edit] Report
[edit] Pre-Race
With it being the first race of the season, new drivers made their debuts. Roland Ratzenberger, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Olivier Panis, Olivier Beretta and Jos Verstappen made their debuts and Simtek and Pacific Racing also debuted.
[edit] Qualifying
In qualifying, Ayrton Senna was on pole position but Michael Schumacher's second place was a surprise to many. There were allegations that the team had found a way around the new F1 electronic regulations which banned the most sophisticated electronics which helped the drivers. These included fully-automatic gearboxes, traction control and launch control - a system which allowed a driver to simply push the accelerator fully on when the start was given without needing to pay attention to wheel-spin or gear changes.
Jean Alesi was third fastest in his Ferrari with Damon Hill a disappointing fourth in his 25th race start. Heinz-Harald Frentzen impressed with fifth place for Sauber while Gianni Morbidelli, Karl Wendlinger, Mika Häkkinen, Jos Verstappen and Ukyo Katayama completing the top 10.
[edit] Race
At the start Alesi overtook Schumacher for second place, but Senna kept the lead. This lasted only a lap and a half before the German moved back up to second and chased after Senna. Alesi dropped back quickly while Hill was struggling with handling problems in fourth. Wendlinger was fifth and Verstappen sixth. On lap 21 Senna and Schumacher pitted together. The Benetton stop was very fast and Michael emerged ahead and began to pull away. At the halfway mark, on lap 35, Martin Brundle, Verstappen and Eddie Irvine, fighting for seventh place, came up to lap Eric Bernard's Ligier. Brundle had a mechanical failure and his McLaren slowed. Bernard had to lift off and Irvine moved to the left, straight into Verstappen, who had been trying to overtake. At 200mph the Benetton went on to the grass and veered right into and over Irvine and was launched into a series of somersaults, hitting Brundle as it went. A rear wheel of the car hit Brundle's helmet but amazingly everyone emerged unscathed.
The order remained the same at the front after the second pit stop until lap 56 when Senna spun out of the race while trying to catch Schumacher. This left Hill second, Alesi third and Barrichello fourth in Hart's 250th race. Katayama was fifth (which was his first points) and Wendlinger sixth, however all of those ended up a lap behind as Schumacher lapped the whole field.
[edit] Post-Race
After the race, it was revealed Irvine was given a one-race ban and a $10,000 fine due to the crash on lap 35. The Jordan team appealed but the FIA increased the ban to three races.
[edit] Classification
[edit] Notes
- Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher 1m 18.455s
[edit] References
Race statistics are taken from www.chicanef1.com 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix Retrieved on 20 March 2007.
| Previous race: 1993 Australian Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship, 1994 season |
Next race: 1994 Pacific Grand Prix |
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| Previous race: 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix |
Brazilian Grand Prix | Next race: 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix |
