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The 1994 French Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LXXX Grand Prix de France, was the seventh round of the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France, on the 3 July 1994.[1] The race would see Michael Schumacher secure his sixth win in seven races, managing to beat the two Williams-Renaults off the line at the start.[1]

The weekend was heralded by the return of a former Champion to the field, with Nigel Mansell returning to the paddock to take over the #2 Williams-Renault from David Coulthard.[1] Benetton-Ford Cosworth, meanwhile, would also make a change, placing Jos Verstappen back in their second car at the expense of JJ Lehto.[1]

The Dutchman would go on to have a lucky escape during Friday practice, with a heavy accident resulting a piece of his suspension scraping across the top of his legs.[1] Indeed, the suspension arm managed to tear through Verstappen's overalls, although the Benetton team were able to get the Dutchman's car repaired in time for qualifying.[1]

Qualifying would see Damon Hill beat his new teammate Mansell to pole position, ending Schumacher's run of front-row starts.[1] The German ace would, however, start the race from third, with the two Ferrari and the Jordan-Harts ahead of Verstappen in the second Benetton.[1]

Off the line at the start it would be advantage Schumacher, who instantly shot between the two Williams' to claim the lead.[1] Hill was therefore left to lead the chase, fending off a challenge from teammate Mansell, with Jean Alesi heading the Ferrari-Jordan battle.[1]

Schumacher and Hill quickly pulled clear of Mansell in third, leaving the Brit to fend off a sustained attack from Alesi for third.[1] However, there would be little change to the order in the early stages, until Mansell sparked a wave of pitstops on lap eighteen.[1]

Indeed, there would be a mix of two and three stoppers among the top ten, resulting in numerous position changes as strategies played out.[1] At the head of the field, meanwhile, Schumacher would ease clear of Hill during the pit-window, although the Brit would lead for five laps in between their stops.[1]

Once Hill made his final stop, however, the battle for victory was effectively over, with Hill slipping twenty seconds off the lead.[1] Behind, Alesi would hold third until he spun out of contention, getting wiped out by Rubens Barrichello as he rejoined.[1] That handed the position to Gerhard Berger in the sister Ferrari, who duly pitted a few moments later, leaving Mansell in third until his transmission failed.[1]

Out front, meanwhile, there would be no stopping Schumacher, who cruised across the line to claim another impressive victory, twelve seconds ahead of Hill.[1] Berger, meanwhile, would claim third after the late run of retirements, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Pierluigi Martini and Andrea de Cesaris claiming the remaining points.[1]

Background[]

Michael Schumacher used his fifth victory of the season to once again extend his Championship lead, leaving Canada with 56 points to his name. That ensured that he held a 33 point advantage in the Championship, with Damon Hill his closest "challenger" with a third of the season gone. Best of the rest was Gerhard Berger, level on points with his teammate Jean Alesi, while Rubens Barrichello retained his spot in the top five.

It was a similar story in the Constructors Championship, with Benetton-Ford Cosworth adding to their lead at the head of the field. Indeed, their gap over second placed Ferrari now stood at 25 points, with the Italian squad themselves looking over their shoulders at Williams-Renault. The defending Champions left Canada just seven behind the Scuderia, with Jordan-Hart and McLaren-Peugeot losing ground behind.

Entry list[]

The full entry list for the 1994 French Grand Prix is outlined below:

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
0 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW16 Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
2 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW16 Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
3 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 022 Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10 G
4 United Kingdom Mark Blundell United Kingdom Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 022 Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10 G
5 Germany Michael Schumacher United Kingdom Mild Seven Benetton Ford Benetton B194 Ford Cosworth ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 G
6 Netherlands Jos Verstappen United Kingdom Mild Seven Benetton Ford Benetton B194 Ford Cosworth ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 G
7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren Peugeot McLaren MP4/9 Peugeot A6 3.5 V10 G
8 United Kingdom Martin Brundle United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren Peugeot McLaren MP4/9 Peugeot A6 3.5 V10 G
9 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi United Kingdom Footwork Ford Footwork FA15 Ford Cosworth HBE7/8 3.5 V8 G
10 Italy Gianni Morbidelli United Kingdom Footwork Ford Footwork FA15 Ford Cosworth HBE7/8 3.5 V8 G
11 Italy Alex Zanardi United Kingdom Team Lotus Lotus 109 Mugen-Honda MF351HC 3.5 V10 G
12 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert United Kingdom Team Lotus Lotus 109 Mugen-Honda MF351HC 3.5 V10 G
14 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Sasol Jordan Jordan 194 Hart 1035 3.5 V10 G
15 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Ireland Sasol Jordan Jordan 194 Hart 1035 3.5 V10 G
19 Monaco Olivier Beretta France Tourtel Larrousse F1 Larrousse LH94 Ford Cosworth HBF7/8 3.5 V8 G
20 France Érik Comas France Tourtel Larrousse F1 Larrousse LH94 Ford Cosworth HBF7/8 3.5 V8 G
23 Italy Pierluigi Martini Italy Minardi Scuderia Italia Minardi M194 Ford Cosworth HBC7/8 3.5 V8 G
24 Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Minardi Scuderia Italia Minardi M194 Ford Cosworth HBC7/8 3.5 V8 G
25 France Éric Bernard France Ligier Gitanes Blondes Ligier JS39B Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
26 France Olivier Panis France Ligier Gitanes Blondes Ligier JS39B Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
27 France Jean Alesi Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 412T1B Ferrari 043 3.5 V12 G
28 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 412T1B Ferrari 043 3.5 V12 G
29 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Switzerland Sauber Mercedes Sauber C13 Mercedes 2175B 3.5 V10 G
30 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber Mercedes Sauber C13 Mercedes 2175B 3.5 V10 G
31 Australia David Brabham United Kingdom MTV Simtek Ford Simtek S941 Ford Cosworth HBD6 3.5 V8 G
32 France Jean-Marc Gounon United Kingdom MTV Simtek Ford Simtek S941 Ford Cosworth HBD6 3.5 V8 G
33 France Paul Belmondo United Kingdom Pacific Grand Prix Pacific PR01 Ilmor 2175A 3.5 V10 G
34 France Bertrand Gachot United Kingdom Pacific Grand Prix Pacific PR01 Ilmor 2175A 3.5 V10 G
Source:[2]

Practice Overview[]

Qualifying[]

Friday Qualifying[]

Saturday Qualifying[]

Qualifying Results[]

The full qualifying results for the 1994 French Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Time Gap
Q1 Q2
1 0 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Williams-Renault 1:17.539 1:16.282
2 2 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Williams-Renault 1:18.340 1:16.359 +0.077s
3 5 Germany Michael Schumacher United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 1:17.085 1:16.707 +0.425s
4 27 France Jean Alesi Italy Ferrari 1:17.855 1:16.954 +0.672s
5 28 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Ferrari 1:17.441 1:16.959 +0.677s
6 15 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Ireland Jordan-Hart 1:19.463 1:17.441 +1.159s
7 14 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Jordan-Hart 1:18.326 1:17.482 +1.200s
8 6 Netherlands Jos Verstappen United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 1:18.669 1:17.645 +1.363s
9 7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 1:19.041 1:17.768 +1.486s
10 30 West Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 1:19.318 1:17.830 +1.548s
11 29 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 1:20.145 1:17.866 +1.584s
12 8 United Kingdom Martin Brundle United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 1:18.112 1:18.031 +1.749s
13 26 France Olivier Panis France Ligier-Renault 1:19.697 1:18.044 +1.762s
14 3 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:19.969 1:18.192 +1.910s
15 25 France Éric Bernard France Ligier-Renault 1:19.292 1:18.236 +1.954s
16 23 Italy Pierluigi Martini Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:20.084 1:18.248 +1.966s
17 4 United Kingdom Mark Blundell United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:20.001 1:18.381 +2.099s
18 9 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 1:20.801 1:18.568 +2.286s
19 12 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 1:20.108 1:18.715 +2.433s
20 20 France Érik Comas France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 1:20.576 1:18.811 +2.529s
21 24 Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:20.097 1:18.890 +2.608s
22 10 Italy Gianni Morbidelli United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 1:20.707 1:18.936 +2.654s
23 11 Italy Alex Zanardi United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 1:20.122 1:19.066 +2.784s
24 31 Australia David Brabham United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 1:22.527 1:19.771 +3.489s
25 19 Monaco Olivier Beretta France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 1:21.964 1:19.863 +3.581s
26 32 France Jean-Marc Gounon United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 1:23.264 1:21.829 +5.547s
DNQ 34 France Bertrand Gachot United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor 1:24.048 1:21.952 +5.670s
DNQ 33 France Paul Belmondo United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor 1:24.637 1:23.004 +6.722s
Source:[3][4][5]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
  • Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.

Grid[]

Pos. Pos.
Driver Driver
______________
Row 1 ______________ 1
2 Damon Hill
Nigel Mansell ______________
Row 2 ______________ 3
4 Michael Schumacher
Jean Alesi ______________
Row 3 ______________ 5
6 Gerhard Berger
Eddie Irvine ______________
Row 4 ______________ 7
8 Rubens Barrichello
Jos Verstappen ______________
Row 5 ______________ 9
10 Mika Häkkinen
Heinz-Harald Frentzen ______________
Row 6 ______________ 11
12 Andrea de Cesaris
Martin Brundle ______________
Row 7 ______________ 13
14 Olivier Panis
Ukyo Katayama ______________
Row 8 ______________ 15
16 Éric Bernard
Pierluigi Martini ______________
Row 9 ______________ 17
18 Mark Blundell
Christian Fittipaldi ______________
Row 10 ______________ 19
20 Johnny Herbert
Érik Comas ______________
Row 11 ______________ 21
22 Michele Alboreto
Gianni Morbidelli ______________
Row 12 ______________ 23
24 Alex Zanardi
David Brabham ______________
Row 13 ______________ 25
26 Olivier Beretta
Jean-Marc Gounon ______________

Race[]

Report[]

Results[]

The full results for the 1994 French Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5 Germany Michael Schumacher United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 72 1:38:35.704 3 10
2 0 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Williams-Renault 72 +12.642s 1 6
3 28 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Ferrari 72 +52.765s 5 4
4 30 West Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 71 +1 Lap 10 3
5 23 Italy Pierluigi Martini Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 70 +2 Laps 16 2
6 29 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 70 +2 Laps 11 1
7 12 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 70 +2 Laps 19
8 9 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 70 +2 Laps 18
9 32 France Jean-Marc Gounon United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 68 +4 Laps 26
10 4 United Kingdom Mark Blundell United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 67 +5 Laps 17
11* 20 France Érik Comas France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 66 Engine 20
Ret 3 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 53 Spin 14
Ret 7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 48 Engine 9
Ret 2 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Williams-Renault 45 Gearbox 2
Ret 27 France Jean Alesi Italy Ferrari 41 Collision 4
Ret 14 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Jordan-Hart 41 Collision 7
Ret 25 France Éric Bernard France Ligier-Renault 40 Gearbox 15
Ret 19 Monaco Olivier Beretta France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 36 Engine 25
Ret 8 United Kingdom Martin Brundle United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 29 Engine 12
Ret 10 Italy Gianni Morbidelli United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 28 Collision 22
Ret 26 France Olivier Panis France Ligier-Renault 28 Collision 13
Ret 31 Australia David Brabham United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 28 Transmission 24
Ret 6 Netherlands Jos Verstappen United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 25 Spin 8
Ret 15 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Ireland Jordan-Hart 24 Gearbox 6
Ret 24 Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 21 Engine 21
Ret 11 Italy Alex Zanardi United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 20 Engine 23
DNQ 34 France Bertrand Gachot United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor
DNQ 33 France Paul Belmondo United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor
Source:[6]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
  • * Comas was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.[6]

Milestones[]

Standings[]

Michael Schumacher's sixth win of the season ensured that the German racer left France with an ever enhanced lead, moving onto 66 points for the season. Damon Hill was still the closest thing the German had to a pretender, although the Brit left France 37 points behind, meaning he would need four race wins just to catch up. Gerhard Berger, meanwhile, had solidified his grip on third, with Jean Alesi and Rubens Barrichello retaining their top five status.

In the Constructors Championship, meanwhile, it was still advantage Benetton-Ford Cosworth, who left France with their tally inflated to 67 points. Ferrari remained their biggest threat, although with some 31 points between the top two it seemed as if it was already Benetton's Championship to lose. Williams-Renault, meanwhile, had inched closer to their Italian rivals, sitting just five behind, with Jordan-Hart and McLaren-Peugeot completing the top five.

World Championship for Drivers
Pos. Driver Pts. +/-
1 Germany Michael Schumacher 66
2 United Kingdom Damon Hill 29
3 Austria Gerhard Berger 17
4 France Jean Alesi 13
5 Brazil Rubens Barrichello 7
6 United Kingdom Martin Brundle 6
7 Italy Nicola Larini 6
8 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen 5 ▲6
9 United Kingdom Mark Blundell 4 ▼1
10 Finland Mika Häkkinen 4 ▼1
11 Austria Karl Wendlinger 4 ▼1
12 Italy Andrea de Cesaris 4 ▲1
13 Italy Pierluigi Martini 4 ▲2
14 Japan Ukyo Katayama 4 ▼3
15 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi 3 ▼3
16 United Kingdom David Coulthard 2
17 Finland JJ Lehto 1
18 France Érik Comas 1
19 Italy Michele Alboreto 1
20 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine 1
World Championship for Constructors
Pos. Team Pts. +/-
1 United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 67
2 Italy Ferrari 36
3 United Kingdom Williams-Renault 31
4 Ireland Jordan-Hart 11
5 United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 10
6 Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 10 ▲1
7 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 8 ▼1
8 Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 5 ▲1
9 United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 3 ▼1
10 France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 1

Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.

References[]

Images and Videos:

References:

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 'French GP, 1994', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr555.html, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  2. 'France 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  3. 'Grand Prix de France - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/611/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  4. 'Grand Prix de France - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/611/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  5. 'France 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  6. 6.0 6.1 'France 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  7. '1994 French GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1994&gp=French%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 '7. France 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/france.aspx, (Accessed 03/08/2019)
V T E France French Grand Prix
Circuits Le Mans (1906, 1921, 1929)
Dieppe (1907-1908, 1912)
Amiens (1913)
Lyon (1914, 1924)
Strasbourg (1922)
Tours (1923)
Montlhéry (1925, 1927, 1931, 1933-1937)
Reims-Gueux (1932, 1938-1939, 1948–1951, 1953–1954, 1956, 1958–1961, 1963, 1966)
Lyon-Parilly (1947)
Rouen-Les-Essarts (1952, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1968)
Charade Circuit (1965, 1969–1970, 1972)
Bugatti Circuit (1967)
Circuit Paul Ricard (1971, 1973, 1975–1976, 1978, 1980, 1982–1983, 1985–1990, 2018–2019, 2021-2022)
Dijon-Prenois (1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984)
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (1991–2008)
PR Screen Shot 2017-03-23 at 12.15.31 AM
Races 195019511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009–201720182019202020212022
European Championship Races 193119321933–193719381939
Non-Championship Races 1906190719081909–19111912191319141915–192019211922192319241925192619271928192919301931–1932193319341935193619371938–1946194719481949
V T E 1994 Formula One Season
Teams Williams • Tyrrell • Benetton • McLaren • Footwork • Lotus • Jordan • Larrousse • Minardi • Ligier • Ferrari • Sauber • Simtek • Pacific
Engines Ferrari • Ford • Hart • Ilmor • Mercedes • Mugen-Honda • Peugeot • Renault • Yamaha
Drivers Hill • 2 Senna • 2 Coulthard • 2 Mansell • 3 Katayama • 4 Blundell • 5 Schumacher • 5/6 Lehto • 6 Verstappen • 6 Herbert • 7 Häkkinen • 7 Alliot • 8 Brundle • 9 Fittipaldi • 10 Morbidelli • 11 Lamy • 11/12 Zanardi • 11 Adams • 11 Bernard • 11 Salo • 12 Herbert • 14 Barrichello • 15 Irvine • 15 Suzuki • 15 De Cesaris • 19 Beretta • 19 Alliot • 19 Dalmas • 19 Noda • 20 Comas • 20 Délétraz • 23 Martini • 24 Alboreto • 25 Bernard • 25 Herbert • 25 Lagorce • 26 Panis • 27 Alesi • 27 Larini • 28 Berger • 29 Wendlinger • 29 De Cesaris • 29 Lehto • 30 Frentzen • 31 Brabham • 32 Ratzenberger • 32 Montermini • 32 Gounon • 32 Schiattarella • 32 Inoue • 33 Belmondo • 34 Gachot
Other Drivers Magnussen • McNish
Cars Williams FW16 • Williams FW16B • Tyrrell 022 • Benetton B194 • McLaren MP4/9 • Footwork FA15 • Lotus 107C • Lotus 109 • Jordan 194 • Larrousse LH94 • Minardi M193B • Minardi M194 • Ligier JS39B • Ferrari 412T1 • Ferrari 412T1B • Sauber C13 • Simtek S941 • Pacific PR01
Tyres Goodyear
Races Brazil • Pacific • San Marino • Monaco • Spain • Canada • France • Britain • Germany • Hungary • Belgium • Italy • Portugal • Europe • Japan • Australia
See also 1993 Formula One Season • 1995 Formula One Season • Category
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