1993 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Ayrton Senna closed his McLaren career with victory at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix, ahead of Alain Prost in the Frenchman’s final race. Damon Hill completed a memorable podium as Formula 1 said farewell to several familiar names and prepared for major rule changes.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
Pole time	1:13.371
Fastest lap	Damon Hill	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:15.381 on lap 64
First	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
Second	Alain Prost	Williams
Third	Damon Hill	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 November 1993	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
5 November 1993	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
6 November 1993	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
6 November 1993	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
7 November 1993	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
7 November 1993	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Alain Prost arrived at round 16 leading the 1993 F1 World Championship on 93 points, with Damon Hill on 65. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 158 points.

Race entries

The 24-car field was unchanged from Suzuka. Alain Prost was making his final start, as were Riccardo Patrese and Derek Warwick. Ayrton Senna was leaving McLaren for Williams, while the impending ban on active suspension and return of race refuelling made Adelaide the last event for this generation of cars.

Friday Free Practice

Alain Prost led Friday practice, but Derek Warwick was absent after illness prompted the medical team to keep him out of the car. McLaren selected an earlier Ford engine specification for its more manageable delivery on the street circuit. Eddie Irvine also lost running to an electrical problem, adding to the challenge of learning Adelaide.

Friday Practice Classification

1993 Australian Grand Prix Practice, 5 November 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:13.643	—
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.372s	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.774s	—
4	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.847s	—
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.894s	—
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.932s	—
7	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+1.138s	—
8	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+1.978s	—
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.376s	—
10	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+2.474s	—
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.538s	—
12	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+3.056s	—
13	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+3.262s	—
14	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+3.346s	—
15	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+3.404s	—
16	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.406s	—
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.536s	—
18	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+3.890s	—
19	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	+5.005s	—
20	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+5.824s	—
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+6.911s	—
22	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	+7.503s	—
23	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	+7.765s	—

Friday Qualifying

Ayrton Senna took provisional pole on Friday with a 1:13.371, ahead of Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Häkkinen. Gerhard Berger was fifth and Damon Hill sixth. It was McLaren‘s clearest chance of the season to end Williams‘ uninterrupted run at the head of the grid.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1993 Australian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 5 November 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:13.371	12
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:13.807	12
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:14.098	12
4	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:14.106	12
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:14.194	12
6	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:14.721	12
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:15.332	11
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:16.022	12
9	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:16.077	12
10	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:16.079	12
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:16.106	12
12	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:16.286	12
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.459	12
14	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:16.862	3
15	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:16.905	12
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:17.018	11
17	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:17.350	11
18	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:17.612	12
19	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:17.750	12
20	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	1:17.754	12
21	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	1:19.628	10
22	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:19.733	10
23	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	1:21.793	4

Saturday Free Practice

Derek Warwick returned on Saturday morning and Alain Prost again set the fastest time. Warmer conditions and rubber left by the supporting races changed the track’s grip, making improvements harder later in the day. Williams continued searching for a comfortable balance over the bumps, while the Lotus drivers struggled with a persistent lack of grip.

Saturday Practice Classification

1993 Australian Grand Prix Practice, 6 November 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:13.854	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.224s	—
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.262s	—
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.353s	—
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+0.866s	—
6	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.363s	—
7	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+1.541s	—
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.040s	—
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.122s	—
10	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.185s	—
11	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+2.254s	—
12	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+2.282s	—
13	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.344s	—
14	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.447s	—
15	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.465s	—
16	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+2.709s	—
17	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.906s	—
18	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+2.918s	—
19	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.326s	—
20	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	+3.371s	—
21	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	+4.554s	—
22	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+4.599s	—
23	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+5.275s	—
24	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	+10.337s	—

Saturday Qualifying

Damon Hill was fastest on Saturday but could not beat Ayrton Senna‘s Friday benchmark. Alain Prost joined Ayrton Senna on the front row, with Damon Hill third and Michael Schumacher fourth. Häkkinen and Gerhard Berger completed row three; Gerhard Berger‘s Saturday times were removed for exceeding the 12-lap limit. Ayrton Senna‘s pole ended Williams‘ sequence of 24 consecutive poles.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1993 Australian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 6 November 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:13.826	11
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:14.494	12
3	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:14.595	9
4	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:14.596	11
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:14.779	12
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:15.619	12
7	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:16.469	12
8	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:16.567	9
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:16.710	12
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.723	12
11	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:16.892	12
12	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:16.919	12
13	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:17.118	12
14	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:17.132	12
15	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:17.341	12
16	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:17.450	11
17	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:17.815	12
18	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:17.816	10
19	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	1:18.035	12
20	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:18.406	8
21	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	1:19.369	3
22	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:21.076	3
23	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	1:23.167	4

Combined Qualifying Classification

Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Friday Time	Saturday Time	Best Time	Laps
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:13.371	1:14.779	1:13.371	—
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:13.807	1:14.595	1:13.807	—
3	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:14.721	1:13.826	1:13.826	—
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:14.098	1:14.494	1:14.098	—
5	7	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:14.106	1:14.596	1:14.106	—
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:14.194	—	1:14.194	—
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:15.332	1:15.619	1:15.332	—
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:16.022	1:16.710	1:16.022	—
9	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:16.077	1:21.076	1:16.077	—
10	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:16.079	1:16.567	1:16.079	—
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:16.106	1:17.132	1:16.106	—
12	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	1:16.286	1:17.118	1:16.286	—
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.459	1:16.723	1:16.459	—
14	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:16.862	1:16.469	1:16.469	—
15	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:17.350	1:16.892	1:16.892	—
16	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:16.905	1:17.816	1:16.905	—
17	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	—	1:16.919	1:16.919	—
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:17.018	1:18.406	1:17.018	—
19	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:19.733	1:17.341	1:17.341	—
20	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:17.612	1:17.450	1:17.450	—
21	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	1:17.750	1:17.815	1:17.750	—
22	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	1:17.754	1:18.035	1:17.754	—
23	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	1:19.628	1:19.369	1:19.369	—
24	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	1:21.793	1:23.167	1:21.793	—

Sunday warm-up

Ayrton Senna was fastest in the warm-up, just ahead of Michael Schumacher. Cooler conditions encouraged softer tyre choices, but sunshine before the start altered the outlook and made an additional tyre change more attractive. The morning also carried a sense of farewell as the drivers acknowledged Alain Prost before his final Grand Prix.

Warm-up Classification

1993 Australian Grand Prix Warm-up, 7 November 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:16.642	—
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.033s	—
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.367s	—
4	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+0.500s	—
5	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.518s	—
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.555s	—
7	2	Alain Prost	Williams	+0.662s	—
8	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+0.778s	—
9	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.011s	—
10	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+1.545s	—
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.573s	—
12	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+1.988s	—
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.996s	—
14	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+2.056s	—
15	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+2.527s	—
16	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.550s	—
17	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.552s	—
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.076s	—
19	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+3.080s	—
20	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+3.563s	—
21	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	+3.590s	—
22	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+4.596s	—
23	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	+5.801s	—
24	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	+6.070s	—

What happened in the 1993 Australian Grand Prix?

Two aborted starts reduced the race from 81 to 79 laps. Once it began, Ayrton Senna retained the lead ahead of Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. Michael Schumacher‘s engine failed after an early stop, while Häkkinen later retired with brake trouble.

Ayrton Senna controlled the race through the tyre changes. Damon Hill challenged Alain Prost but spun while trying to take second, losing time without losing a place. Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger ran behind the leading trio, and Riccardo Patrese‘s late fuel-pressure problem cost him a final point.

Ayrton Senna won ahead of Alain Prost and Damon Hill, with Jean Alesi fourth, Gerhard Berger fifth and Martin Brundle sixth. Alain Prost retired as a four-time World Champion, and Ayrton Senna‘s victory secured second in the standings. Their warm exchange on the podium provided a fitting close to a long rivalry; the win would be Ayrton Senna‘s 41st and last.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 99 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 73. Williams led the constructors’ table on 168, with McLaren on 84.

1993 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 1993 Australian Grand Prix was held on 7 November 1993, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	79	1:43:27.476	10
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	79	+ 9.259	6
3	0	Damon Hill	Williams	79	+ 33.902	4
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	78	+ 1 Lap	3
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	78	+ 1 Lap	2
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	78	+ 1 Lap	1
7	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	78	+ 1 Lap	0
8	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	77	Fuel system	0
9	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	77	+ 2 Laps	0
10	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	77	+ 2 Laps	0
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	76	+ 3 Laps	0
12	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	76	+ 3 Laps	0
13	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	75	+ 4 Laps	0
14	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	74	+ 5 Laps	0
15	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	73	Brakes	0
Ret	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	56	Accident	0
Ret	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	34	Spun off	0
Ret	7	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	28	Brakes	0
Ret	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	19	Engine	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	11	Spun Off	0
Ret	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	10	Accident	0
Ret	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	9	Suspension	0
Ret	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	5	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Pedro Lamy	Lotus	0	Accident	0

1993 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	64	1:15.381
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	66	1:15.434
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	70	1:16.128
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	74	1:16.686
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	17	1:17.069
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	67	1:17.478
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	63	1:17.565
8	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	40	1:17.786
9	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	50	1:18.101
10	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	53	1:18.314
11	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	49	1:18.316
12	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	49	1:18.430
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	53	1:18.558
14	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	55	1:18.905
15	7	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	17	1:18.960
16	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	76	1:19.152
17	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	8	1:20.502
18	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	36	1:20.625
19	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	5	1:21.175
20	23	Jean-Marc Gounon	Minardi	34	1:21.678
21	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	9	1:21.742
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	5	1:22.143
23	19	Toshio Suzuki	Larrousse	52	1:22.328

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1993 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1993 Australian Grand Prix.

1993 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	Williams	99
2	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	McLaren	73
3	Damon Hill	British	Williams	69
4	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	52
5	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Benetton	20
6	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	16
7	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	13
8	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	12
9	Johnny Herbert	British	Lotus	11
10	Mark Blundell	British	Ligier	10
11	Michael Andretti	American	McLaren	7
12	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	7
13	JJ Lehto	Finnish	Sauber	5
14	Christian Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Minardi	5
15	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	4
16	Derek Warwick	British	Footwork	4
17	Philippe Alliot	French	Larrousse	2
18	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	2
19	Fabrizio Barbazza	Italian	Minardi	2
20	Alessandro Zanardi	Italian	Lotus	1
21	Érik Comas	French	Larrousse	1
22	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	1
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Lola	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Jordan	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Tyrrell	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Lola	0
–	Pedro Lamy	Portuguese	Lotus	0
–	Toshio Suzuki	Japanese	Larrousse	0
–	Jean-Marc Gounon	French	Minardi	0
–	Ivan Capelli	Italian	Jordan	0
–	Marco Apicella	Italian	Jordan	0
–	Emanuele Naspetti	Italian	Jordan	0

1993 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	168
2	McLaren	84
3	Benetton	72
4	Ferrari	28
5	Ligier	23
6	Lotus	12
7	Sauber	12
8	Minardi	7
9	Footwork	4
10	Larrousse	3
11	Jordan	3
–	Lola	0
–	Tyrrell	0

1993 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1993 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	14 March
2	1993 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	28 March
3	1993 European Grand Prix	Donington Park, Castle Donington	11 April
4	1993 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	25 April
5	1993 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	9 May
6	1993 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	23 May
7	1993 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	13 June
8	1993 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	4 July
9	1993 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	11 July
10	1993 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	25 July
11	1993 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	15 August
12	1993 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	29 August
13	1993 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	12 September
14	1993 Portuguese Grand Prix	Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril	26 September
15	1993 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	24 October
16	1993 Australian Grand Prix	Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide	7 November