1993 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Alain Prost reached 50 Grand Prix victories at the 1993 British Grand Prix, but the afternoon brought heartbreak for Damon Hill. Damon Hill led in front of his home crowd before an engine failure handed the advantage to his Williams team-mate, with both Benettons completing the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Alain Prost	Williams
Pole time	1:19.006
Fastest lap	Damon Hill	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:22.515 on lap 41
First	Alain Prost	Williams
Second	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Third	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
9 July 1993	Practice 1	09:30–11:00
9 July 1993	Qualifying 1	13:00–14:00
10 July 1993	Practice 2	09:30–11:00
10 July 1993	Qualifying 2	13:00–14:00
11 July 1993	Warm-up	09:30
11 July 1993	Race	14:00

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 9 leading the 1993 F1 World Championship on 57 points, with Ayrton Senna on 45. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 85 points.

Race entries

Pierluigi Martini returned to Minardi in place of Fabrizio Barbazza. Tyrrell finally introduced the 021, while Lotus brought further active-suspension improvements. Damon Hill carried the home crowd’s hopes at Silverstone, where Williams looked well placed to continue its run of victories.

Friday Free Practice

Heavy rain curtailed Friday’s useful running, with Damon Hill setting the fastest time among those who ventured out. The unusual conditions allowed the two Lolas to appear near the front, while Mark Blundell‘s accident at Abbey added repair work for Ligier. Tyrrell‘s new chassis faced a difficult introduction with little opportunity to establish a dry baseline.

Friday Practice Classification

1993 British Grand Prix Practice, 9 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:53.438	—
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+1.543s	—
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.776s	—
4	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+5.099s	—
5	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+8.209s	—
6	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+12.233s	—
7	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+16.017s	—
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+20.112s	—
9	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+21.270s	—
10	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+22.322s	—
11	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+23.874s	—
12	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+30.192s	—
13	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+53.567s	—
14	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+86.163s	—
15	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+103.174s	—
16	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+118.653s	—
17	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+337.947s	—
18	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+402.824s	—
19	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+545.246s	—
20	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+566.417s	—
21	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	No time	—
22	2	Alain Prost	Williams	No time	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	No time	—
24	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	No time	—

Friday Qualifying

Alain Prost headed the wet Friday qualifying session ahead of Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. The gaps were large, and the times were unlikely to survive a dry Saturday. Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger completed the top six.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1993 British Grand Prix first qualifying session, 9 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:34.483	11
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:36.297	12
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:37.050	12
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:37.264	12
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:37.899	12
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:37.976	11
7	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:38.283	11
8	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:38.371	12
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:38.384	12
10	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:39.433	12
11	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:39.821	10
12	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:40.537	12
13	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:40.624	12
14	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:40.851	12
15	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:40.869	12
16	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:41.037	12
17	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:41.726	12
18	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:41.838	11
19	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:41.908	12
20	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:41.926	11
21	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:41.940	10
22	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:41.985	11
23	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:42.844	12
24	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:42.957	12
25	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:43.173	12
26	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	9:32.793	1

Saturday Free Practice

Damon Hill and Alain Prost were separated by just 0.002 seconds in dry Saturday practice, underlining the closeness of the Williams contest. Lotus‘s suspension revisions offered encouragement, and Footwork was making progress with its McLaren-derived system. Ayrton Senna was less comfortable with the McLaren‘s balance and needed more downforce, compromising his ability to match the leading cars.

Saturday Practice Classification

1993 British Grand Prix Practice, 10 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:20.434	—
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	+0.002s	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.079s	—
4	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+1.994s	—
5	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.300s	—
6	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+2.938s	—
7	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+2.979s	—
8	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+2.992s	—
9	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+3.019s	—
10	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+3.139s	—
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.154s	—
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.183s	—
13	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+3.376s	—
14	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+3.411s	—
15	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+3.507s	—
16	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.887s	—
17	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+3.902s	—
18	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+3.959s	—
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.687s	—
20	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+4.945s	—
21	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+5.057s	—
22	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+5.158s	—
23	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+5.516s	—
24	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+5.717s	—
25	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+5.844s	—
26	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+6.759s	—

Saturday Qualifying

Damon Hill briefly looked set for home pole, but Alain Prost‘s late 1:19.006 beat him by 0.128 seconds. Michael Schumacher qualified third, ahead of Ayrton Senna, Riccardo Patrese and Martin Brundle. Johnny Herbert and Derek Warwick also made the top eight, giving the home supporters several strong performances to applaud.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1993 British Grand Prix second qualifying session, 10 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:19.006	11
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:19.134	12
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:20.401	8
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:21.986	11
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:22.364	11
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:22.421	12
7	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:22.487	12
8	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:22.834	12
9	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:22.885	12
10	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:23.077	11
11	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:23.114	12
12	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:23.203	12
13	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:23.257	12
14	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:23.533	10
15	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:23.635	12
16	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:24.071	12
17	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:24.139	12
18	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:24.525	12
19	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:24.664	12
20	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:24.718	12
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:25.254	12
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:25.343	12
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:25.363	12
24	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:25.397	12
25	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:26.239	12
26	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:26.520	12

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	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:34.483	1:19.006	1:19.006	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:36.297	1:19.134	1:19.134	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:37.264	1:20.401	1:20.401	—
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:37.050	1:21.986	1:21.986	—
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:38.371	1:22.364	1:22.364	—
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:38.384	1:22.421	1:22.421	—
7	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:41.037	1:22.487	1:22.487	—
8	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:39.433	1:22.834	1:22.834	—
9	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	9:32.793	1:22.885	1:22.885	—
10	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:40.537	1:23.077	1:23.077	—
11	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:38.283	1:23.114	1:23.114	—
12	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:37.899	1:23.203	1:23.203	—
13	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:37.976	1:23.257	1:23.257	—
14	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:41.908	1:23.533	1:23.533	—
15	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:40.869	1:23.635	1:23.635	—
16	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	1:39.821	1:24.071	1:24.071	—
17	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	1:41.926	1:24.139	1:24.139	—
18	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:41.940	1:24.525	1:24.525	—
19	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:41.726	1:24.664	1:24.664	—
20	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:40.851	1:24.718	1:24.718	—
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:40.624	1:25.254	1:25.254	—
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:43.173	1:25.343	1:25.343	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:42.957	1:25.363	1:25.363	—
24	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:41.985	1:25.397	1:25.397	—
25	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:41.838	1:26.239	1:26.239	—
DNQ	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:42.844	1:26.520	1:26.520	—

Sunday warm-up

Alain Prost was quickest in the warm-up, with Damon Hill less than two-tenths behind. The dry running helped the teams complete their race preparations after Friday’s rain, although threatening skies remained. Williams had the clearest pace advantage, while the improving Lotus and Footwork cars gave their British drivers realistic opportunities to fight for points.

Warm-up Classification

1993 British Grand Prix Warm-up, 11 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:24.430	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.196s	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.678s	—
4	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+2.740s	—
5	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+2.803s	—
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+2.930s	—
7	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+3.078s	—
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+3.172s	—
9	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+3.240s	—
10	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+3.271s	—
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.291s	—
12	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+3.492s	—
13	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.589s	—
14	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+3.589s	—
15	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.650s	—
16	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.930s	—
17	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+4.038s	—
18	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+4.052s	—
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.163s	—
20	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+4.194s	—
21	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+4.258s	—
22	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+4.509s	—
23	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+4.627s	—
24	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+4.659s	—
25	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+5.256s	—

What happened in the 1993 British Grand Prix?

Damon Hill led at the start, while Ayrton Senna passed Alain Prost and delayed the Frenchman’s pursuit. Once Alain Prost was clear, the Williams pair established themselves at the front. A safety-car period to recover Luca Badoer‘s stopped Lola erased Damon Hill‘s advantage and brought the field together.

Soon after racing resumed, Damon Hill‘s engine failed. Alain Prost inherited the lead, while Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese moved towards a double Benetton podium. Martin Brundle later lost a strong result to gearbox trouble, and Ayrton Senna ran out of fuel on the final lap.

Alain Prost claimed his 50th victory ahead of Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese. Johnny Herbert finished fourth for Lotus, Ayrton Senna was classified fifth despite stopping, and Derek Warwick took sixth. Damon Hill‘s disappointment was immense, but his performance had shown that a first victory was within reach.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 67 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 47. Williams led the constructors’ table on 95, with McLaren on 50.

1993 British Grand Prix race results

The 1993 British Grand Prix was held on 11 July 1993, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	59	1:25:38.189	10
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	59	+ 7.660	6
3	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	59	+ 1:17.482	4
4	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	59	+ 1:18.407	3
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	58	Out of fuel	2
6	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	58	+ 1 Lap	1
7	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	58	+ 1 Lap	0
8	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	58	+ 1 Lap	0
9	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	58	+ 1 Lap	0
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	58	+ 1 Lap	0
11	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	57	+ 2 Laps	0
12	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	56	Gearbox	0
13	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	55	+ 4 Laps	0
14	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	53	Gearbox	0
NC	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	43	+ 16 Laps	0
Ret	0	Damon Hill	Williams	41	Engine	0
Ret	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	41	Suspension	0
Ret	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	41	Wheel bearing	0
Ret	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	32	Electrical	0
Ret	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	31	Physical	0
Ret	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	24	Spun off	0
Ret	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	10	Suspension	0
Ret	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	8	Spun off	0
Ret	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	0	Spun off	0
Ret	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	0	Halfshaft	0

1993 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	41	1:22.515
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	52	1:22.534
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	51	1:22.873
4	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	51	1:24.655
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	46	1:24.886
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	48	1:25.172
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	35	1:25.208
8	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	57	1:25.222
9	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	32	1:25.455
10	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	54	1:25.547
11	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	57	1:25.733
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	56	1:25.848
13	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	55	1:26.428
14	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	32	1:26.695
15	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	18	1:27.836
16	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	30	1:27.885
17	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	34	1:28.106
18	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	42	1:28.320
19	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	27	1:28.494
20	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	29	1:29.474
21	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	8	1:29.968
22	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	8	1:30.293
23	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	23	1:30.819

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 British Grand Prix.

1993 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	Williams	67
2	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	McLaren	47
3	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	30
4	Damon Hill	British	Williams	28
5	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Benetton	9
6	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	9
7	Johnny Herbert	British	Lotus	9
8	Mark Blundell	British	Ligier	6
9	Christian Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Minardi	5
10	JJ Lehto	Finnish	Sauber	5
11	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	5
12	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	4
13	Michael Andretti	American	McLaren	3
14	Philippe Alliot	French	Larrousse	2
15	Fabrizio Barbazza	Italian	Minardi	2
16	Alessandro Zanardi	Italian	Lotus	1
17	Derek Warwick	British	Footwork	1
18	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	1
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Lola	0
–	Érik Comas	French	Larrousse	0
–	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Tyrrell	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Jordan	0
–	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Lola	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Ivan Capelli	Italian	Jordan	0

1993 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	95
2	McLaren	50
3	Benetton	39
4	Ligier	15
5	Lotus	10
6	Ferrari	9
7	Minardi	7
8	Sauber	6
9	Larrousse	2
10	Footwork	1
–	Jordan	0
–	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