1993 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Alain Prost won on home soil at the 1993 French Grand Prix, heading a Williams one-two ahead of Damon Hill. Damon Hill celebrated his first pole position and led the opening stint, but Alain Prost emerged ahead through the stops to secure his 100th Formula 1 podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Damon Hill	Williams
Pole time	1:14.382
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:19.256 on lap 47
First	Alain Prost	Williams
Second	Damon Hill	Williams
Third	Michael Schumacher	Benetton

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
2 July 1993	Practice 1	09:30–11:00
2 July 1993	Qualifying 1	13:00–14:00
3 July 1993	Practice 2	09:30–11:00
3 July 1993	Qualifying 2	13:00–14:00
4 July 1993	Warm-up	09:30
4 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 8 leading the 1993 F1 World Championship on 47 points, with Ayrton Senna on 42. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 69 points.

Race entries

The driver line-ups remained unchanged. Jean Todt began his work at Ferrari, while Footwork introduced the active suspension acquired from McLaren. Ligier arrived at its home circuit with particular confidence, and Renault had four cars capable of showing strongly at the front.

Friday Free Practice

Damon Hill headed Friday practice, while Alain Prost ran off after an anti-lock braking problem and chose to disconnect the system. Footwork began learning its new active suspension, although electrical trouble interrupted Derek Warwick‘s day. Ligier‘s early speed suggested the smooth Magny-Cours surface suited its chassis, giving the home team something tangible to build on.

Friday Practice Classification

1993 French Grand Prix Practice, 2 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:16.266	—
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.085s	—
3	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+0.637s	—
4	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.342s	—
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.557s	—
6	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+1.573s	—
7	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+1.649s	—
8	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+1.747s	—
9	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.753s	—
10	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+1.780s	—
11	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+1.877s	—
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.959s	—
13	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+2.099s	—
14	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.542s	—
15	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.627s	—
16	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+3.052s	—
17	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+3.221s	—
18	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+3.248s	—
19	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+3.303s	—
20	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+3.679s	—
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+3.957s	—
22	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+4.832s	—
23	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+5.138s	—
24	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+5.242s	—
25	2	Alain Prost	Williams	+12.406s	—
26	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+227.128s	—

Friday Qualifying

Damon Hill took provisional pole on Friday, comfortably ahead of Alain Prost, with Michael Schumacher third and Ayrton Senna fourth. Jean Alesi and Mark Blundell completed the top six. Damon Hill had given himself a genuine chance to end his team-mate’s uninterrupted run of poles.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1993 French Grand Prix first qualifying session, 2 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.051	12
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:15.725	12
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:16.720	11
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:16.782	12
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:16.825	12
6	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:16.834	12
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:16.847	11
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:17.347	12
9	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:17.441	12
10	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:17.650	11
11	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:17.675	12
12	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:17.862	12
13	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:18.180	12
14	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:18.230	11
15	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:18.331	10
16	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:18.585	12
17	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:18.685	12
18	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:18.741	12
19	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:19.180	12
20	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:19.252	12
21	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:19.968	12
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:20.553	12
23	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:21.024	12
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:21.113	2
25	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:21.931	12
26	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:22.106	12

Saturday Free Practice

Alain Prost was quickest on Saturday morning, with Damon Hill close behind. McLaren finally made progress with its settings, while Ferrari continued trying to establish a reliable balance with its revised suspension. Benetton struggled with oversteer, leaving Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese with more work than the Williams pair before the final qualifying session.

Saturday Practice Classification

1993 French Grand Prix Practice, 3 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:14.758	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.221s	—
3	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+1.344s	—
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.809s	—
5	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.876s	—
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.190s	—
7	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+2.355s	—
8	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.824s	—
9	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+2.959s	—
10	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+3.176s	—
11	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+3.188s	—
12	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.345s	—
13	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+3.429s	—
14	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+3.634s	—
15	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+3.650s	—
16	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+3.701s	—
17	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+3.767s	—
18	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+3.874s	—
19	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.888s	—
20	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+4.035s	—
21	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+4.062s	—
22	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+4.526s	—
23	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+5.378s	—
24	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+5.935s	—
25	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+6.073s	—
26	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+13.218s	—

Saturday Qualifying

Damon Hill delivered on Saturday, beating Alain Prost by 0.142 seconds to claim his first Formula 1 pole. Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell put both Ligiers on the second row, completing a Renault-powered top four. Ayrton Senna was fifth, Jean Alesi sixth and Michael Schumacher seventh. Michele Alboreto failed to qualify.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1993 French Grand Prix second qualifying session, 3 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:14.382	12
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:14.524	12
3	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:16.169	11
4	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:16.203	11
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:16.264	12
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:16.662	12
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:16.745	11
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:17.168	12
9	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:17.170	12
10	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:17.190	9
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:17.315	11
12	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:17.362	12
13	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:17.456	12
14	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:17.518	12
15	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:17.598	12
16	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:17.659	12
17	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:17.706	11
18	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:17.812	11
19	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:17.997	12
20	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:18.104	12
21	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:19.143	11
22	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:19.493	11
23	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:19.519	6
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:19.691	12
25	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:19.856	12
26	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:20.130	9

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	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.051	1:14.382	1:14.382	—
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:15.725	1:14.524	1:14.524	—
3	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:16.847	1:16.169	1:16.169	—
4	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:16.834	1:16.203	1:16.203	—
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:16.782	1:16.264	1:16.264	—
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:16.825	1:16.662	1:16.662	—
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:16.720	1:16.745	1:16.720	—
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:17.347	1:17.168	1:17.168	—
9	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	1:18.180	1:17.170	1:17.170	—
10	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:18.230	1:17.190	1:17.190	—
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:17.650	1:17.315	1:17.315	—
12	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:17.675	1:17.362	1:17.362	—
13	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:17.441	1:17.518	1:17.441	—
14	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:18.741	1:17.456	1:17.456	—
15	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:19.180	1:17.598	1:17.598	—
16	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:18.585	1:17.659	1:17.659	—
17	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:18.331	1:17.706	1:17.706	—
18	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	1:19.252	1:17.812	1:17.812	—
19	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:17.862	1:18.104	1:17.862	—
20	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:18.685	1:17.997	1:17.997	—
21	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:20.553	1:19.143	1:19.143	—
22	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:21.931	1:19.493	1:19.493	—
23	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:19.968	1:19.519	1:19.519	—
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:21.113	1:19.691	1:19.691	—
25	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:21.024	1:19.856	1:19.856	—
DNQ	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:22.106	1:20.130	1:20.130	—

Sunday warm-up

Only 0.024 seconds separated Alain Prost and Damon Hill in the warm-up. Alain Prost decided to race the spare car after remaining unhappy with his regular chassis, while the heat encouraged several rivals to choose harder tyres. Those differing choices set up an afternoon in which pit-stop timing and tyre life would matter alongside the drivers’ outright speed.

Warm-up Classification

1993 French Grand Prix Warm-up, 4 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:19.147	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.024s	—
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.672s	—
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.873s	—
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.034s	—
6	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+1.110s	—
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.739s	—
8	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+1.754s	—
9	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+1.855s	—
10	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+1.961s	—
11	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+2.003s	—
12	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+2.049s	—
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.245s	—
14	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+2.470s	—
15	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+2.478s	—
16	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+2.487s	—
17	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.520s	—
18	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+2.577s	—
19	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+2.776s	—
20	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.800s	—
21	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+2.822s	—
22	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.986s	—
23	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+3.738s	—
24	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.386s	—
25	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+4.650s	—

What happened in the 1993 French Grand Prix?

Damon Hill led from pole and the Williams pair pulled away. Behind them, Martin Brundle ran third while Mark Blundell held up Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Mark Blundell‘s race ended in contact while lapping de Andrea de Cesaris, breaking up that contest and removing one of Ligier‘s strong runners.

Alain Prost moved ahead of Damon Hill during the first tyre stops and retained the advantage through the later changes. Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna both got ahead of Martin Brundle, then Michael Schumacher passed Ayrton Senna in traffic to secure third. Damon Hill stayed close to Alain Prost but could not reclaim the lead.

Alain Prost won with Damon Hill immediately behind, giving Williams a one-two at Renault‘s home race. Michael Schumacher completed the podium ahead of Ayrton Senna, Martin Brundle and Michael Andretti. Alain Prost reached 100 career podiums and extended his championship lead to 12 points at the halfway stage of the season.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 57 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 45. Williams led the constructors’ table on 85, with McLaren on 48.

1993 French Grand Prix race results

The 1993 French Grand Prix was held on 4 July 1993, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	72	1:38:35.241	10
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	72	+ 0.342	6
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	72	+ 21.209	4
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	72	+ 32.405	3
5	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	72	+ 33.795	2
6	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	71	+ 1 lap	1
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	71	+ 1 lap	0
8	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	71	+ 1 lap	0
9	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	70	+ 2 laps	0
10	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	70	+ 2 laps	0
11	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	70	+ 2 laps	0
12	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	70	+ 2 laps	0
13	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	70	+ 2 laps	0
14	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	70	+ 2 laps	0
15	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	68	+ 4 laps	0
16	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	66	Gearbox	0
Ret	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	47	Engine	0
Ret	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	28	Suspension	0
Ret	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	25	Gearbox	0
Ret	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	22	Gearbox	0
Ret	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	20	Spun off	0
Ret	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	16	Spun off	0
Ret	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	16	Gearbox	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	9	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	3	Suspension	0

1993 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	47	1:19.256
2	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	49	1:19.919
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	58	1:20.521
4	2	Alain Prost	Williams	41	1:20.530
5	0	Damon Hill	Williams	35	1:20.542
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	52	1:20.626
7	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	61	1:20.631
8	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	64	1:21.737
9	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	69	1:21.898
10	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	61	1:22.024
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	52	1:22.105
12	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	67	1:22.420
13	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	44	1:22.446
14	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	59	1:22.738
15	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	58	1:22.867
16	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	35	1:22.917
17	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	6	1:22.939
18	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	59	1:24.065
19	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	3	1:24.376
20	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	7	1:24.735
21	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	4	1:25.136
22	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	4	1:25.196
23	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	9	1:25.286
24	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	4	1:25.933
25	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	2	1:26.538

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 French Grand Prix.

1993 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	Williams	57
2	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	McLaren	45
3	Damon Hill	British	Williams	28
4	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	24
5	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	9
6	Mark Blundell	British	Ligier	6
7	Johnny Herbert	British	Lotus	6
8	Christian Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Minardi	5
9	JJ Lehto	Finnish	Sauber	5
10	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Benetton	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	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	1
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	0
–	Derek Warwick	British	Footwork	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
–	Ivan Capelli	Italian	Jordan	0

1993 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	85
2	McLaren	48
3	Benetton	29
4	Ligier	15
5	Ferrari	9
6	Lotus	7
7	Minardi	7
8	Sauber	6
9	Larrousse	2
–	Footwork	0
–	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