1993 German Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Damon Hill was denied a maiden victory in the cruellest fashion at the 1993 German Grand Prix, suffering a tyre failure with the finish almost in sight. Alain Prost inherited his 51st and final Formula 1 win, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Mark Blundell.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Alain Prost	Williams
Pole time	1:38.748
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:41.859 on lap 40
First	Alain Prost	Williams
Second	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Third	Mark Blundell	Ligier

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
23 July 1993	Practice 1	09:30–11:00
23 July 1993	Qualifying 1	13:00–14:00
24 July 1993	Practice 2	09:30–11:00
24 July 1993	Qualifying 2	13:00–14:00
25 July 1993	Warm-up	09:30
25 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 10 leading the 1993 F1 World Championship on 67 points, with Ayrton Senna on 47. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 95 points.

Race entries

The same drivers arrived at Hockenheim, but the grid rules changed again: all 26 cars could now qualify and start. Riccardo Patrese celebrated his 250th Grand Prix. McLaren and Benetton had access to Ford’s latest engine specification, an important development at a circuit dominated by long straights.

Friday Free Practice

Alain Prost led Friday practice, while Damon Hill‘s day was disrupted by contact with Michele Alboreto and braking-assistance trouble. Ayrton Senna also lost valuable running after a spin. With the cars using very little downforce, the bumpy surface made stable braking and suspension behaviour particularly important before the long, fast approaches to the chicanes.

Friday Practice Classification

1993 German Grand Prix Practice, 23 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:39.581	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.590s	—
3	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+0.645s	—
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.175s	—
5	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.528s	—
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+1.734s	—
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.920s	—
8	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+1.973s	—
9	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.060s	—
10	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+2.096s	—
11	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.393s	—
12	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.494s	—
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.623s	—
14	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+2.859s	—
15	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+2.939s	—
16	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+3.196s	—
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.442s	—
18	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+3.501s	—
19	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+3.589s	—
20	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+3.674s	—
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.166s	—
22	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+4.262s	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+4.853s	—
24	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+4.875s	—
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+6.589s	—
26	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+9.256s	—

Friday Qualifying

Alain Prost took provisional pole on Friday, with Michael Schumacher second in front of his home crowd. Damon Hill was third and Mark Blundell fourth. Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle completed the leading six.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1993 German Grand Prix first qualifying session, 23 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:39.046	8
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:39.640	11
3	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:40.211	12
4	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:40.279	10
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:40.642	8
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:40.916	10
7	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:41.101	11
8	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:41.138	10
9	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:41.290	5
10	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:41.304	12
11	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:41.531	9
12	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:41.564	12
13	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:41.858	12
14	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:41.922	6
15	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:42.086	12
16	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:42.152	10
17	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:42.658	12
18	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:42.786	11
19	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:42.845	12
20	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:42.912	12
21	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:42.977	8
22	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:43.345	10
23	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:43.471	9
24	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:43.476	12
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:44.198	8
26	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:46.709	2

Saturday Free Practice

Alain Prost remained quickest on Saturday morning. Ferrari evaluated a new five-valve-per-cylinder engine before reverting to its established specification for the race, while McLaren and Benetton worked with the latest Ford unit. Luca Badoer‘s accidents left Scuderia Italia with extensive repairs, despite the revised rules removing the risk of missing the grid on pace alone.

Saturday Practice Classification

1993 German Grand Prix Practice, 24 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:38.817	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.430s	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.750s	—
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.897s	—
5	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+2.241s	—
6	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+2.293s	—
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.348s	—
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.547s	—
9	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+2.618s	—
10	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+3.341s	—
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.354s	—
12	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+3.453s	—
13	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+3.471s	—
14	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+3.775s	—
15	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+3.781s	—
16	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+3.847s	—
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+4.025s	—
18	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+4.256s	—
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.272s	—
20	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+4.339s	—
21	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+4.792s	—
22	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+4.802s	—
23	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+4.823s	—
24	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+5.384s	—
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+5.521s	—
26	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+5.571s	—

Saturday Qualifying

Damon Hill recovered on Saturday to join Alain Prost on the front row. Alain Prost‘s 1:38.748 secured pole, while Michael Schumacher narrowly held off Ayrton Senna for third. Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle filled the third row for Ligier, and all 26 cars earned places under the revised grid limit.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1993 German Grand Prix second qualifying session, 24 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:38.748	9
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:38.905	12
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:39.580	12
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:39.616	12
5	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:40.135	12
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:40.855	12
7	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:41.220	12
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:41.242	3
9	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:41.292	10
10	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:41.449	12
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:41.642	12
12	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:41.726	3
13	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:41.945	12
14	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:42.025	12
15	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:42.032	11
16	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:42.203	12
17	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:42.468	10
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:42.682	12
19	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:42.910	12
20	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:42.970	4
21	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:43.007	12
22	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:43.353	11
23	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:43.561	4
24	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:44.058	6
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:44.166	12
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:44.641	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	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:39.046	1:38.748	1:38.748	—
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:40.211	1:38.905	1:38.905	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:39.640	1:39.580	1:39.580	—
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:40.642	1:39.616	1:39.616	—
5	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:40.279	1:40.135	1:40.135	—
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:40.916	1:40.855	1:40.855	—
7	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:41.101	1:41.292	1:41.101	—
8	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:41.138	1:41.220	1:41.138	—
9	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:41.290	1:41.242	1:41.242	—
10	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:41.304	1:41.726	1:41.304	—
11	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:42.977	1:41.449	1:41.449	—
12	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:41.531	1:42.468	1:41.531	—
13	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:41.564	1:42.970	1:41.564	—
14	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:41.922	1:41.642	1:41.642	—
15	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:41.858	1:43.561	1:41.858	—
16	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	1:42.086	1:41.945	1:41.945	—
17	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:42.152	1:42.025	1:42.025	—
18	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	1:42.845	1:42.032	1:42.032	—
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:43.471	1:42.203	1:42.203	—
20	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:42.658	1:44.058	1:42.658	—
21	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:46.709	1:42.682	1:42.682	—
22	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:42.786	1:43.353	1:42.786	—
23	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:42.912	1:42.910	1:42.910	—
24	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:43.476	1:43.007	1:43.007	—
25	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:43.345	1:44.641	1:43.345	—
26	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:44.198	1:44.166	1:44.166	—

Sunday warm-up

Heavy rain made the warm-up dangerous. Derek Warwick hit Luca Badoer‘s slowing Lola through the spray, and his Footwork overturned after a violent crash. Derek Warwick escaped serious injury and was cleared to race following hospital checks. Alain Prost set the fastest time, but the incident overshadowed the session and highlighted the severe visibility problems between the trees.

Warm-up Classification

1993 German Grand Prix Warm-up, 25 July 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:57.524	—
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+1.473s	—
3	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.976s	—
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+2.427s	—
5	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+2.507s	—
6	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+2.975s	—
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+3.271s	—
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+3.422s	—
9	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.575s	—
10	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+3.653s	—
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.722s	—
12	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+3.826s	—
13	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+3.892s	—
14	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+4.278s	—
15	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+4.674s	—
16	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+4.769s	—
17	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+4.835s	—
18	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+4.944s	—
19	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+5.089s	—
20	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+5.564s	—
21	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+5.792s	—
22	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+6.883s	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+7.253s	—
24	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+9.678s	—
25	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+36.485s	—
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+120.859s	—

What happened in the 1993 German Grand Prix?

Damon Hill led away as Alain Prost lost ground, and Ayrton Senna spun during the opening-lap contest with the Frenchman. Alain Prost recovered and passed Damon Hill, but a controversial stop-go penalty for cutting a chicane while avoiding Martin Brundle returned the advantage to his team-mate.

Both Williams drivers continued without changing tyres. Damon Hill looked on course to win while Alain Prost recovered from the penalty and Michael Schumacher pursued them. Behind, Mark Blundell worked his way past Gerhard Berger, and Ayrton Senna climbed back through the field after his early spin.

On the penultimate lap, Damon Hill‘s left-rear tyre failed and forced him out. Alain Prost took the win, with Michael Schumacher second and Mark Blundell third. Ayrton Senna, Riccardo Patrese and Gerhard Berger completed the points. For Damon Hill, a second consecutive retirement from the lead postponed the breakthrough once again.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 77 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 50. Williams led the constructors’ table on 105, with McLaren on 53.

1993 German Grand Prix race results

The 1993 German Grand Prix was held on 25 July 1993, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	45	1:18:40.885	10
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	45	+ 16.664	6
3	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	45	+ 59.349	4
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	45	+ 1:08.229	3
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	45	+ 1:31.516	2
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	45	+ 1:34.754	1
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	45	+ 1:35.841	0
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	44	+ 1 lap	0
9	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	44	+ 1 lap	0
10	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	44	+ 1 lap	0
11	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	44	+ 1 lap	0
12	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	44	+ 1 lap	0
13	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	44	+ 1 lap	0
14	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	44	+ 1 lap	0
15	0	Damon Hill	Williams	43	Tyre	0
16	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	43	+ 2 laps	0
17	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	42	+ 3 laps	0
Ret	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	34	Wheel bearing	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	28	Halfshaft	0
Ret	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	22	Spun off	0
Ret	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	19	Spun off	0
Ret	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	9	Collision	0
Ret	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	4	Collision	0
Ret	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	4	Suspension	0
Ret	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1	Gearbox	0
Ret	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	0	Gearbox	0

1993 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	40	1:41.859
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	45	1:42.162
3	2	Alain Prost	Williams	33	1:42.213
4	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	36	1:42.331
5	0	Damon Hill	Williams	39	1:42.574
6	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	36	1:43.319
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	40	1:44.222
8	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	32	1:44.575
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	32	1:45.009
10	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	38	1:45.128
11	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	33	1:45.489
12	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	42	1:45.638
13	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	41	1:45.767
14	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	22	1:46.085
15	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	19	1:46.100
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	26	1:46.186
17	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	29	1:46.323
18	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	8	1:47.183
19	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	33	1:47.284
20	24	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	35	1:47.341
21	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	19	1:47.469
22	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	3	1:47.505
23	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	40	1:48.875
24	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	3	1:51.879
25	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1	2:38.437

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 German Grand Prix.

1993 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	Williams	77
2	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	McLaren	50
3	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	36
4	Damon Hill	British	Williams	28
5	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Benetton	11
6	Mark Blundell	British	Ligier	10
7	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	9
8	Johnny Herbert	British	Lotus	9
9	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	6
10	Christian Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Minardi	5
11	JJ Lehto	Finnish	Sauber	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	105
2	McLaren	53
3	Benetton	47
4	Ligier	19
5	Ferrari	10
6	Lotus	10
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