1993 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Ayrton Senna became Monaco’s most successful Grand Prix driver with a sixth victory at the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix. After a bruising practice weekend, he capitalised when Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher hit trouble, beating Damon Hill and Jean Alesi to the flag.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Alain Prost	Williams
Pole time	1:20.557
Fastest lap	Alain Prost	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:23.604 on lap 52
First	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
Second	Damon Hill	Williams
Third	Jean Alesi	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
20 May 1993	Practice 1	09:30–11:00
20 May 1993	Qualifying 1	13:00–14:00
22 May 1993	Practice 2	09:30–11:00
22 May 1993	Qualifying 2	13:00–14:00
23 May 1993	Warm-up	11:00
23 May 1993	Race	15:30

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 6 leading the 1993 F1 World Championship on 34 points, with Ayrton Senna on 32. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 46 points.

Race entries

The teams retained their existing drivers, while Benetton introduced traction control. For Michael Andretti and Rubens Barrichello, Monaco added the challenge of learning the street circuit in Formula 1 machinery. Ayrton Senna arrived level with Graham Damon Hill on five victories at the event, with an opportunity to claim the record outright.

Thursday Free Practice

Ayrton Senna topped Thursday practice but suffered a heavy accident near Sainte Dévote when the McLaren suddenly bottomed. He injured his left thumb and left the mechanics with a substantial repair job. Despite the impact, he returned for qualifying with his hand bandaged, determined to continue his attempt at a sixth Monaco victory.

Thursday Practice Classification

1993 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, 20 May 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:25.205	—
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	+0.154s	—
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.794s	—
4	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.503s	—
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+1.532s	—
6	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.265s	—
7	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+2.456s	—
8	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+2.620s	—
9	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+2.808s	—
10	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+2.859s	—
11	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.882s	—
12	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.984s	—
13	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+3.225s	—
14	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+3.443s	—
15	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+3.577s	—
16	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+4.360s	—
17	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+5.003s	—
18	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+5.708s	—
19	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+6.639s	—
20	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+6.713s	—
21	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+7.888s	—
22	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+8.098s	—
23	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+8.471s	—
24	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+8.580s	—
25	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+17.370s	—
26	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+27.712s	—

Thursday Qualifying

Rain arrived for Thursday qualifying and Damon Hill took provisional pole, ahead of Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. Ayrton Senna managed fifth after his morning accident. The wet times left the decisive contest dependent on Saturday’s conditions.

Thursday Qualifying Classification

1993 Monaco Grand Prix first qualifying session, 20 May 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:38.963	12
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:39.649	11
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:40.780	12
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:40.853	12
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:42.127	12
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:42.136	12
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:42.160	12
8	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:43.031	11
9	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:43.449	12
10	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:43.829	11
11	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:43.898	12
12	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:44.193	9
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:44.310	12
14	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:44.483	10
15	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:44.524	12
16	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:44.884	8
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:45.439	12
18	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:45.512	12
19	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:45.993	9
20	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:46.446	3
21	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:46.745	12
22	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:46.935	10
23	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:47.082	12
24	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:48.526	3
25	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:49.210	12
26	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	10:06.384	3

Saturday Free Practice

Alain Prost led Saturday morning, but Williams discovered a worrying weakness in its rear suspension. Damon Hill suffered a failure at speed, while Alain Prost returned to the pits before a similar problem developed. The team reinforced the components for the race, a reminder that even the fastest car needed close attention on Monaco’s punishing streets.

Saturday Practice Classification

1993 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, 22 May 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:21.731	—
2	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.361s	—
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.456s	—
4	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+0.478s	—
5	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+0.527s	—
6	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.806s	—
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.530s	—
8	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+2.220s	—
9	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.275s	—
10	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+2.375s	—
11	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+2.780s	—
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.842s	—
13	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+2.888s	—
14	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+3.074s	—
15	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+3.192s	—
16	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.274s	—
17	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+3.640s	—
18	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+3.768s	—
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+3.878s	—
20	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+4.001s	—
21	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+4.259s	—
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+4.744s	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+5.254s	—
24	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+5.772s	—
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+5.787s	—
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+8.690s	—

Saturday Qualifying

On a dry track, Alain Prost claimed pole with a 1:20.557. Michael Schumacher split the Williams drivers by taking second, Ayrton Senna secured third and Damon Hill fell to fourth. Jean Alesi and Riccardo Patrese completed the first three rows. Luca Badoer failed to qualify, while Michele Alboreto made the grid in the other Lola.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1993 Monaco Grand Prix second qualifying session, 22 May 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:20.557	12
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:21.190	12
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:21.552	10
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:21.825	12
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:21.948	12
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:22.117	12
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:22.394	12
8	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:22.477	12
9	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:22.994	11
10	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:23.246	11
11	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:23.715	9
12	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:23.749	7
13	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:23.786	12
14	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:23.812	12
15	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:23.907	12
16	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:24.086	12
17	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:24.298	12
18	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:24.524	12
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:24.544	12
20	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:24.888	12
21	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:24.972	12
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:25.236	10
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:25.267	12
24	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:26.444	12
25	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:26.582	10
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:29.613	5

Combined Qualifying Classification

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

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Thursday Time	Saturday Time	Best Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:39.649	1:20.557	1:20.557	—
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:40.780	1:21.190	1:21.190	—
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:42.127	1:21.552	1:21.552	—
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:38.963	1:21.825	1:21.825	—
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:42.160	1:21.948	1:21.948	—
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:42.136	1:22.117	1:22.117	—
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:40.853	1:22.394	1:22.394	—
8	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:45.439	1:22.477	1:22.477	—
9	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:45.993	1:22.994	1:22.994	—
10	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	1:44.483	1:23.246	1:23.246	—
11	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	1:48.526	1:23.715	1:23.715	—
12	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:44.884	1:23.749	1:23.749	—
13	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:46.446	1:23.786	1:23.786	—
14	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:43.898	1:23.812	1:23.812	—
15	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:43.031	1:23.907	1:23.907	—
16	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:44.310	1:24.086	1:24.086	—
17	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:43.829	1:24.298	1:24.298	—
18	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	10:06.384	1:24.524	1:24.524	—
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:44.193	1:24.544	1:24.544	—
20	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:46.935	1:24.888	1:24.888	—
21	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:43.449	1:24.972	1:24.972	—
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:49.210	1:25.236	1:25.236	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	1:45.512	1:25.267	1:25.267	—
24	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:47.082	1:26.444	1:26.444	—
25	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:44.524	1:26.582	1:26.582	—
DNQ	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:46.745	1:29.613	1:29.613	—

Sunday warm-up

Alain Prost was quickest in the sunny warm-up, with Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna close behind. Williams had addressed its suspension concerns and chose not to race the new throttle system tried earlier in the weekend. The clearer weather allowed final preparation for a dry Grand Prix after Thursday’s rain had complicated the first qualifying session.

Warm-up Classification

1993 Monaco Grand Prix Warm-up, 23 May 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:24.025	—
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.195s	—
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.258s	—
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.517s	—
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.312s	—
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.731s	—
7	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+1.919s	—
8	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+2.378s	—
9	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+2.533s	—
10	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+3.044s	—
11	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+3.138s	—
12	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+3.369s	—
13	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+3.440s	—
14	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+3.442s	—
15	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+3.617s	—
16	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+3.681s	—
17	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.743s	—
18	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.754s	—
19	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+3.914s	—
20	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.128s	—
21	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+4.401s	—
22	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+4.440s	—
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	+4.983s	—
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+5.143s	—
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+6.690s	—

What happened in the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix?

Alain Prost led away but was penalised for jumping the start. His stop-go became a much longer delay when he stalled, dropping him a lap behind. Michael Schumacher inherited the lead and built a promising advantage before a hydraulic failure stopped the Benetton.

Ayrton Senna moved into first and controlled the rest of the race. Behind him, Alain Prost worked through the field despite Monaco’s limited passing opportunities. Gerhard Berger challenged Damon Hill late on, but contact ended the Ferrari driver’s race while Damon Hill was able to continue.

Ayrton Senna took his fifth consecutive Monaco win and sixth overall, breaking Graham Damon Hill‘s record. Damon Hill finished second, Jean Alesi third and Alain Prost recovered to fourth. Christian Fittipaldi and Martin Brundle completed the points, while Ayrton Senna regained the championship lead.

After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 42 points, followed by Alain Prost on 37. Williams led the constructors’ table on 55, with McLaren on 44.

1993 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 1993 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 23 May 1993, with a scheduled start of 15:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	78	1:52:10.947	10
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams	78	+ 52.118	6
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	78	+ 1:03.362	4
4	2	Alain Prost	Williams	77	+ 1 lap	3
5	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	76	+ 2 laps	2
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	76	+ 2 laps	1
7	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	76	+ 2 laps	0
8	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	76	+ 2 laps	0
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	76	+ 2 laps	0
10	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	76	+ 2 laps	0
11	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	75	+ 3 laps	0
12	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	75	+ 3 laps	0
13	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	74	+ 4 laps	0
14	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	70	Collision	0
Ret	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	61	Gearbox/accident	0
Ret	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	53	Engine	0
Ret	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	51	Engine	0
Ret	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	46	Spun off	0
Ret	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	43	Throttle	0
Ret	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	32	Hydraulics	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	31	Engine	0
Ret	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	28	Gearbox	0
Ret	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	23	Collision damage	0
Ret	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	12	Suspension	0
Ret	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	3	Spun off	0

1993 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	52	1:23.604
2	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	60	1:23.660
3	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	59	1:23.737
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	18	1:24.177
5	0	Damon Hill	Williams	52	1:24.590
6	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	43	1:24.947
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	69	1:25.006
8	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	52	1:25.007
9	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	55	1:25.102
10	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	25	1:25.724
11	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	38	1:26.317
12	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	59	1:26.500
13	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	15	1:26.559
14	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	75	1:26.711
15	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	17	1:26.960
16	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	67	1:27.068
17	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	65	1:27.222
18	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	19	1:27.283
19	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	35	1:27.388
20	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	21	1:27.480
21	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	63	1:28.235
22	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	3	1:28.653
23	15	Thierry Boutsen	Jordan	12	1:29.117
24	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	21	1:29.315
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	11	1:29.377

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 Monaco Grand Prix.

1993 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	McLaren	42
2	Alain Prost	French	Williams	37
3	Damon Hill	British	Williams	18
4	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	14
5	Mark Blundell	British	Ligier	6
6	Johnny Herbert	British	Lotus	6
7	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	5
8	Christian Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Minardi	5
9	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Benetton	5
10	JJ Lehto	Finnish	Sauber	5
11	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	4
12	Philippe Alliot	French	Larrousse	2
13	Michael Andretti	American	McLaren	2
14	Fabrizio Barbazza	Italian	Minardi	2
15	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	2
16	Alessandro Zanardi	Italian	Lotus	1
–	Derek Warwick	British	Footwork	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Lola	0
–	Érik Comas	French	Larrousse	0
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	0
–	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Tyrrell	0
–	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Lola	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Jordan	0
–	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Ivan Capelli	Italian	Jordan	0

1993 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	55
2	McLaren	44
3	Benetton	19
4	Ligier	11
5	Lotus	7
6	Minardi	7
7	Ferrari	6
8	Sauber	5
9	Larrousse	2
–	Footwork	0
–	Lola	0
–	Jordan	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