1993 South African Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Alain Prost made a winning return to Formula 1 at the 1993 South African Grand Prix, converting pole into victory for Williams. Ayrton Senna kept him honest early on before finishing second, while Mark Blundell celebrated his first podium and Sauber scored points on its debut.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Alain Prost	Williams
Pole time	1:15.696
Fastest lap	Alain Prost	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:19.492 on lap 40
First	Alain Prost	Williams
Second	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
Third	Mark Blundell	Ligier

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
12 March 1993	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
12 March 1993	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
13 March 1993	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
13 March 1993	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
14 March 1993	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
14 March 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 returned after a year away, joining Williams alongside Damon Hill. Reigning champion Mansell had moved to IndyCar, leaving the drivers’ title undefended. Narrower tyres and revised car dimensions formed part of the new regulations, while active suspension remained central to the leading teams’ development work.

Race entries

Sauber made its Formula 1 debut with Lehto and Karl Wendlinger. Michael Andretti joined Ayrton Senna at McLaren, Riccardo Patrese moved to Benetton and Gerhard Berger returned to Ferrari. Rubens Barrichello began his career with Jordan, Luca Badoer with the Lola-equipped Scuderia Italia, and Mark Blundell returned with Ligier. March did not take part, leaving 26 cars at Kyalami.

Friday Free Practice

Ayrton Senna led Friday practice as the teams began adapting their new cars to a race weekend with reduced running. The narrower tyres made recovering a slide more difficult, while Lotus was distracted by an engine-running problem initially blamed on its electronic mapping. For the rookies, learning the circuit and conserving their limited track time had to happen together.

Friday Practice Classification

1993 South African Grand Prix Practice, 12 March 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:18.133	—
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams	+0.320s	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.478s	—
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.799s	—
5	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+1.351s	—
6	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+2.102s	—
7	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+2.522s	—
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.532s	—
9	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+2.687s	—
10	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.747s	—
11	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+2.877s	—
12	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+2.881s	—
13	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+3.161s	—
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.284s	—
15	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+3.314s	—
16	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	+3.433s	—
17	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.954s	—
18	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+3.970s	—
19	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+4.034s	—
20	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+4.284s	—
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.789s	—
22	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+5.873s	—
23	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+6.609s	—
24	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+7.172s	—
25	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+9.192s	—
26	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+15.947s	—

Friday Qualifying

Alain Prost took provisional pole on Friday, ahead of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Damon Hill was fourth and Jean Alesi fifth, while Lehto put the new Sauber seventh in the opening session. The shortened qualifying format gave the teams less time to respond when problems arose.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1993 South African Grand Prix first qualifying session, 12 March 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:16.804	18
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:17.152	14
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:17.507	16
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:17.732	15
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:18.775	16
6	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:18.903	19
7	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:19.120	13
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:19.138	17
9	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:19.341	18
10	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:19.350	16
11	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:19.688	13
12	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:19.825	19
13	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:20.009	12
14	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:20.066	11
15	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:20.118	14
16	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:20.150	13
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:20.365	5
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:20.401	13
19	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:20.721	13
20	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:20.821	16
21	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	1:20.841	13
22	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:20.994	13
23	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:21.000	5
24	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:21.342	14
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:22.843	12
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:24.737	6

Saturday Free Practice

Ayrton Senna and Michael Andretti put McLaren first and second on Saturday morning, an encouraging start for the new Ford-powered partnership. Elsewhere, Ferrari was comparing two versions of its active suspension, with Gerhard Berger persevering with the newer system. The weekend was exposing development problems as well as outright pace, and Benetton was finding its software less satisfactory in competition than in testing.

Saturday Practice Classification

1993 South African Grand Prix Practice, 13 March 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:18.533	—
2	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+0.363s	—
3	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+0.842s	—
4	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+0.847s	—
5	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+1.417s	—
6	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+1.442s	—
7	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+1.470s	—
8	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	+1.496s	—
9	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.550s	—
10	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.594s	—
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.601s	—
12	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+1.665s	—
13	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+1.746s	—
14	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+1.997s	—
15	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.210s	—
16	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+2.280s	—
17	2	Alain Prost	Williams	+2.301s	—
18	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+2.401s	—
19	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.635s	—
20	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+2.763s	—
21	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+3.105s	—
22	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+3.499s	—
23	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+3.525s	—
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+4.277s	—
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+4.427s	—
26	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+7.566s	—

Saturday Qualifying

Saturday brought a much closer battle at the front. Alain Prost‘s 1:15.696 beat Ayrton Senna by just 0.088 seconds, with Michael Schumacher third and Damon Hill fourth. Jean Alesi retained fifth and Lehto improved to sixth. All 26 cars qualified for the opener; the grid-size rules would change before Brazil.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1993 South African Grand Prix second qualifying session, 13 March 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:15.696	15
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:15.784	10
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:17.261	20
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:17.592	14
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:18.234	17
6	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	1:18.664	7
7	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:18.676	21
8	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:18.687	18
9	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:18.786	14
10	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:18.950	15
11	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:19.034	19
12	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:19.285	23
13	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:19.305	18
14	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:19.386	8
15	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:19.396	16
16	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:19.457	15
17	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:19.498	19
18	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	1:19.759	16
19	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	1:20.081	20
20	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:20.237	15
21	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:20.402	14
22	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:20.479	11
23	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:20.660	11
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:21.195	5
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:21.893	11

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	1:16.804	1:15.696	1:15.696	—
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	1:17.152	1:15.784	1:15.784	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:17.507	1:17.261	1:17.261	—
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	1:17.732	1:17.592	1:17.592	—
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:18.775	1:18.234	1:18.234	—
6	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	1:19.120	1:18.664	1:18.664	—
7	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	1:19.341	1:18.676	1:18.676	—
8	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	1:19.688	1:18.687	1:18.687	—
9	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	1:18.903	1:18.786	1:18.786	—
10	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:20.365	1:18.950	1:18.950	—
11	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	1:19.350	1:19.034	1:19.034	—
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:19.138	1:19.457	1:19.138	—
13	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	1:19.825	1:19.285	1:19.285	—
14	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:20.118	1:19.305	1:19.305	—
15	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:20.066	1:19.386	1:19.386	—
16	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	1:20.150	1:19.396	1:19.396	—
17	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	1:20.009	1:19.498	1:19.498	—
18	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	1:20.841	1:19.759	1:19.759	—
19	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	1:21.000	1:20.081	1:20.081	—
20	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	1:21.342	1:20.237	1:20.237	—
21	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:20.401	1:20.479	1:20.401	—
22	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	1:20.821	1:20.402	1:20.402	—
23	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	1:20.721	1:20.660	1:20.660	—
24	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	1:20.994	1:21.195	1:20.994	—
25	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	1:22.843	1:21.893	1:21.893	—
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	1:24.737	—	1:24.737	—

Sunday warm-up

Alain Prost topped the warm-up in strong sunshine, but Williams still had work to do before the start. Damon Hill‘s engine developed a misfire and required replacement later in the morning. Heat and tyre durability shaped the race preparations, although the threatening weather would eventually bring a very different challenge in the closing laps.

Warm-up Classification

1993 South African Grand Prix Warm-up, 14 March 1993

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	1:18.802	—
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	+0.673s	—
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.159s	—
4	0	Damon Hill	Williams	+1.790s	—
5	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	+2.116s	—
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.396s	—
7	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	+2.529s	—
8	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	+2.662s	—
9	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.020s	—
10	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	+3.384s	—
11	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	+3.431s	—
12	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	+3.479s	—
13	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	+3.514s	—
14	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	+3.543s	—
15	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+3.544s	—
16	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	+3.568s	—
17	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.600s	—
18	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	+3.674s	—
19	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.952s	—
20	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	+4.253s	—
21	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	+4.518s	—
22	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	+4.758s	—
23	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	+4.994s	—
24	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+5.259s	—
25	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	+5.269s	—
26	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	+5.764s	—

What happened in the 1993 South African Grand Prix?

Ayrton Senna seized the lead at the start as Alain Prost got away slowly. Damon Hill briefly ran second but spun, leaving Michael Schumacher ahead of Alain Prost. The Frenchman worked his way past the Benetton and then took the lead from Ayrton Senna, turning a difficult opening into a commanding afternoon.

Ayrton Senna recovered second through the pit stops. Michael Schumacher later spun out while challenging him, and Riccardo Patrese also retired after a spin. Those losses opened the door for Mark Blundell, who brought the Ligier home third after a strong return to Grand Prix racing.

Alain Prost won by more than a minute. Christian Fittipaldi finished fourth for Minardi, Lehto recovered from gearbox trouble to give Sauber fifth, and Gerhard Berger was classified sixth despite stopping near the end. Late rain added a final test, but Alain Prost had already established a comfortable advantage.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 6. Williams led the constructors’ table on 10, with McLaren on 6.

1993 South African Grand Prix race results

The 1993 South African Grand Prix was held on 14 March 1993, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	72	1:38:45.082	10
2	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	72	+ 1:19.824	6
3	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	71	+ 1 lap	4
4	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	71	+ 1 lap	3
5	30	JJ Lehto	Sauber	70	+ 2 laps	2
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	69	Engine	1
7	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	69	Spun off	0
Ret	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	57	Spun off	0
Ret	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	55	Overheating	0
Ret	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse	51	Engine	0
Ret	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	46	Spun off	0
Ret	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	39	Spun off	0
Ret	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	38	Fuel system	0
Ret	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	33	Engine	0
Ret	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	31	Gearbox	0
Ret	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	30	Suspension	0
Ret	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	27	Spun off	0
Ret	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	21	Collision	0
Ret	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	21	Collision	0
Ret	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	20	Gearbox	0
Ret	0	Damon Hill	Williams	16	Collision	0
Ret	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	16	Collision	0
Ret	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	4	Collision	0
Ret	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	2	Spun off	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1	Transmission	0
Ret	4	Andrea de Cesaris	Tyrrell	0	Transmission	0

1993 South African Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams	40	1:19.492
2	30	Jyrki Jarvilehto	Sauber	52	1:20.113
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	35	1:20.323
4	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton	46	1:20.591
5	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier	45	1:20.732
6	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren	38	1:20.755
7	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	33	1:20.783
8	20	Erik Comas	Larrousse	50	1:20.897
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	50	1:20.978
10	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	55	1:21.118
11	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi	34	1:21.790
12	12	Johnny Herbert	Lotus	35	1:21.936
13	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse	22	1:22.108
14	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	30	1:22.292
15	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	17	1:22.303
16	9	Derek Warwick	Footwork	55	1:22.742
17	11	Alessandro Zanardi	Lotus	16	1:23.314
18	21	Michele Alboreto	Lola	40	1:23.496
19	0	Damon Hill	Williams	7	1:23.715
20	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren	4	1:23.807
21	10	Aguri Suzuki	Footwork	18	1:24.474
22	24	Fabrizio Barbazza	Minardi	13	1:24.594
23	22	Luca Badoer	Lola	12	1:26.074
24	15	Ivan Capelli	Jordan	2	1:27.277
25	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1	1:43.402

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 South African Grand Prix.

1993 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

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

1993 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	10
2	McLaren	6
3	Ligier	4
4	Minardi	3
5	Sauber	2
6	Ferrari	1
–	Footwork	0
–	Lola	0
–	Larrousse	0
–	Benetton	0
–	Lotus	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