1995 Argentine Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Damon Hill gave Williams its first victory of the 1995 F1 World Championship as Grand Prix racing returned to Buenos Aires. David Coulthard‘s first pole promised a breakthrough, but an electrical problem ended his challenge and left Damon Hill to beat Jean Alesi and Michael Schumacher.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	Williams
Pole time	1:53.241
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:30.522 on lap 55
First	Damon Hill	Williams
Second	Jean Alesi	Ferrari
Third	Michael Schumacher	Benetton

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
6 April 1995	Familiarisation testing	Start time unconfirmed
7 April 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
7 April 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
8 April 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
8 April 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
9 April 1995	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
9 April 1995	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

The Argentine Grand Prix returned after fourteen years, using a different configuration of the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. The Brazilian fuel appeal was still unresolved: Gerhard Berger led the provisional championship arriving here, although the eventual appeal decision would restore Michael Schumacher‘s points. The tables use the finalised results.

Race entries

The same twenty-six drivers continued from Brazil. Mark Blundell again occupied the McLaren seat intended for Nigel Mansell, while Larrousse remained absent. The teams also closed the openings in their engine airboxes after the FIA removed that requirement between the first two races.

Thursday familiarisation

An additional Thursday session introduced the drivers to the revised layout. Jean Alesi was quickest, but unsettled weather limited the opportunity to establish a reliable baseline. The unfamiliar, dirty circuit and the prospect of more rain made the extra running particularly useful.

Friday Free Practice

Rain dominated Friday’s running and the low grip caught out numerous drivers. Jean Alesi headed practice, but finding confidence on the unfamiliar surface mattered as much as the times. Benetton brought revised sidepods, while McLaren tried a less rigid rear suspension as the teams continued developing their new cars.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 Argentine Grand Prix Practice, 7 April 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:58.207	14
2	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+0.174s	16
3	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+0.917s	10
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.069s	14
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+1.494s	15
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.099s	11
7	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+2.106s	11
8	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.404s	6
9	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.468s	9
10	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	+3.086s	7
11	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.657s	9
12	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+3.740s	7
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+4.204s	14
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+5.340s	9
15	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	+5.396s	7
16	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+5.556s	9
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+5.832s	12
18	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+7.022s	5
19	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+10.598s	6
20	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+12.817s	11
21	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+13.476s	4
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+15.641s	11
23	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	+17.900s	2
24	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+18.835s	2
25	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+150.849s	4
26	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+1332.707s	1

Friday Qualifying

David Coulthard handled Friday’s difficult conditions best to claim provisional pole. A brief improvement near the end offered the opportunity to attack, whereas both Benettons spun and finished well down the session order. Williams looked more comfortable in the wet, but there was still another hour of qualifying to come.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 Argentine Grand Prix first qualifying session, 7 April 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:54.670	10
2	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:55.213	12
3	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:55.583	12
4	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:55.677	9
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:56.260	11
6	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:56.449	12
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:56.615	7
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:56.746	12
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:57.056	10
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:57.068	8
11	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:57.167	11
12	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:57.684	7
13	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:57.738	5
14	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:58.066	8
15	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:58.660	8
16	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:59.204	10
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:59.909	9
18	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	2:01.446	10
19	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2:01.763	12
20	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	2:01.774	10
21	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	2:02.410	6
22	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	2:02.806	7
23	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	2:04.050	9
24	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	2:04.481	11
25	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	2:05.932	10
26	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	2:07.298	4

Saturday Free Practice

Saturday morning offered dry running and Michael Schumacher used it to put Benetton ahead of the Williams pair. That opportunity was especially valuable after Friday’s rain, but it did not settle the qualifying contest: another downpour would transform the track again during the afternoon. The teams had now sampled markedly different conditions on the same weekend.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 Argentine Grand Prix Practice, 8 April 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:31.376	21
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.219s	20
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.760s	20
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.007s	22
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.064s	21
6	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.134s	23
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.178s	20
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.704s	8
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.798s	18
10	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.934s	19
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.941s	22
12	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+3.500s	23
13	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	+3.753s	20
14	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+3.996s	13
15	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+4.126s	13
16	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+4.261s	20
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+4.283s	23
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+4.293s	16
19	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	+5.658s	11
20	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+5.960s	14
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.012s	18
22	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+6.786s	6
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+6.943s	13
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+6.979s	19
25	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	+7.257s	14
26	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+7.835s	23

Saturday Qualifying

Saturday’s downpour initially made improvement seem unlikely. The final minutes changed everything: the track became quicker and David Coulthard delivered the lap that secured his first pole. Damon Hill joined him on the front row, with Michael Schumacher third and Eddie Irvine fourth. Jos Verstappen‘s fourteenth place was another encouraging sign for Simtek.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 Argentine Grand Prix second qualifying session, 8 April 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:53.241	6
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:54.057	8
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:54.272	7
4	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:54.381	7
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:54.529	8
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:54.637	10
7	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:54.757	11
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:55.276	6
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:56.114	8
10	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:56.168	7
11	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:57.092	5
12	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	1:57.231	8
13	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:57.341	7
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:57.484	11
15	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:57.657	5
16	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:58.767	7
17	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:58.824	6
18	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	1:58.882	5
19	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	1:59.539	10
20	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	2:00.751	7
21	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	2:01.059	3
22	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	2:09.359	7
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	2:15.398	4
24	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	43:31.316	1

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	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:54.670	1:53.241	1:53.241	16
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:55.677	1:54.057	1:54.057	17
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:57.056	1:54.272	1:54.272	17
4	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:56.615	1:54.381	1:54.381	14
5	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:56.449	1:54.529	1:54.529	20
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:55.213	1:54.637	1:54.637	22
7	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:57.738	1:54.757	1:54.757	16
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:56.260	1:55.276	1:55.276	17
9	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:55.583	1:56.168	1:55.583	19
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:56.746	1:56.114	1:56.114	20
11	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:57.068	1:57.341	1:57.068	15
12	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:57.684	1:57.092	1:57.092	12
13	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:57.167	1:57.657	1:57.167	16
14	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	2:02.410	1:57.231	1:57.231	14
15	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:59.909	1:57.484	1:57.484	20
16	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:58.066	2:01.059	1:58.066	11
17	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:58.660	1:58.767	1:58.660	15
18	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:59.204	1:58.824	1:58.824	16
19	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	2:01.446	1:58.882	1:58.882	15
20	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	2:02.806	1:59.539	1:59.539	17
21	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	2:01.774	2:00.751	2:00.751	17
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2:01.763	43:31.316	2:01.763	13
23	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	2:04.050	2:09.359	2:04.050	16
24	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	2:04.481	2:15.398	2:04.481	15
25	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	2:05.932	no time	2:05.932	10
26	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	2:07.298	no time	2:07.298	4

Sunday warm-up

Cold, damp conditions returned for the warm-up, with light drizzle accompanying Damon Hill‘s fastest lap. The Ferraris followed him, but the circuit was dry by race time. Williams and Benetton both planned three fuel stops, making execution and outright pace central to the battle once the weather finally relented.

Warm-up Classification

1995 Argentine Grand Prix Warm-up, 9 April 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:31.679	14
2	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.254s	10
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.465s	13
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.497s	9
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+1.164s	10
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.202s	12
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.452s	11
8	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.647s	13
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+1.691s	15
10	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.930s	11
11	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.962s	11
12	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+2.262s	13
13	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.935s	11
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.292s	12
15	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+3.429s	12
16	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.622s	12
17	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+3.858s	14
18	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	+3.897s	13
19	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	+4.056s	10
20	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+5.403s	11
21	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	+5.787s	9
22	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+5.975s	10
23	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.911s	8
24	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+8.839s	11
25	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+10.335s	10
26	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+66.727s	1

What happened in the 1995 Argentine Grand Prix?

Jean Alesi‘s first-corner spin triggered a chain of collisions and a red flag. Several drivers returned in spare cars, while Luca Badoer could not take the restart. David Coulthard led again when racing resumed, but an intermittent throttle problem dropped him behind Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill before forcing his retirement.

Damon Hill passed Michael Schumacher and established the lead that decided the race. Jean Alesi recovered to second, finishing 6.407 seconds behind, while Michael Schumacher took third. Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Gerhard Berger completed the points. Jos Verstappen briefly ran sixth before a gearbox problem ended his promising afternoon; Domenico Schiattarella brought the other Simtek home ninth.

Both Fortis reached the finish but fell short of the distance required for classification. The championship picture changed again after the Brazilian appeal: Michael Schumacher‘s reinstated opening-round win left him four points ahead of Damon Hill. Argentina had nevertheless shown that Williams could answer Benetton decisively.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 14 points, followed by Damon Hill on 10. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 13, with Williams on 10.

1995 Argentine Grand Prix race results

The 1995 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 9 April 1995, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	71	1:53:14.532	10
2	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	71	+ 6.407	6
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	71	+ 33.376	4
4	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	70	+ 1 Lap	3
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	69	+ 2 Laps	2
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	69	+ 2 Laps	1
7	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	69	+ 2 Laps	0
8	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	68	+ 3 Laps	0
9	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	67	+ 4 Laps	0
NC	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	62	+ 9 Laps	0
NC	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	62	+ 9 Laps	0
Ret	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	48	Collision	0
Ret	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	47	Collision	0
Ret	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	44	Spun Off	0
Ret	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	43	Electrical	0
Ret	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	40	Spun Off	0
Ret	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	33	Oil Pressure	0
Ret	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	23	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	David Coulthard	Williams	16	Electrical	0
Ret	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	9	Engine	0
Ret	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	6	Engine	0
Ret	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1	Collision	0
Ret	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	0	Collision	0
Ret	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	0	Collision	0
Ret	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	0	Collision	0
DNS	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	0	Collision	0

1995 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	55	1:30.522
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	21	1:31.253
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	25	1:31.453
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	65	1:31.868
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	3	1:32.095
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	32	1:33.082
7	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	28	1:33.636
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	26	1:33.810
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	27	1:33.953
10	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	26	1:34.049
11	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	5	1:34.106
12	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	4	1:34.331
13	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	26	1:34.396
14	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	5	1:34.963
15	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	4	1:35.070
16	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	30	1:35.325
17	12	Jos Verstappen	Simtek	5	1:35.353
18	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	5	1:35.837
19	11	Domenico Schiattarella	Simtek	27	1:35.945
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	4	1:40.683
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	4	1:40.730

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1995 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1995 Argentine Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	14
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	10
3	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	8
4	David Coulthard	British	Williams	6
5	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	5
6	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	3
7	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	3
8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	2
9	Mark Blundell	British	McLaren	1
–	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	0
–	Olivier Panis	French	Ligier	0
–	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Ligier	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Andrea Montermini	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Domenico Schiattarella	Italian	Simtek	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Roberto Moreno	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	Footwork	0
–	Taki Inoue	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	0
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Simtek	0
–	Bertrand Gachot	Belgian	Pacific	0
–	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	0

1995 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	13
2	Williams	10
3	Benetton	7
4	McLaren	4
5	Sauber	2
6	Tyrrell	0
7	Ligier	0
8	Simtek	0
9	Pacific	0
10	Forti	0
11	Footwork	0
12	Minardi	0
13	Jordan	0

1995 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1995 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	26 March
2	1995 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	9 April
3	1995 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	30 April
4	1995 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	14 May
5	1995 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	28 May
6	1995 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	11 June
7	1995 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	2 July
8	1995 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	16 July
9	1995 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	30 July
10	1995 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	13 August
11	1995 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	27 August
12	1995 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 September
13	1995 Portuguese Grand Prix	Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril	24 September
14	1995 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	1 October
15	1995 Pacific Grand Prix	TI Circuit-Aida, Aida	22 October
16	1995 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	29 October
17	1995 Australian Grand Prix	Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide	12 November