1995 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Damon Hill won Adelaide’s final Australian Grand Prix by two laps, surviving a race that eliminated almost every other leading contender. Olivier Panis and Gianni Morbidelli joined him on an unexpected podium, but the weekend remained overshadowed by Mika Häkkinen’s serious qualifying accident.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Damon Hill	Williams
Pole time	1:15.505
Fastest lap	Damon Hill	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:17.943 on lap 16
First	Damon Hill	Williams
Second	Olivier Panis	Ligier
Third	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 November 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
10 November 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
11 November 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
11 November 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
12 November 1995	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
12 November 1995	Race	14:00

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

Championship background

Michael Schumacher arrived at round 17 leading the 1995 F1 World Championship on 102 points, with Damon Hill on 59. Benetton headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 137 points.

Race entries

Martin Brundle returned to Ligier alongside Olivier Panis. The weekend marked the end of Michael Schumacher‘s time at Benetton, Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger‘s Ferrari partnership, and David Coulthard‘s Williams spell. Pacific also made its final Grand Prix appearance, with Bertrand Gachot continuing alongside Andrea Montermini.

Friday Free Practice

Damon Hill was quickest on Friday morning, but Karl Wendlinger‘s session ended in a heavy crash at the second corner. The impact injured his hands and kept him out of the afternoon session. Adelaide’s walls offered little room for recovery, and Sauber faced both repairs and concern over its driver’s fitness.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 Australian Grand Prix Practice, 10 November 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.396	23
2	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.840s	23
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.923s	23
4	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.012s	22
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+1.142s	23
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.155s	19
7	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.774s	23
8	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.845s	23
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.931s	23
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.982s	22
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.574s	23
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.576s	23
13	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.584s	20
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.152s	22
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.409s	23
16	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+3.569s	23
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+3.697s	21
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.250s	23
19	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.327s	23
20	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+5.110s	19
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+5.469s	23
22	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+6.399s	13
23	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.533s	12
24	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+7.221s	23

Friday Qualifying

Häkkinen suffered a puncture and crashed heavily at Brewery Bend during Friday qualifying. He received urgent treatment at the circuit before being taken to hospital with serious head injuries, and withdrew from the event. Damon Hill‘s fastest lap stood as provisional pole, but concern for Häkkinen dominated the day.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 Australian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 10 November 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.505	12
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:15.628	12
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:15.932	12
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:16.039	9
5	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.725	11
6	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:16.837	11
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:17.197	11
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:17.289	5
9	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:17.348	8
10	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:17.788	12
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:18.033	11
12	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:18.604	11
13	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:18.814	12
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:18.828	12
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:18.875	12
16	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:19.285	12
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:19.561	12
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:19.764	10
19	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:21.419	12
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:21.659	5
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:22.154	12
22	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:22.881	6
23	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:37.998	2
24	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	32:21.400	2

Saturday Free Practice

Saturday practice resumed with Häkkinen in hospital following his qualifying accident. The tyre barrier at Brewery Bend had been reinforced after an inspection, while the other drivers continued preparations. Damon Hill again led the running, narrowly improving on his Friday practice time as Williams maintained its pace through the changing track conditions.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 Australian Grand Prix Practice, 11 November 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.394	23
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.265s	23
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.511s	19
4	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+0.915s	23
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.105s	14
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.631s	23
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.639s	20
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.761s	23
9	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.873s	23
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+2.134s	23
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.303s	23
12	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+2.760s	21
13	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.941s	22
14	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.154s	10
15	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.339s	20
16	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+3.548s	22
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.057s	23
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.059s	23
19	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+4.114s	8
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.322s	23
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+5.523s	23
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.241s	9
23	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+6.284s	11

Saturday Qualifying

David Coulthard headed Saturday’s session, yet could not beat Damon Hill‘s Friday time. The Williams pair therefore shared the front row ahead of Michael Schumacher and Gerhard Berger. This was the final Grand Prix under the two-session format: from the following season, a single Saturday qualifying hour would decide the grid.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 Australian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 11 November 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:15.792	11
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:15.839	12
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.988	12
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:16.305	12
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:16.647	9
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:16.950	12
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.971	12
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:16.994	5
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:17.116	12
10	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:17.624	11
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:17.721	11
12	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:18.065	10
13	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:18.391	12
14	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:18.810	12
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:19.083	12
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:19.114	11
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:19.484	12
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:19.677	7
19	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:20.657	12
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:20.878	11
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:21.870	6
22	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:21.998	6

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	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:15.505	1:15.988	1:15.505	24
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:15.628	1:15.792	1:15.628	23
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:16.039	1:15.839	1:15.839	21
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:15.932	1:16.994	1:15.932	18
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	32:21.400	1:16.305	1:16.305	14
6	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:16.837	1:16.647	1:16.647	20
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.725	1:16.971	1:16.725	23
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:17.289	1:16.950	1:16.950	17
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:17.197	1:17.116	1:17.116	23
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:17.348	1:17.721	1:17.348	19
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:17.788	1:17.624	1:17.624	23
12	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:18.033	1:18.065	1:18.033	21
13	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:18.814	1:18.391	1:18.391	24
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:18.604	1:19.083	1:18.604	23
15	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:19.285	1:18.810	1:18.810	24
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:18.828	1:19.114	1:18.828	23
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:18.875	1:19.484	1:18.875	24
18	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	1:19.561	no time	1:19.561	12
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:19.764	1:19.677	1:19.677	17
20	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:21.419	1:20.657	1:20.657	24
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:22.154	1:20.878	1:20.878	23
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:21.659	1:21.870	1:21.659	11
23	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:22.881	1:21.998	1:21.998	12
24	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:37.998	No time	1:37.998	2

Sunday warm-up

Damon Hill and David Coulthard headed the warm-up before a hot afternoon. Goodyear recommended three stops because of the conditions, although Johnny Herbert planned two. The teams still had to balance tyre demands against time lost in the pits, where Adelaide’s tight approach would become one of the decisive hazards of the race.

Warm-up Classification

1995 Australian Grand Prix Warm-up, 12 November 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:16.875	13
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.322s	14
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.330s	15
4	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.156s	14
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.281s	15
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.296s	15
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.408s	12
8	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.720s	11
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+1.755s	19
10	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.824s	12
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.244s	14
12	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+2.251s	16
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.520s	17
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.182s	16
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+3.306s	16
16	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.567s	14
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.742s	13
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+3.899s	18
19	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+4.460s	7
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+4.781s	15
21	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	+5.144s	6
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+5.270s	12
23	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+6.210s	3

What happened in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix?

David Coulthard passed Damon Hill at the start and led until he crashed into the wall on his approach to the pits. Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi subsequently collided, while Gerhard Berger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen retired with mechanical problems. Damon Hill remained in front as the list of potential challengers steadily shortened.

Johnny Herbert looked set for second until a driveshaft failure ended his race. Olivier Panis inherited the position and nursed an oil leak through the closing laps, while Gianni Morbidelli held off Mark Blundell for his only Grand Prix podium. Damon Hill lapped Olivier Panis for a second time before completing a remarkably comfortable victory.

Mika Salo finished fifth and Pedro Lamy sixth, earning Minardi its only point of the season. Pedro Diniz and Bertrand Gachot were the other finishers. Adelaide signed off with an unusual result and a huge crowd, while the paddock’s thoughts remained with Häkkinen, who would recover and return for the following season.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 102 points, followed by Damon Hill on 69. Benetton led the constructors’ table on 137, with Williams on 112.

1995 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 1995 Australian Grand Prix was held on 12 November 1995, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	81	1:49:15.946	10
2	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	79	+2 Laps	6
3	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	79	+2 Laps	4
4	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	79	+2 Laps	3
5	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	78	+3 Laps	2
6	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	78	+3 Laps	1
7	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	77	+4 Laps	0
8	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	76	+5 Laps	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	70	Engine	0
Ret	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	69	Driveshaft	0
Ret	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	62	Engine	0
Ret	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	39	Gearbox	0
Ret	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	34	Engine	0
Ret	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	29	Spun off	0
Ret	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	25	Collision damage	0
Ret	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	23	Collision damage	0
Ret	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	21	Spun off	0
Ret	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	20	Spun off	0
Ret	6	David Coulthard	Williams	19	Accident	0
Ret	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	15	Spun off	0
Ret	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	8	Physical	0
Ret	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2	Gearbox	0
DNS	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	0	Electrical	0
DNS	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	–	Accident during Friday Qualifying	0

1995 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	16	1:17.943
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	5	1:18.025
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	7	1:18.199
4	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	33	1:19.056
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	7	1:19.493
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	12	1:19.503
7	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	20	1:19.861
8	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	26	1:20.305
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	14	1:20.563
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	14	1:20.643
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	29	1:20.835
12	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	53	1:21.363
13	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	45	1:21.392
14	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	12	1:21.418
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	48	1:21.677
16	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	14	1:22.641
17	29	Karl Wendlinger	Sauber	4	1:22.784
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	4	1:22.790
19	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	7	1:22.944
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	4	1:23.253
21	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	7	1:24.139
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2	1:25.242

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 Australian Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	102
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	69
3	David Coulthard	British	Williams	49
4	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	45
5	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	42
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	31
7	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	17
8	Olivier Panis	French	Ligier	16
9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	15
10	Mark Blundell	British	McLaren	13
11	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	11
12	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	10
13	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	7
14	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	Footwork	5
15	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	5
16	Jean-Christophe Boullion	French	Sauber	3
17	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Ligier	1
18	Pedro Lamy	Portuguese	Minardi	1
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Massimiliano Papis	Italian	Footwork	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Taki Inoue	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Andrea Montermini	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Bertrand Gachot	Belgian	Pacific	0
–	Domenico Schiattarella	Italian	Simtek	0
–	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	0
–	Nigel Mansell	British	McLaren	0
–	Jan Magnussen	Danish	McLaren	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Simtek	0
–	Roberto Moreno	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Gabriele Tarquini	Italian	Tyrrell	0
–	Jean-Denis Délétraz	Swiss	Pacific	0
–	Giovanni Lavaggi	Italian	Pacific	0

1995 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Benetton	137
2	Williams	112
3	Ferrari	73
4	McLaren	30
5	Ligier	24
6	Jordan	21
7	Sauber	18
8	Footwork	5
9	Tyrrell	5
10	Minardi	1
11	Forti	0
12	Pacific	0
13	Simtek	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