1995 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher turned sixteenth on the grid into victory at Spa, overcoming a turbulent Belgian Grand Prix in which rain repeatedly changed the balance of the race. Damon Hill fought him all the way, but a pit-lane penalty helped settle their dramatic contest in the Benetton driver’s favour.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari
Pole time	1:54.392
Fastest lap	David Coulthard	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:53.412 on lap 11
First	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Second	Damon Hill	Williams
Third	Martin Brundle	Ligier

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 August 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
25 August 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
26 August 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
26 August 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
27 August 1995	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
27 August 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 11 leading the 1995 F1 World Championship on 56 points, with Damon Hill on 45. Benetton headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 74 points.

Race entries

The same 24 drivers continued from Hungary. Pacific faced an anxious start when its equipment was impounded on Friday morning over a financial dispute, but a settlement allowed the team to take part. Away from the track, Michael Schumacher‘s forthcoming move to Ferrari was already reshaping the driver market.

Friday Free Practice

Rain made Friday’s running difficult, and Johnny Herbert‘s morning ended in a crash shortly after La Source. The damage cost him the remainder of the day’s track time, a substantial setback on a circuit demanding confidence through its fast corners. Spa had also reverted to the familiar Eau Rouge layout after the temporary chicane used the previous year.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 Belgian Grand Prix Practice, 25 August 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	2:15.990	17
2	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+0.012s	17
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.950s	12
4	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.101s	16
5	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+1.314s	17
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.408s	14
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.749s	17
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.986s	12
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+2.065s	12
10	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+2.312s	14
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.895s	17
12	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.152s	15
13	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.204s	18
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.250s	18
15	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+3.429s	10
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+4.035s	20
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.438s	20
18	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+4.839s	8
19	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+7.763s	10
20	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+11.961s	17
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+12.135s	13
22	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+19.825s	13
23	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	+42.884s	2
24	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+2887.726s	1

Friday Qualifying

Gerhard Berger headed the wet Friday session, but those times offered little protection if Saturday stayed dry. Johnny Herbert had no opportunity to establish a competitive benchmark after his practice accident. Ferrari would need to judge the timing of its final runs carefully to convert its early advantage into pole.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 Belgian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 25 August 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	2:14.744	8
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	2:14.962	7
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	2:15.077	10
4	5	Damon Hill	Williams	2:15.143	11
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	2:15.232	9
6	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	2:15.533	12
7	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	2:15.848	11
8	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	2:16.540	11
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	2:17.144	9
10	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	2:17.207	11
11	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	2:17.335	11
12	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	2:17.406	12
13	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	2:17.579	11
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	2:18.104	10
15	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	2:18.136	9
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	2:18.194	11
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	2:18.547	12
18	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	2:19.300	12
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	2:23.311	10
20	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	2:23.417	9
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2:25.291	5
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	2:25.699	7
23	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	2:26.311	8

Saturday Free Practice

Saturday morning brought dry conditions and a rapid lap from Michael Schumacher, but his session ended with a heavy accident at Malmedy. The red flag halted running while the wreckage was cleared. Benetton faced a hurried repair job, and the lost preparation would become particularly costly when another shower interrupted qualifying.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 Belgian Grand Prix Practice, 26 August 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:52.474	20
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.402s	17
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.845s	19
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.869s	16
5	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.918s	20
6	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.644s	20
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.809s	21
8	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.708s	23
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.795s	20
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+3.312s	19
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.413s	22
12	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.588s	17
13	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+3.835s	17
14	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+4.485s	3
15	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+4.541s	16
16	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.603s	21
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+5.195s	23
18	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+5.340s	12
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+6.732s	20
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+7.571s	7
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+9.156s	20
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+9.837s	18
23	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+10.191s	3
24	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	+290.270s	5

Saturday Qualifying

The decisive opportunity came at the beginning of Saturday qualifying, before rain arrived. Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi seized it for a Ferrari front row, ahead of Häkkinen and Johnny Herbert. Michael Schumacher missed the best conditions while his car was being repaired and then encountered gearbox trouble; he qualified sixteenth. Damon Hill‘s attempt to improve on slicks ended off the road, leaving him eighth.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 Belgian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 26 August 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:54.392	4
2	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:54.631	2
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:55.435	7
4	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:56.085	8
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:56.254	9
6	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:56.622	11
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:57.001	6
8	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:57.768	8
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:58.021	9
10	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:58.148	9
11	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:58.224	5
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:58.293	6
13	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:58.314	8
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:58.356	6
15	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:58.551	7
16	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:59.079	6
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:59.256	6
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	2:00.990	6
19	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	2:01.013	2
20	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	2:01.685	7
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2:02.405	7
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	2:03.817	10
23	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	2:06.407	6
24	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	2:09.537	8

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	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	2:14.744	1:54.392	1:54.392	12
2	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	2:15.077	1:54.631	1:54.631	12
3	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	2:15.848	1:55.435	1:55.435	18
4	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	—	1:56.085	1:56.085	8
5	6	David Coulthard	Williams	2:15.232	1:56.254	1:56.254	18
6	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	2:18.136	1:56.622	1:56.622	20
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	2:16.540	1:57.001	1:57.001	17
8	5	Damon Hill	Williams	2:15.143	1:57.768	1:57.768	19
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	2:17.579	1:58.021	1:58.021	20
10	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	2:15.533	1:58.148	1:58.148	21
11	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	2:18.104	1:58.224	1:58.224	15
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	2:17.144	1:58.293	1:58.293	15
13	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	2:17.207	1:58.314	1:58.314	19
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	2:17.406	1:58.356	1:58.356	18
15	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	2:18.194	1:58.551	1:58.551	18
16	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	2:14.962	1:59.079	1:59.079	13
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	2:18.547	1:59.256	1:59.256	18
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	2:23.311	2:00.990	2:00.990	16
19	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	2:17.335	2:01.013	2:01.013	13
20	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	2:19.300	2:01.685	2:01.685	19
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	2:25.291	2:02.405	2:02.405	12
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	2:23.417	2:03.817	2:03.817	19
23	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	2:26.311	2:06.407	2:06.407	14
24	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	2:25.699	2:09.537	2:09.537	15

Sunday warm-up

Heavy rain returned for the warm-up, with Jean Alesi setting the pace. It gave the drivers another chance to assess the wet surface, although the afternoon began dry. The changing weather left teams balancing the immediate conditions against the risk of another shower: tyre decisions would prove every bit as important as outright speed.

Warm-up Classification

1995 Belgian Grand Prix Warm-up, 27 August 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	2:16.229	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.110s	11
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.481s	9
4	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.852s	7
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.183s	11
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.097s	10
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.636s	8
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.847s	8
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+3.105s	9
10	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.513s	8
11	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.551s	8
12	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+4.344s	8
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+4.771s	9
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+5.539s	8
15	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+5.571s	10
16	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+5.581s	9
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+6.076s	11
18	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+6.542s	8
19	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+7.803s	7
20	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+10.355s	7
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+11.725s	8
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+13.523s	7
23	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+14.085s	3
24	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	+151.429s	4

What happened in the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix?

The lead changed hands repeatedly as the early contenders fell away. Jean Alesi retired with suspension trouble and David Coulthard‘s promising run ended with gearbox failure. Michael Schumacher climbed through the field to confront Damon Hill, then stayed on slicks when his rival chose wet tyres. Their close battle included aggressive defensive moves that drew scrutiny after the race.

Damon Hill passed as the rain strengthened, only for Michael Schumacher to regain the advantage when the surface improved. A further shower and a safety-car period brought another round of tyre changes. Damon Hill then had to serve a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, leaving Michael Schumacher clear to secure an extraordinary win from the eighth row.

Damon Hill recovered second from Martin Brundle on the final lap, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mark Blundell and Rubens Barrichello completed the points. Martin Brundle‘s third place proved to be his final Formula 1 podium. Michael Schumacher‘s defence subsequently earned a suspended one-race ban, adding a controversial footnote to one of his most memorable victories.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 66 points, followed by Damon Hill on 51. Benetton led the constructors’ table on 84, with Williams on 74.

1995 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 1995 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 27 August 1995, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	44	1:36:47.875	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	44	+ 19.493	6
3	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	44	+ 24.998	4
4	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	44	+ 26.972	3
5	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	44	+ 33.772	2
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	44	+ 39.674	1
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	44	+ 54.043	0
8	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	44	+ 54.548	0
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	44	+ 1:06.170	0
10	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	44	+ 1:19.789	0
11	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	43	+ 1 lap	0
12	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	43	+ 1 lap	0
13	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	42	+ 2 laps	0
14	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	42	+ 2 laps	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	28	Spun off	0
Ret	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	27	Gearbox	0
Ret	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	23	Accident	0
Ret	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	22	Electrical	0
Ret	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	21	Fire	0
Ret	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	20	Spun off	0
Ret	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	18	Out of fuel	0
Ret	6	David Coulthard	Williams	13	Gearbox	0
Ret	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	4	Suspension	0
Ret	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1	Spun off	0

1995 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	11	1:53.412
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	17	1:53.613
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	14	1:54.473
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	18	1:55.462
5	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	14	1:55.561
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	16	1:55.630
7	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	15	1:55.972
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	18	1:56.261
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	15	1:56.502
10	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	16	1:56.696
11	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	3	1:56.853
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	11	1:56.967
13	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	18	1:57.229
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	17	1:57.420
15	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	17	1:57.866
16	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	15	1:57.927
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	17	1:58.312
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	14	1:58.395
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	15	1:59.331
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	16	2:00.136
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	17	2:02.546
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	15	2:02.603
23	16	Giovanni Lavaggi	Pacific	15	2:04.196
24	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1	2:07.082

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 Belgian Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	66
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	51
3	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	32
4	David Coulthard	British	Williams	29
5	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	28
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	25
7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	10
8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	8
9	Olivier Panis	French	Ligier	8
10	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	7
11	Mark Blundell	British	McLaren	7
12	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	6
13	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	5
14	Jean-Christophe Boullion	French	Sauber	2
15	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Ligier	1
16	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	Footwork	1
–	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Andrea Montermini	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Pedro Lamy	Portuguese	Minardi	0
–	Taki Inoue	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Domenico Schiattarella	Italian	Simtek	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Nigel Mansell	British	McLaren	0
–	Bertrand Gachot	Belgian	Pacific	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Simtek	0
–	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	0
–	Roberto Moreno	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Giovanni Lavaggi	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Massimiliano Papis	Italian	Footwork	0

1995 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Benetton	84
2	Williams	74
3	Ferrari	57
4	Ligier	16
5	Jordan	14
6	McLaren	12
7	Sauber	12
8	Footwork	1
9	Minardi	0
10	Tyrrell	0
11	Pacific	0
12	Simtek	0
13	Forti	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