1995 European Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher produced a late charge to win the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, catching Jean Alesi‘s Ferrari and passing with only two laps remaining. Jean Alesi‘s bold tyre choice nearly delivered victory, while another retirement left Damon Hill‘s title hopes hanging by a thread.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	Williams
Pole time	1:18.738
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:21.180 on lap 57
First	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Second	Jean Alesi	Ferrari
Third	David Coulthard	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
28 September 1995	Familiarisation testing	Start time unconfirmed
29 September 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
29 September 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
30 September 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
30 September 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
1 October 1995	Warm-up	10:05–10:35 (delayed from 09:30)
1 October 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 14 leading the 1995 F1 World Championship on 72 points, with Damon Hill on 55. Benetton headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 100 points.

Race entries

Gabriele Tarquini deputised for Ukyo Katayama at Tyrrell while the Japanese driver recovered from his Estoril accident. It was Gabriele Tarquini‘s first Grand Prix appearance since 1992. Williams continued with its revised car, while Ferrari and McLaren also brought changes for Formula 1’s return to the Nürburgring.

Thursday familiarisation

An additional familiarisation session preceded the normal weekend programme because Formula 1 had not raced here since 1985. Michael Schumacher set the fastest time, ahead of Damon Hill and David Coulthard. The running gave teams an opportunity to establish their bearings on the Grand Prix circuit before the competitive sessions began.

Friday Free Practice

Friday practice took place on a dry track, with Williams comparing its revised car against the earlier arrangement before converting the spare. Damon Hill narrowly headed David Coulthard as the team’s development work showed promise. Ferrari had brought revised aerodynamic parts, while McLaren continued searching for a workable combination of chassis and rear-end specifications.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 European Grand Prix Practice, 29 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:19.343	7
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.035s	10
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.565s	16
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.294s	7
5	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.932s	14
6	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.949s	14
7	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.963s	18
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.013s	12
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.170s	13
10	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.190s	9
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.271s	17
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.429s	19
13	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+2.608s	16
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.744s	8
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.044s	17
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+4.072s	15
17	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+4.477s	13
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+5.036s	15
19	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	+5.292s	12
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.928s	18
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+5.944s	10
22	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+6.751s	13
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+9.251s	2
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	+9.263s	13

Friday Qualifying

David Coulthard‘s Friday lap secured a third consecutive pole, with Damon Hill completing another Williams front row. Rain complicated both qualifying sessions, placing particular value on a clean run while the circuit was at its best. Olivier Panis damaged his Ligier after a stuck throttle caused an accident, forcing a change of chassis.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 European Grand Prix first qualifying session, 29 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:18.738	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:18.972	11
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:19.470	11
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:19.821	9
5	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:20.488	9
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:20.521	5
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:20.653	12
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:20.762	12
9	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:20.866	11
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:20.909	11
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:21.350	12
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:21.541	11
13	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:22.059	9
14	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:22.062	2
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:23.058	11
16	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:23.328	9
17	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	1:23.689	5
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:23.760	12
19	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	1:24.286	6
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:24.696	12
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:25.647	11
22	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:26.667	4
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:26.784	12
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	1:27.853	12

Saturday Free Practice

Heavy rain transformed Saturday practice. Damon Hill again went quickest, but the wet surface made the session a very different exercise from Friday’s dry running. Andrea Montermini suffered an alarming failure when his Pacific lost its left-rear wheel, although he managed to return to the pits. Grip and control mattered more than improving the previous day’s times.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 European Grand Prix Practice, 30 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:34.906	23
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.705s	20
3	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.040s	23
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+2.259s	14
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+2.313s	19
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+2.468s	23
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+2.582s	22
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+3.182s	22
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+3.787s	22
10	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.822s	23
11	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+3.856s	12
12	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.889s	20
13	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+4.071s	20
14	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+4.089s	23
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.708s	17
16	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+4.863s	21
17	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+5.238s	22
18	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.915s	14
19	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+8.491s	13
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+8.514s	14
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+9.283s	23
22	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	+9.648s	23
23	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	+11.506s	18
24	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+14.760s	20

Saturday Qualifying

Michael Schumacher headed Saturday’s session and improved his own time, but could not dislodge either Williams from the front row. Gerhard Berger qualified fourth, ahead of Eddie Irvine and Jean Alesi. Only a minority improved on Friday, underlining the importance of the better of the two sessions rather than Saturday’s order alone.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 European Grand Prix second qualifying session, 30 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:19.150	8
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:19.607	10
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:19.913	7
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:20.510	10
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:20.749	10
6	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:20.968	11
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:21.083	9
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:21.211	11
9	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:21.236	8
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:21.426	10
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:21.583	10
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:22.062	8
13	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:22.565	9
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:23.079	8
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:24.087	6
16	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	1:24.134	11
17	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	1:24.352	11
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:24.900	9
19	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:25.157	8
20	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:26.098	8
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:26.102	4
22	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:26.406	3
23	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	1:29.677	6
24	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:34.210	4

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	1:18.738	1:19.913	1:18.738	17
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:18.972	1:19.607	1:18.972	21
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:19.470	1:19.150	1:19.150	19
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:19.821	1:21.083	1:19.821	18
5	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:20.488	1:21.426	1:20.488	19
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:20.521	1:20.510	1:20.510	15
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:20.653	1:21.236	1:20.653	20
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:20.762	1:20.749	1:20.749	22
9	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:20.866	1:20.968	1:20.866	22
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:20.909	1:21.583	1:20.909	21
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:21.350	1:21.211	1:21.211	23
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:21.541	1:22.062	1:21.541	19
13	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:22.059	1:34.210	1:22.059	13
14	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:22.062	1:22.565	1:22.062	11
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:23.058	1:23.079	1:23.058	19
16	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:23.328	1:24.087	1:23.328	15
17	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	1:23.689	1:24.134	1:23.689	16
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:23.760	1:26.406	1:23.760	15
19	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	1:24.286	1:24.352	1:24.286	17
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:24.696	1:26.102	1:24.696	16
21	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:26.667	1:24.900	1:24.900	13
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:25.647	1:25.157	1:25.157	19
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:26.784	1:26.098	1:26.098	20
24	16	Jean-Denis Délétraz	Pacific	1:27.853	1:29.677	1:27.853	18

Sunday warm-up

Fog and rain delayed the warm-up from 09:30 until 10:05. Several drivers went off as they explored the soaked circuit, and David Coulthard eventually set the pace. The session gave the teams useful wet-weather running, but with drying conditions expected later, choosing the correct starting tyre remained far from straightforward.

Warm-up Classification

1995 European Grand Prix Warm-up, 1 October 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:38.378	11
2	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.238s	13
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.404s	14
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.582s	14
5	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+0.827s	14
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.040s	11
7	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.565s	11
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.678s	12
9	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.752s	13
10	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+1.937s	14
11	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.969s	11
12	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.027s	13
13	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+3.077s	13
14	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+3.121s	8
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.062s	13
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+4.358s	8
17	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.589s	14
18	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+5.482s	17
19	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.702s	12
20	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	+7.122s	10
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+8.031s	14
22	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+8.397s	12
23	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+11.302s	8
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	+11.753s	10

What happened in the 1995 European Grand Prix?

David Coulthard needed the spare Williams after spinning on his way to the grid. He nevertheless led the start, while Jean Alesi gambled on slicks on the damp track. As the wet-tyre runners stopped, the Ferrari moved ahead and built a substantial advantage. Damon Hill‘s pursuit unravelled through contact with Jean Alesi and a later crash.

Michael Schumacher kept attacking after his final stop, erasing Jean Alesi‘s lead as the Ferrari encountered traffic and struggled to preserve its advantage. The decisive move came around the outside approaching the chicane. Michael Schumacher swept ahead and completed the remaining laps to the delight of the home crowd.

Jean Alesi finished second, with David Coulthard third. Rubens Barrichello, Johnny Herbert and Eddie Irvine completed the points, while Michael Schumacher moved 27 points clear of Damon Hill with three races left. The aborted starting procedure had reduced the distance to 67 laps; the afternoon still delivered one of the season’s most compelling finishes.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 82 points, followed by Damon Hill on 55. Benetton led the constructors’ table on 112, with Williams on 92.

1995 European Grand Prix race results

The 1995 European Grand Prix was held on 1 October 1995, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	67	1:39:59.044	10
2	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	67	+ 2.684	6
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	67	+ 35.382	4
4	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	66	+ 1 Lap	3
5	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	66	+ 1 Lap	2
6	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	66	+ 1 Lap	1
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	66	+ 1 Lap	0
8	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	65	+ 2 Laps	0
9	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	64	+ 3 Laps	0
10	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	64	+ 3 Laps	0
11	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	64	+ 3 Laps	0
12	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	64	+ 3 Laps	0
13	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	62	+ 5 Laps	0
14	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	61	+ 6 Laps	0
15	16	Jean-Denis Délétraz	Pacific	60	+ 7 Laps	0
Ret	5	Damon Hill	Williams	58	Spun Off	0
Ret	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	45	Out of Fuel	0
Ret	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	44	Collision	0
Ret	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	40	Gearbox	0
Ret	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	22	Halfshaft	0
Ret	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	17	Collision	0
Ret	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	14	Spun Off	0
Ret	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	14	Accident	0
Ret	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	0	Electrical	0

1995 European Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	57	1:21.180
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	60	1:21.739
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	58	1:21.933
4	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	56	1:22.544
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	65	1:22.760
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	58	1:22.814
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	64	1:23.801
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	38	1:24.239
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	63	1:24.775
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	37	1:25.018
11	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	43	1:25.385
12	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	61	1:25.516
13	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	62	1:25.962
14	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Tyrrell	61	1:26.160
15	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	55	1:26.332
16	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	44	1:26.566
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	59	1:26.832
18	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	57	1:27.555
19	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	59	1:31.253
20	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	16	1:37.423
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	21	1:37.763
22	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	12	1:39.347
23	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	14	1:40.613

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 European Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	82
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	55
3	David Coulthard	British	Williams	43
4	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	40
5	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	40
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	28
7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	15
8	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	11
9	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	11
10	Mark Blundell	British	McLaren	10
11	Olivier Panis	French	Ligier	8
12	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	7
13	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	7
14	Jean-Christophe Boullion	French	Sauber	3
15	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	2
16	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Ligier	1
17	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	Footwork	1
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Massimiliano Papis	Italian	Footwork	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Taki Inoue	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Andrea Montermini	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Pedro Lamy	Portuguese	Minardi	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Domenico Schiattarella	Italian	Simtek	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
–	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	112
2	Williams	92
3	Ferrari	68
4	McLaren	21
5	Jordan	18
6	Sauber	18
7	Ligier	16
8	Tyrrell	2
9	Footwork	1
10	Minardi	0
11	Pacific	0
12	Forti	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