1995 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix with a decisive burst of speed around the first pit stops. Damon Hill had taken pole and led early on, but Benetton turned a close contest into a clear victory over both Williams drivers at Magny-Cours.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Damon Hill	Williams
Pole time	1:17.225
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:20.218 on lap 51
First	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Second	Damon Hill	Williams
Third	David Coulthard	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
30 June 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
30 June 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
1 July 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
1 July 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
2 July 1995	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
2 July 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 7 leading the 1995 F1 World Championship on 36 points, with Damon Hill on 29. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 41 points.

Race entries

The twenty-four-car field continued unchanged from Canada. David Coulthard returned after an operation to remove his troublesome tonsils. Ligier marked its three-hundredth Grand Prix at its home circuit, with Olivier Panis and Martin Brundle carrying the team’s hopes of a strong result.

Friday Free Practice

Michael Schumacher led Friday practice, but Olivier Panis was close behind as Ligier made an encouraging start at home. Renault‘s latest engine development equipped the leading teams. McLaren‘s day was much more difficult: electronic problems eventually prompted a trip to nearby Lurcy-Lévis for additional testing after the official running had ended.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 French Grand Prix Practice, 30 June 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:19.535	13
2	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+0.128s	18
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.419s	23
4	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.452s	16
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.516s	17
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+0.678s	21
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.701s	15
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.186s	20
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.439s	14
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.930s	16
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.664s	21
12	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.762s	22
13	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.267s	21
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.349s	22
15	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+3.583s	12
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.598s	23
17	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+5.467s	21
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+5.625s	23
19	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+5.927s	17
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+6.872s	17
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+8.807s	6
22	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+9.481s	7

Friday Qualifying

Damon Hill narrowly beat David Coulthard to provisional pole on Friday, while Michael Schumacher struggled for grip. Johnny Herbert went off and Gerhard Berger also had a difficult opening day. The Williams pair had the advantage, but Michael Schumacher was close enough to threaten if Benetton could improve the balance.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 French Grand Prix first qualifying session, 30 June 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:18.556	12
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:18.585	11
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:18.893	12
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:19.051	9
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:19.254	10
6	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:19.384	9
7	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:19.466	11
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:19.555	9
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:19.763	12
10	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:20.218	10
11	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:20.713	8
12	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:20.804	12
13	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:21.111	8
14	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:21.756	12
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:21.921	12
16	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:22.372	11
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:22.959	4
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:23.355	12
19	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:24.172	11
20	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:24.509	9
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:25.787	9
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:26.445	9

Saturday Free Practice

Damon Hill and David Coulthard put Williams first and second on Saturday morning, with Olivier Panis again prominent. The new Renault specification was only part of Williams‘s revised package, which also included aerodynamic changes. At McLaren, solving the immediate electronic fault had not removed the underlying handling difficulties, leaving Häkkinen with a demanding afternoon ahead.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 French Grand Prix Practice, 1 July 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:18.561	23
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.290s	23
3	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+0.418s	23
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.573s	23
5	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+0.574s	23
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.830s	15
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.099s	21
8	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.357s	21
9	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.462s	14
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.106s	20
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.323s	16
12	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.614s	18
13	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+2.950s	21
14	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+2.981s	23
15	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+3.208s	23
16	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.217s	22
17	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.326s	23
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+4.226s	23
19	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+4.302s	15
20	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+5.373s	20
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.413s	15
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+5.539s	19
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+6.582s	23
24	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+31.080s	1

Saturday Qualifying

Saturday brought a lively three-way fight before Damon Hill secured pole ahead of Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. Jean Alesi qualified fourth, followed by Rubens Barrichello and Olivier Panis. Martin Brundle recovered from an excursion by using his teammate’s car, while Johnny Herbert could manage only tenth in the second Benetton.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 French Grand Prix second qualifying session, 1 July 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:17.225	11
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:17.512	12
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:17.925	10
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:18.761	10
5	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:18.810	10
6	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:19.047	11
7	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:19.238	12
8	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:19.295	11
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:19.524	6
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:19.845	11
11	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:20.000	12
12	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:20.309	12
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:20.527	12
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:20.796	10
15	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:20.943	12
16	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:21.076	12
17	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:21.323	12
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:21.894	12
19	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:21.930	12
20	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:22.104	12
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:23.466	11
22	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:23.647	12
23	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:24.184	10
24	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:24.865	12

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	1:18.556	1:17.225	1:17.225	23
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:18.893	1:17.512	1:17.512	24
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:18.585	1:17.925	1:17.925	21
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:19.254	1:18.761	1:18.761	20
5	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:19.763	1:18.810	1:18.810	22
6	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:19.466	1:19.047	1:19.047	22
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:19.051	1:19.295	1:19.051	20
8	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:20.218	1:19.238	1:19.238	22
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:19.384	1:19.524	1:19.384	15
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:19.555	1:20.000	1:19.555	21
11	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:20.713	1:19.845	1:19.845	19
12	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:21.111	1:20.309	1:20.309	20
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:20.804	1:20.527	1:20.527	24
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:21.921	1:20.796	1:20.796	22
15	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:22.372	1:20.943	1:20.943	23
16	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:21.756	1:21.076	1:21.076	24
17	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	No time	1:21.323	1:21.323	12
18	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:23.355	1:21.894	1:21.894	24
19	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:22.959	1:21.930	1:21.930	16
20	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	No time	1:22.104	1:22.104	12
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:24.172	1:23.466	1:23.466	22
22	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:24.509	1:23.647	1:23.647	21
23	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:25.787	1:24.184	1:24.184	19
24	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:26.445	1:24.865	1:24.865	21

Sunday warm-up

Sunday rain made the warm-up a very different exercise. Jean Alesi was quickest on the damp surface, ahead of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello, before the circuit dried for the race. The leading teams planned two fuel stops, so neither Damon Hill nor Michael Schumacher could rely simply on taking one fewer stop than his rival.

Warm-up Classification

1995 French Grand Prix Warm-up, 2 July 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:37.046	14
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.567s	9
3	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+0.642s	11
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.649s	15
5	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+0.681s	10
6	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+0.776s	11
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.989s	9
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.192s	11
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.257s	12
10	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+1.260s	10
11	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+1.495s	12
12	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+1.935s	12
13	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.422s	12
14	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.824s	12
15	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+3.254s	13
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.672s	12
17	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+4.158s	12
18	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+4.511s	10
19	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+4.893s	4
20	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+5.107s	10
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+5.722s	12
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.799s	11
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+7.681s	10
24	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+10.740s	7

What happened in the 1995 French Grand Prix?

Damon Hill retained the lead at the start and Michael Schumacher followed closely. Rubens Barrichello moved ahead of David Coulthard but received a jump-start penalty, while Jean Alesi‘s contact with Johnny Herbert ended the Benetton driver’s race and helped Martin Brundle move forward.

Michael Schumacher stopped first and used fresh tyres to excellent effect as Damon Hill encountered traffic. When Williams completed its stop, the lead had changed hands and the Benetton was already well clear. Michael Schumacher continued to extend the gap, leaving enough margin to absorb a wheel-changing delay later on.

The finish brought Renault-powered cars into the first three places: Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and David Coulthard. Martin Brundle finished a close fourth for Ligier, ahead of Jean Alesi and Rubens Barrichello. Michael Schumacher‘s fourth win of the season strengthened his championship lead, while Damon Hill again had to settle for second after starting from pole.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 46 points, followed by Damon Hill on 35. Benetton led the constructors’ table on 48, with Ferrari on 43.

1995 French Grand Prix race results

The 1995 French Grand Prix was held on 2 July 1995, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	72	1:38:28.429	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	72	+ 31.309	6
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	72	+ 1:02.826	4
4	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	72	+ 1:03.293	3
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	72	+ 1:17.869	2
6	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	71	+ 1 lap	1
7	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	71	+ 1 lap	0
8	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	71	+ 1 lap	0
9	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	71	+ 1 lap	0
10	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	71	+ 1 lap	0
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	70	+ 2 laps	0
12	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	70	+ 2 laps	0
13	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	69	+ 3 laps	0
14	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	69	+ 3 laps	0
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	69	+ 3 laps	0
16	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	66	+ 6 laps	0
NC	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	62	+ 10 laps	0
Ret	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	48	Gearbox	0
Ret	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	24	Gearbox	0
Ret	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	23	Gearbox	0
Ret	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	2	Collision	0
Ret	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	0	Collision	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	0	Collision	0
Ret	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	0	Spun off	0

1995 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	51	1:20.218
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	9	1:20.635
3	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	60	1:21.005
4	6	David Coulthard	Williams	71	1:21.235
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	51	1:21.360
6	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	7	1:21.398
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	8	1:21.455
8	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	54	1:21.541
9	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	8	1:21.782
10	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	40	1:22.058
11	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	70	1:22.688
12	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	45	1:22.698
13	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	46	1:22.866
14	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	2	1:23.080
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	50	1:23.711
16	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	35	1:24.256
17	23	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	10	1:24.354
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	30	1:24.546
19	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	39	1:24.812
20	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	7	1:26.158
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	7	1:26.748

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 French Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	46
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	35
3	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	26
4	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	17
5	David Coulthard	British	Williams	13
6	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	12
7	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	7
8	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	6
9	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	5
10	Olivier Panis	French	Ligier	4
11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	4
12	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	3
13	Mark Blundell	British	McLaren	3
14	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	Footwork	1
–	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Aguri Suzuki	Japanese	Ligier	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Jean-Christophe Boullion	French	Sauber	0
–	Domenico Schiattarella	Italian	Simtek	0
–	Taki Inoue	Japanese	Footwork	0
–	Andrea Montermini	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Nigel Mansell	British	McLaren	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Simtek	0
–	Karl Wendlinger	Austrian	Sauber	0
–	Roberto Moreno	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Bertrand Gachot	Belgian	Pacific	0

1995 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Benetton	48
2	Ferrari	43
3	Williams	42
4	Jordan	13
5	McLaren	8
6	Ligier	7
7	Sauber	4
8	Footwork	1
9	Minardi	0
10	Tyrrell	0
11	Simtek	0
12	Pacific	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