1995 Pacific Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher sealed his second world championship with victory in the Pacific Grand Prix. Benetton‘s pace and sharp pit work overturned David Coulthard‘s early advantage, allowing Michael Schumacher to celebrate the title from the top step of the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	Williams
Pole time	1:14.013
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:16.374 on lap 40
First	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Second	David Coulthard	Williams
Third	Damon Hill	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
20 October 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
20 October 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
21 October 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
21 October 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
22 October 1995	Warm-up	09:30–10:00
22 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 15 leading the 1995 F1 World Championship on 82 points, with Damon Hill on 55. Benetton headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 112 points.

The race had been moved from April to October following the devastating earthquake in Japan. Its revised date placed it immediately before Suzuka, creating consecutive race weekends in the country.

Race entries

Jan Magnussen made his Grand Prix debut for McLaren while Häkkinen recovered from an appendicitis operation. Ukyo Katayama returned at Tyrrell, Aguri Suzuki resumed the shared Ligier drive, Gianni Morbidelli replaced Massimiliano Papis at Footwork and Bertrand Gachot returned to Pacific in place of Délétraz.

Friday Free Practice

Michael Schumacher headed Friday practice as Benetton worked with revised rear suspension on the tight Aida circuit. The initial pace was encouraging, but tyre life would be crucial over the weekend. A quick lap alone could not settle the contest: preserving fresh rubber for the race was already an important part of the team’s thinking.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 Pacific Grand Prix Practice, 20 October 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:16.057	21
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.360s	23
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.423s	22
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.069s	14
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.246s	17
6	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.938s	23
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.945s	22
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.002s	20
9	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+2.235s	23
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+2.315s	22
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.320s	18
12	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.782s	23
13	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+3.068s	23
14	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.080s	20
15	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	+3.337s	23
16	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	+3.590s	20
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.847s	23
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.209s	23
19	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+4.266s	21
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+4.869s	5
21	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+5.235s	8
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+5.906s	23
23	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.935s	23
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+26.713s	2

Friday Qualifying

David Coulthard headed Friday qualifying, with Damon Hill second and Michael Schumacher third. Williams had the speed, but Benetton was also managing its tyre allocation. With each fresh set particularly valuable here, the choice of how many qualifying runs to attempt had consequences beyond the grid.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 Pacific Grand Prix first qualifying session, 20 October 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:14.182	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:14.289	11
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:14.524	12
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:14.919	9
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:14.974	8
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:15.561	12
7	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:15.652	10
8	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:15.696	12
9	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:15.942	8
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.263	11
11	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	1:16.339	11
12	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:16.646	10
13	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	1:17.019	11
14	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:17.071	8
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:17.213	12
16	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:17.224	12
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:17.265	12
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:17.612	12
19	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:18.288	12
20	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:19.471	12
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:19.745	11
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:20.555	10
23	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:22.096	4
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:22.710	7

Saturday Free Practice

David Coulthard took charge on Saturday morning, with Williams looking well suited to the circuit’s demands. Michael Schumacher continued to refine his settings and reduce downforce as he sought a more competitive balance. Jan Magnussen, meanwhile, had to learn the demands of a Grand Prix weekend while keeping McLaren‘s difficult car out of trouble.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 Pacific Grand Prix Practice, 21 October 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:15.730	22
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.356s	23
3	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.678s	22
4	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+0.738s	22
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.758s	19
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.951s	23
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.103s	23
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.229s	23
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.830s	20
10	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+2.005s	23
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.014s	9
12	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	+2.142s	23
13	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.252s	15
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+2.273s	22
15	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	+2.496s	23
16	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+2.826s	23
17	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.203s	21
18	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+3.295s	17
19	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.622s	23
20	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+4.488s	21
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+5.551s	4
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.574s	23
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+5.896s	22
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+8.465s	3

Saturday Qualifying

David Coulthard improved again on Saturday to claim his fourth consecutive pole. Damon Hill remained alongside him, with Michael Schumacher third. Jan Magnussen qualified twelfth on his debut. Michael Schumacher‘s late attempt encouraged David Coulthard to make another run, using rubber that might otherwise have been saved for Sunday.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 Pacific Grand Prix second qualifying session, 21 October 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:14.013	6
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:14.213	6
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:14.284	12
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:15.125	8
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:15.131	6
6	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:15.354	12
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:15.556	12
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:15.561	6
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:15.621	12
10	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:15.774	12
11	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:16.166	12
12	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	1:16.368	8
13	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	1:16.519	9
14	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:16.596	10
15	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:16.887	12
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:17.014	12
17	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:17.235	12
18	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:18.114	12
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:18.212	12
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:19.579	12
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:19.779	12
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:20.093	7
23	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:21.405	10
24	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:23.791	2

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	1:14.182	1:14.013	1:14.013	16
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:14.289	1:14.213	1:14.213	17
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:14.524	1:14.284	1:14.284	24
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:14.919	1:15.131	1:14.919	15
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:14.974	1:15.125	1:14.974	16
6	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:15.696	1:15.354	1:15.354	24
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:15.561	1:15.556	1:15.556	24
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:15.942	1:15.561	1:15.561	14
9	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:17.071	1:15.621	1:15.621	20
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:15.652	1:16.166	1:15.652	22
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:16.263	1:15.774	1:15.774	23
12	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	1:16.339	1:16.368	1:16.339	19
13	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	1:17.019	1:16.519	1:16.519	20
14	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:17.224	1:16.596	1:16.596	22
15	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:16.646	1:23.791	1:16.646	12
16	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:17.612	1:16.887	1:16.887	24
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:17.265	1:17.014	1:17.014	24
18	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:17.213	1:17.235	1:17.213	24
19	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	1:18.288	1:18.114	1:18.114	24
20	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:19.471	1:18.212	1:18.212	24
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:20.555	1:19.579	1:19.579	22
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:19.745	1:19.779	1:19.745	23
23	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:22.096	1:20.093	1:20.093	11
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	1:22.710	1:21.405	1:21.405	17

Sunday warm-up

The dry warm-up produced the unusual sight of drivers using wet tyres to save their remaining slicks. David Coulthard set the pace, while Damon Hill tried to clean the dusty side of the starting straight by driving along it. Michael Schumacher went off and damaged his car, giving Benetton unwanted repair work before the championship could be settled.

Warm-up Classification

1995 Pacific Grand Prix Warm-up, 22 October 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:16.831	14
2	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+0.700s	14
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.703s	18
4	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+0.782s	16
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+0.831s	13
6	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.139s	17
7	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.251s	11
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.350s	17
9	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.352s	13
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+1.462s	17
11	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.485s	15
12	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.655s	16
13	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	+2.141s	12
14	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	+2.183s	15
15	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+2.671s	16
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.885s	13
17	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	+2.896s	19
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.061s	18
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+3.138s	17
20	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.342s	16
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+4.161s	5
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.598s	15
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+6.154s	10
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	+6.749s	4

What happened in the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix?

David Coulthard led away as Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher disputed the first corner, allowing Jean Alesi to slip ahead of both. Michael Schumacher initially fell to fifth, but recovered and gained crucial ground at the first stops. Benetton‘s rapid service released him ahead of Jean Alesi and Damon Hill, opening the way to chase the leading Williams.

David Coulthard switched to two stops while Michael Schumacher pursued three. The Benetton driver used the lighter fuel loads and fresh tyres to build the margin he needed, then combined a quick final stop with exceptional laps either side of it. He rejoined ahead and kept control despite late downshifting trouble.

David Coulthard finished second and Damon Hill third, with Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Johnny Herbert completing the points. Jan Magnussen brought his McLaren home tenth on a composed debut. Michael Schumacher‘s eighth win of the season put the championship beyond reach with two rounds remaining, completing another successful campaign for the driver and his team.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 92 points, followed by Damon Hill on 59. Benetton led the constructors’ table on 123, with Williams on 102.

1995 Pacific Grand Prix race results

The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix was held on 22 October 1995, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	83	1:48:49.972	10
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	83	+14.920	6
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	83	+48.333	4
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	82	+1 lap	3
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	82	+1 lap	2
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	82	+1 lap	1
7	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	82	+1 lap	0
8	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	81	+2 laps	0
9	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	81	+2 laps	0
10	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	81	+2 laps	0
11	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	81	+2 laps	0
12	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	80	+3 laps	0
13	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	80	+3 laps	0
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	80	+3 laps	0
15	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	80	+3 laps	0
16	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	78	+5 laps	0
17	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	77	+6 laps	0
Ret	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	67	Electrical	0
Ret	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	53	Engine	0
Ret	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	38	Electrical	0
Ret	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	14	Gearbox	0
Ret	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	10	Spun off	0
Ret	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	7	Spun off	0
Ret	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	2	Gearbox	0

1995 Pacific Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	40	1:16.374
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	72	1:16.444
3	6	David Coulthard	Williams	4	1:16.674
4	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	76	1:16.927
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	63	1:17.795
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	8	1:17.854
7	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	56	1:17.913
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	65	1:18.164
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	43	1:18.326
10	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	29	1:18.335
11	8	Jan Magnussen	McLaren	68	1:18.631
12	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	46	1:18.983
13	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	61	1:19.574
14	25	Aguri Suzuki	Ligier	3	1:19.816
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	69	1:19.878
16	9	Gianni Morbidelli	Footwork	23	1:19.975
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	4	1:20.055
18	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	6	1:20.099
19	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	77	1:20.299
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	4	1:21.355
21	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	7	1:21.503
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	60	1:22.102
23	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	32	1:22.528
24	16	Bertrand Gachot	Pacific	2	1:26.608

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 Pacific Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	92
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	59
3	David Coulthard	British	Williams	49
4	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	42
5	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	41
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	31
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
–	Jan Magnussen	Danish	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	123
2	Williams	102
3	Ferrari	73
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