1995 Portuguese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

David Coulthard finally turned his speed into a first Grand Prix victory at Estoril. The Williams driver controlled the Portuguese Grand Prix from pole, while Michael Schumacher defeated Damon Hill in their separate battle for second and stretched his championship advantage.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	Williams
Pole time	1:20.537
Fastest lap	David Coulthard	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:23.220 on lap 2
First	David Coulthard	Williams
Second	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
Third	Damon Hill	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
22 September 1995	Practice 1	Morning; start time unconfirmed
22 September 1995	Qualifying 1	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
23 September 1995	Practice 2	Morning; start time unconfirmed
23 September 1995	Qualifying 2	Afternoon; start time unconfirmed
24 September 1995	Warm-up	Morning; start time unconfirmed
24 September 1995	Race	Start time unconfirmed

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 13 leading the 1995 F1 World Championship on 66 points, with Damon Hill on 51. Benetton headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 94 points.

Race entries

Jean-Denis Délétraz returned to Formula 1 with Pacific, replacing Giovanni Lavaggi alongside Andrea Montermini. Williams introduced its revised FW17B, while McLaren brought another evolution of its car as both teams continued development deep into the season.

Friday Free Practice

Häkkinen headed Friday’s dry practice, an encouraging opening for McLaren before the revised car’s handling became a bigger concern. Williams was also assessing a substantial update, including a new rear end and transverse gearbox. The morning offered an initial comparison, but the development battle would not be settled by one quick lap.

Friday Practice Classification

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix Practice, 22 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:23.073	17
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.089s	18
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+0.158s	18
4	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.761s	9
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.006s	17
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.467s	18
7	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.571s	19
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.584s	17
9	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.830s	19
10	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.860s	22
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.357s	21
12	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+2.664s	21
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.992s	14
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.018s	23
15	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+3.023s	19
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.283s	19
17	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.600s	17
18	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+4.738s	17
19	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.755s	22
20	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.797s	19
21	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+4.881s	20
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+6.380s	22
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+7.380s	22
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	+13.732s	13

Friday Qualifying

Damon Hill headed David Coulthard in Friday qualifying, with Michael Schumacher third. Délétraz lost his times after receiving a push-start following a spin, leaving the returning Pacific driver dependent on Saturday. At the front, the provisional order promised another close contest between the Williams team-mates.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix first qualifying session, 22 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:21.322	11
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:21.423	10
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:21.885	9
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:22.281	9
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:22.656	9
6	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:22.957	6
7	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:23.064	10
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:23.142	10
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:23.244	11
10	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:23.284	11
11	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:23.485	10
12	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:23.786	11
13	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:24.583	10
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:24.631	9
15	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:24.883	12
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:24.942	11
17	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	1:25.696	12
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:25.746	11
19	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:26.210	11
20	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:27.659	4
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:28.672	12
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:29.137	4
23	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	14:20.150	1

Saturday Free Practice

Damon Hill led Saturday practice as Williams moved to the front, while Häkkinen slipped back. McLaren struggled to make its latest specification work consistently and ultimately retreated from a straightforward switch to the new version. The contrast between the two mornings showed how much work remained behind Friday’s promising headline time.

Saturday Practice Classification

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix Practice, 23 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:21.443	23
2	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.815s	18
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.074s	21
4	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+1.411s	18
5	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+1.603s	21
6	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.863s	23
7	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.864s	22
8	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+1.919s	15
9	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+2.264s	14
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.328s	23
11	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+2.342s	21
12	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.382s	21
13	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+2.441s	23
14	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.483s	21
15	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+3.649s	23
16	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.656s	19
17	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+3.947s	15
18	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+3.978s	20
19	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.092s	23
20	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.368s	23
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.580s	12
22	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+6.597s	23
23	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+7.163s	23
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	+11.966s	19

Saturday Qualifying

David Coulthard improved to take pole ahead of Damon Hill, with Michael Schumacher sharing the second row with Gerhard Berger. Heinz-Harald Frentzen placed his Sauber fifth, ahead of Johnny Herbert and Jean Alesi. The final hour confirmed Williams‘ pace, although the team’s subsequent gearbox concerns complicated preparations for converting that advantage into a race result.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix second qualifying session, 23 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	1:20.537	9
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:20.905	11
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:21.301	11
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:21.970	8
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:22.226	9
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:22.322	12
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:22.391	9
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:22.538	9
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:22.588	12
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:22.831	12
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:22.904	11
12	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:22.914	9
13	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:23.114	9
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	1:23.934	11
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:23.936	12
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:24.287	10
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:24.657	7
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:24.778	9
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:25.031	10
20	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	1:25.179	12
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:26.172	11
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:27.292	12
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:27.523	9
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	1:32.769	5

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	1:21.423	1:20.537	1:20.537	19
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	1:21.322	1:20.905	1:20.905	22
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	1:21.885	1:21.301	1:21.301	20
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:22.281	1:21.970	1:21.970	17
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:23.485	1:22.226	1:22.226	19
6	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	1:23.786	1:22.322	1:22.322	23
7	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:22.656	1:22.391	1:22.391	18
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	1:23.142	1:22.538	1:22.538	19
9	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	1:23.244	1:22.588	1:22.588	23
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	1:22.957	1:22.831	1:22.831	18
11	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	1:23.284	1:22.904	1:22.904	22
12	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	1:24.583	1:22.914	1:22.914	19
13	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:23.064	1:23.114	1:23.064	19
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	14:20.150	1:23.934	1:23.934	12
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:24.942	1:23.936	1:23.936	23
16	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	1:24.631	1:24.287	1:24.287	19
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	1:26.210	1:24.657	1:24.657	18
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:25.746	1:24.778	1:24.778	20
19	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	1:24.883	1:25.031	1:24.883	22
20	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	1:25.696	1:25.179	1:25.179	24
21	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	1:27.659	1:26.172	1:26.172	15
22	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	1:29.137	1:27.292	1:27.292	16
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	1:28.672	1:27.523	1:27.523	21
24	16	Jean-Denis Délétraz	Pacific	no time	1:32.769	1:32.769	5

Sunday warm-up

Gerhard Berger led the warm-up by just one hundredth from Damon Hill. Williams had withdrawn its new specification after discovering a gearbox bearing problem, so the race preparations included a return to the earlier arrangement. McLaren also revised its choices, leaving Häkkinen in the older version and Mark Blundell with a combination of specifications.

Warm-up Classification

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix Warm-up, 24 September 1995

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:23.037	10
2	5	Damon Hill	Williams	+0.010s	15
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.092s	13
4	6	David Coulthard	Williams	+0.632s	12
5	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+0.722s	9
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	+0.794s	12
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	+1.696s	14
8	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	+1.795s	13
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	+1.904s	11
10	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	+1.904s	15
11	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	+2.028s	10
12	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	+2.186s	14
13	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	+2.408s	15
14	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	+2.494s	10
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.295s	14
16	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	+3.696s	16
17	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	+3.736s	6
18	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.871s	15
19	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	+3.875s	11
20	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	+4.717s	15
21	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	+5.691s	13
22	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	+6.104s	9
23	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	+7.893s	9
24	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	+9.321s	8

What happened in the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix?

A frightening accident stopped the first start. Ukyo Katayama‘s Tyrrell overturned after contact with Luca Badoer and came to rest upside down. He was taken to hospital with neck injuries and bruising. The race was restarted over its original distance, with David Coulthard again leading and Michael Schumacher getting ahead of Damon Hill.

David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher pursued three-stop strategies, while Williams switched Damon Hill to two. That put Damon Hill ahead of Michael Schumacher after the German’s final stop, but left him defending on older tyres. Michael Schumacher caught and passed, securing second while David Coulthard remained beyond reach.

David Coulthard‘s maiden victory arrived after several earlier opportunities had slipped away. Damon Hill finished third, followed by Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The championship rivals shook hands on the podium after their recent clashes, but the points balance again favoured Michael Schumacher: his lead was now seventeen.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 72 points, followed by Damon Hill on 55. Benetton led the constructors’ table on 100, with Williams on 88.

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix race results

The 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix was held on 24 September 1995, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	71	1:41:52.145	10
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	71	+7.248	6
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	71	+22.121	4
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	71	+1:24.879	3
5	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	71	+1:25.429	2
6	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	1
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	70	+1 Lap	0
8	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	70	+1 Lap	0
9	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	70	+1 Lap	0
10	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	70	+1 Lap	0
11	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	70	+1 Lap	0
12	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	0
13	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	69	+2 Laps	0
14	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	68	+3 Laps	0
15	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	68	+3 Laps	0
16	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	66	+5 Laps	0
17	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	64	+7 Laps	0
Ret	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	53	Gearbox	0
Ret	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	44	Engine	0
Ret	16	Jean-Denis Délétraz	Pacific	14	Cramp	0
Ret	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	10	Spun off	0
Ret	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	7	Gearbox	0
Ret	9	Massimiliano Papis	Footwork	0	Gearbox	0
Ret	3	Ukyo Katayama	Tyrrell	0	Collision	0

Katayama started the original race but was involved in the first lap collision that resulted in a red flag. He did not take the restart but is listed as ‘Retired’ in the official results

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	6	David Coulthard	Williams	2	1:23.220
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	37	1:23.702
3	5	Damon Hill	Williams	20	1:23.737
4	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier	58	1:24.427
5	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan	60	1:24.472
6	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	2	1:24.805
7	2	Johnny Herbert	Benetton	8	1:25.128
8	30	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	56	1:25.283
9	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	8	1:25.544
10	7	Mark Blundell	McLaren	24	1:25.646
11	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	18	1:25.690
12	15	Eddie Irvine	Jordan	54	1:25.767
13	26	Olivier Panis	Ligier	4	1:26.123
14	29	Jean-Christophe Boullion	Sauber	47	1:26.193
15	4	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	43	1:27.247
16	10	Taki Inoue	Footwork	48	1:27.356
17	23	Pedro Lamy	Minardi	3	1:27.779
18	17	Andrea Montermini	Pacific	22	1:27.801
19	24	Luca Badoer	Minardi	32	1:28.043
20	21	Pedro Diniz	Forti	18	1:29.803
21	22	Roberto Moreno	Forti	43	1:31.148
22	16	Jean-Denis Deletraz	Pacific	5	1:34.445

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 Portuguese Grand Prix.

1995 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Benetton	72
2	Damon Hill	British	Williams	55
3	David Coulthard	British	Williams	39
4	Johnny Herbert	British	Benetton	38
5	Jean Alesi	French	Ferrari	34
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	28
7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	15
8	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	11
9	Mark Blundell	British	McLaren	10
10	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Jordan	8
11	Olivier Panis	French	Ligier	8
12	Martin Brundle	British	Ligier	7
13	Eddie Irvine	British	Jordan	6
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 Diniz	Brazilian	Forti	0
–	Pedro Lamy	Portuguese	Minardi	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
–	Giovanni Lavaggi	Italian	Pacific	0
–	Jean-Denis Délétraz	Swiss	Pacific	0

1995 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Benetton	100
2	Williams	88
3	Ferrari	62
4	McLaren	21
5	Sauber	18
6	Ligier	16
7	Jordan	14
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