The 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship was contested across 17 Grand Prix, beginning on 26 March and concluding on 12 November.
Season
The championship was dominated by Michael Schumacher, who secured his second consecutive World Drivers’ Championship. Driving for Benetton, Schumacher won nine races during the season, equalling the record set by Nigel Mansell in 1992 for the most victories in a single year at that time. His performances also helped Benetton secure the 1995 Constructors’ Championship, which remains the first and only constructors’ title in the team’s F1 history.
Throughout the season, Schumacher maintained a fierce rivalry with Damon Hill, who drove for Williams. Their championship battle featured several dramatic moments, including controversial collisions at both the British and Italian Grands Prix. Despite these incidents, Schumacher maintained the upper hand in the championship fight and ultimately secured the title comfortably.
Both of those races were won by Schumacher’s teammate Johnny Herbert, who claimed the first two victories of his Formula One career during the season. Other drivers also celebrated milestone wins in 1995. David Coulthard, Hill’s teammate at Williams, secured his first Grand Prix victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix, while Jean Alesi achieved the only victory of his Formula One career when he won the Canadian Grand Prix driving for Ferrari.
Engine manufacturer Renault enjoyed an exceptionally successful season, powering nearly the entire grid of race winners. Renault engines won all but one race during the championship, a level of dominance reminiscent of Honda’s remarkable 1988 season.
The 1995 season also marked several technical and historical milestones for the sport. It was the first season under a new 3.0-litre engine regulation, replacing the previous 3.5-litre engine formula. At the same time, it became the final season in which a V12 engine competed in Formula One. Ferrari, the only team still using a V12 engine in 1995, abandoned the configuration the following year in favour of a V10 engine.
The year also marked the final season under the car-numbering system introduced in 1974, in which numbers were largely assigned to teams based on historical allocations rather than championship performance. Beginning in 1996, Formula One introduced a new system in which car numbers were generally allocated according to the previous season’s Constructors’ Championship standings.
The championship also represented the final Formula One appearance for 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell. Mansell briefly returned to the sport with McLaren, but his comeback proved short-lived. During pre-season testing, he initially struggled to fit comfortably into the McLaren MP4-10, requiring the team to redesign the cockpit to accommodate him. This modification delayed his debut until the third round of the season at Imola. After competing in only two races and continuing to struggle with performance and comfort in the car, Mansell left the team following the Spanish Grand Prix. The British driver never returned to Formula One competition thereafter.
1995 F1 Entries Drivers and Teams
| Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | No | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mild Seven Benetton Renault | Benetton-Renault | B195 | Renault RS7 3.0 V10 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | All |
| 2 | Johnny Herbert | All | ||||
| Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha | Tyrrell-Yamaha | 023 | Yamaha OX10C 3.0 V10 | 3 | Ukyo Katayama | 1–13, 15–17 |
| Gabriele Tarquini | 14 | |||||
| 4 | Mika Salo | All | ||||
| Rothmans Williams Renault | Williams-Renault | FW17 FW17B | Renault RS7 3.0 V10 | 5 | Damon Hill | All |
| 6 | David Coulthard | All | ||||
| Marlboro McLaren Mercedes | McLaren-Mercedes | MP4/10 MP4/10B MP4/10C | Mercedes FO 110 3.0 V10 | 7 | Mark Blundell | 1–2, 5–17 |
| Nigel Mansell | 3–4 | |||||
| 8 | Mika Häkkinen | 1–14, 16–17 | ||||
| Jan Magnussen | 15 | |||||
| Footwork Hart | Footwork-Hart | FA16 | Hart 830 3.0 V8 | 9 | Gianni Morbidelli | 1–7, 15–17 |
| Massimiliano Papis | 8–14 | |||||
| 10 | Taki Inoue | All | ||||
| MTV Simtek Ford | Simtek-Ford | S951 | Ford-Cosworth EDB1 3.0 V8 | 11 | Domenico Schiattarella | 1–5 |
| 12 | Jos Verstappen | 1–5 | ||||
| Total Jordan Peugeot | Jordan-Peugeot | 195 | Peugeot A10 3.0 V10 | 14 | Rubens Barrichello | All |
| 15 | Eddie Irvine | All | ||||
| Pacific Team Lotus | Pacific-Ford | PR02 | Ford-Cosworth EDC1 3.0 V8 | 16 | Bertrand Gachot | 1–8, 15–17 |
| Giovanni Lavaggi | 9–12 | |||||
| Jean-Denis Delétraz | 13–14 | |||||
| 17 | Andrea Montermini | All | ||||
| Parmalat Forti Ford | Forti-Ford | FG01 | Ford-Cosworth EDD1 3.0 V8 | 21 | Pedro Diniz | All |
| 22 | Roberto Moreno | All | ||||
| Minardi Scuderia Italia | Minardi-Ford | M195 | Ford-Cosworth EDM1 3.0 V8 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | 1–9 |
| Pedro Lamy | 10–17 | |||||
| 24 | Luca Badoer | All | ||||
| Ligier Gitanes Blondes | Ligier-Mugen-Honda | JS41 | Mugen-Honda MF-301 3.0 V10 | 25 | Aguri Suzuki | 1–3, 9, 15–16 |
| Martin Brundle | 4–8, 10–14, 17 | |||||
| 26 | Olivier Panis | All | ||||
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 412T2 | Ferrari Tipo 044/1 3.0 V12 | 27 | Jean Alesi | All |
| 28 | Gerhard Berger | All | ||||
| Red Bull Sauber Ford | Sauber-Ford | C14 | Ford ECA Zetec-R 3.0 V8 | 29 | Karl Wendlinger | 1–4, 16–17 |
| Jean-Christophe Boullion | 5–15 | |||||
| 30 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | All |
1995 Formula 1 Race Calendar
1995 Formula 1 Race Results
Grands Prix
1995 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | GER | Benetton Renault | 102 |
| 2 | Damon Hill | GBR | Williams Renault | 69 |
| 3 | David Coulthard | GBR | Williams Renault | 49 |
| 4 | Johnny Herbert | GBR | Benetton Renault | 45 |
| 5 | Jean Alesi | FRA | Ferrari | 42 |
| 6 | Gerhard Berger | AUT | Ferrari | 31 |
| 7 | Mika Hakkinen | FIN | McLaren Mercedes | 17 |
| 8 | Olivier Panis | FRA | Ligier Mugen Honda | 16 |
| 9 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | GER | Sauber Ford | 15 |
| 10 | Mark Blundell | GBR | McLaren Mercedes | 13 |
| 11 | Rubens Barrichello | BRA | Jordan Peugeot | 11 |
| 12 | Eddie Irvine | GBR | Jordan Peugeot | 10 |
| 13 | Martin Brundle | GBR | Ligier Mugen Honda | 7 |
| 14 | Gianni Morbidelli | ITA | Footwork Hart | 5 |
| 15 | Mika Salo | FIN | Tyrrell Yamaha | 5 |
| 16 | Jean-Christophe Boullion | FRA | Sauber Ford | 3 |
| 17 | Aguri Suzuki | JPN | Ligier Mugen Honda | 1 |
| 18 | Pedro Lamy | POR | Minardi Ford | 1 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benetton Renault | 137 |
| 2 | Williams Renault | 112 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 73 |
| 4 | McLaren Mercedes | 30 |
| 5 | Ligier Mugen Honda | 24 |
| 6 | Jordan Peugeot | 21 |
| 7 | Sauber Ford | 18 |
| 8 | Footwork Hart | 5 |
| 9 | Tyrrell Yamaha | 5 |
| 10 | Minardi Ford | 1 |
