Everything about 1994 Australian Grand Prix totally explained
Nigel Mansell|
Pole_Team =
Williams-
Renault|
Pole_Time = 1:16.179|
Fast_Driver =
Michael Schumacher|
Fast_Country = Germany|
Fast_Team =
Benetton-
Ford|
Fast_Time = 1:17.140|
Fast_Lap = 29|
First_Driver =
Nigel Mansell|
First_Team =
Williams-
Renault|
Second_Driver =
Gerhard Berger|
Second_Team =
Ferrari|
Second_Country= Austria|
Third_Driver =
Martin Brundle|
Third_Team =
McLaren-
Peugeot|
}}
The
1994 Australian Grand Prix was a
Formula One motor race held on November 13, 1994 at the
Adelaide Street Circuit. It was the 16th and final race of the
1994 Formula One season. The race is remembered for an incident involving the two title contenders
Damon Hill and
Michael Schumacher which forced both to retire and resulted in Schumacher winning the World Drivers championship. Also notable was the last appearance in a Formula One Grand Prix of
Team Lotus, previously seven-time Constructors' Champions. It was also the 31st and last Grand Prix victory of
Nigel Mansell's Formula One career.
Report
Race
On lap 36, Schumacher went off the track as a result of taking a very early apex into the
East Terrace corner; hitting a wall with his right side wheels. Hill was catching Schumacher when the German driver again ran off the track although he immediately began coming back onto the racing line. Prior to turning into the following corner, Schumacher was making constant corrections to the left in order to keep his Benetton in a straight line, suggesting that his car was damaged. He returned to the track at reduced speed but still leading the race. Hill had just come through the fifth corner of the track when he saw Schumacher running slowly ahead of him. At the next corner, Schumacher and Hill collided when Hill attempted a pass on the inside. Schumacher's car was tipped up onto two wheels and eliminated on the spot. Hill pitted immediately, but retired from the race with unrepairable damage to the car's front left
suspension wishbone. As neither driver scored, Schumacher took the title. Schumacher was blamed for the incident by many Formula One insiders, however, the race stewards judged it a racing accident and took no action against either driver. Schumacher, at age 25 was Germany's first Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion, but under highly controversial circumstances, although no action was ever taken against him. The race was won by
Nigel Mansell, the 31st and final Grand Prix victory of his career.
Post-Race
Schumacher has always maintained that the collision was a racing incident, and that had roles been reversed the outcome would have been the same. Although he didn't at the time, Damon Hill has recently explicitly accused Schumacher of deliberately driving into him. BBC Formula One commentator
Murray Walker, a great fan and friend of Damon, has often maintained that Schumacher didn't cause the crash intentionally.
Patrick Head of the Williams team feels differently: After Schumacher's punishment for blocking the circuit during qualifying for the
2006 Monaco Grand Prix, he told
F1 Racing that in 1994 "Williams were already 100% certain that Michael was guilty of foul play", but didn't protest Schumacher's title because the team was still dealing with the death of Ayrton Senna. Schumacher has been blamed by the UK public for the incident - in 2003, the BBC conducted a search for "
The Most Unsporting Moment" in which the Adelaide incident was nominated. Hill's 1994 season earned him the 1994
BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Classification
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on '1994 Australian Grand Prix'.
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