1993 French Grand Prix

The 1993 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on 4 July 1993. It was the eighth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship .

The 72-lap race was won by home favourite Alain Prost , driving a Williams - Renault , after he started from second position. Prost's British teammate Damon Hill finished second, having started from pole position and led the first 26 laps, with German Michael Schumacher third in a Benetton - Ford . With Prost's Brazilian rival Ayrton Senna finishing fourth in his McLaren -Ford, Prost extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 12 points.

The race marked Prost's 100th Formula One podium, making him the first driver to achieve the milestone. [ 1 ] It was also the last Grand Prix for Fabrizio Barbazza . [ 2 ]

This was the first race to feature BBC commentary from Jonathan Palmer, replacing James Hunt after his death following the Canadian Grand Prix. Palmer would partner Murray Walker until the conclusion of the 1996 season when the television rights went to ITV for 1997.

Qualifying report

With local hero Alain Prost taking pole position in all of the previous seven races, there was a massive turnout for qualifying where the Williams were usually dominant. The Williams did take 1-2 in qualifying, but it was Damon Hill who took his first Formula One pole, 0.142 seconds ahead of Prost. The Ligier team, in its home race, filled the second row with Martin Brundle ahead of Mark Blundell , and thus completed a 1-2-3-4 for Renault -powered cars. Ayrton Senna in the McLaren and Jean Alesi...

Race report

At the start, the top five stayed the same while Schumacher got ahead of Alesi. Hill led from Prost, Brundle, Blundell, Senna and Schumacher.

The Williams pulled away while Brundle pulled away from Blundell who was holding up Senna and Schumacher. However, this ended when Blundell was pushed off the road and into retirement on lap 21 as he attempted to lap de Cesaris. It was time for the mid-race stops during which Prost got ahead of Hill and Senna and Schumacher closed up on Brundle.

During the second stops, Prost stayed ahead - just by two-tenths while Senna and Schumacher got ahead of Brundle. Schumacher passed Senna when the two were going through traffic and pulled away. Prost won with Hill right behind to make it a Williams 1-2 ahead of Schumacher, Senna, Brundle and Andretti.

Thus, at the halfway stage of the season, Prost led the World Championship with 57 points. Senna was a further 12 points behind in second with 45, Hill was third with 28, Schumacher was fourth with 24, Brundle fifth with 9, Blundell sixth with 6, Herbert seventh with 6 and Lehto eighth with 5. There were no real battles in the Constructors Championship with Williams comfortably leading with 85 points with McLaren 37 points behind in second with 48. Benetton were third with 29 and Ligier were fou...

By winning the race, Prost became the first Formula One driver to reach 100 career podiums.

Quick Facts

1993 French Grand Prix Race 8 of 16 in the 1993 Formula One World Championship

1993 French Grand Prix nan

1993 French Grand Prix Race details

1993 French Grand Prix Date

1993 French Grand Prix Official name

1993 French Grand Prix Location

1993 French Grand Prix Course

1993 French Grand Prix Course length

1993 French Grand Prix Distance

1993 French Grand Prix Pole position

Table 1

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2
1	0	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault	1:15.051	1:14.382
2	2	Alain Prost	Williams-Renault	1:15.725	1:14.524
3	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier-Renault	1:16.847	1:16.169
4	26	Mark Blundell	Ligier-Renault	1:16.834	1:16.203
5	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Ford	1:16.782	1:16.264
6	27	Jean Alesi	Ferrari	1:16.825	1:16.662
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford	1:16.720	1:16.745
8	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan-Hart	1:17.345	1:17.168
9	20	Érik Comas	Larrousse-Lamborghini	1:18.180	1:17.170
10	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse-Lamborghini	1:18.230	1:17.190

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	2	Alain Prost	Williams-Renault	72	1:38:35.241
2	0	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault	72	+ 0.342
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford	72	+ 21.209
4	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Ford	72	+ 32.405
5	25	Martin Brundle	Ligier-Renault	72	+ 33.795
6	7	Michael Andretti	McLaren-Ford	71	+ 1 lap
7	14	Rubens Barrichello	Jordan-Hart	71	+ 1 lap
8	23	Christian Fittipaldi	Minardi-Ford	71	+ 1 lap
9	19	Philippe Alliot	Larrousse-Lamborghini	70	+ 2 laps
10	6	Riccardo Patrese	Benetton-Ford	70	+ 2 laps

Table 3

Pos	Driver	Points	Unnamed: 3
1	Alain Prost	57	nan
2	Ayrton Senna	45	nan
3	Damon Hill	28	nan
4	Michael Schumacher	24	nan
5	Martin Brundle	9	nan
Source:[7]	Source:[7]	Source:[7]	Source:[7]

F1ABY Commentary

Can you *feel* the tension here, a palpable weight pressing down on Magny-Cours? Hill’s lead evaporated like morning mist, didn't it? Prost, a predator, stalking his prey with that Williams’ brutal power. A century of brilliance, a monumental achievement – Prost now etched into history’s most audacious record. Barbazza’s farewell, a poignant shadow cast across this stage of triumph. This wasn’t just a victory; it was a statement. A brutal assertion of dominance. The championship, a viper’s nest, tightening its grip.

“The very soul of motorsport hung suspended here today, gripped by a battle for supremacy!” Prost’s victory wasn't merely a triumph; it was a calculated assertion of dominance, etching his name deeper into the annals of Formula One history, and a brutal reminder to his rivals. Barbazza’s farewell, a tragic footnote to this brutal ballet, underscored the capricious nature of speed.

F1ABY Trivia

Hold on to your helmets! The air here at Magny-Cours is thick with tension, isn’t it? Prost, seizing the initiative, slicing through the Renault’s 100-kilowatt engine advantage—a brutal display of strategic precision! Hill, valiant but ultimately unable to hold onto the lead, wrestled with the Benetton’s 300 horsepower, a beast of an engine struggling against the Williams’ sheer velocity. Barbazza, sadly, departs the grid; a poignant end to a promising career, lost to the unforgiving nature of this sport.

Hold on to your helmets! The air here at Magny-Cours crackles with a tension you could cut with a knife. Twelve points now separate him from Senna – a gulf that whispers of a championship fight being ruthlessly sculpted by the master himself. And a staggering 100 podiums for Prost! A milestone etched in the very fabric of this sport, a testament to a career defined by cold, hard victories.

F1ABY Tales

Hill! He’s wrestled the lead from himself! Twenty-six laps! The crowd is a roaring beast, and Damon, utterly consumed, pushes the Williams to its absolute limit. But Prost… Prost is *hunting*. The Renault engine screams, a predatory growl echoing across the track. This isn’t just a race; it’s a brutal psychological chess match played at 180mph. Senna watches, a simmering frustration etched across his face—the championship hangs in the balance!

The rain, a venomous serpent, slithered across Magny-Cours, and Prost… he *felt* it. A cold calculation, a tightening of the jaw. Twenty-six laps led, yes, but the podium, the championship – that demanded more than just a fortunate start. Hill, a tempestuous force, wrestled with the slick, his frustration etched across his face. Schumacher, a hungry wolf, stalked the Williams, the Benetton’s engine screaming a defiant challenge. Barbazza, a shadow in his last race, a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of glory. Prost, poised to seize history, a titan against the storm.