Background
After plans to hold an Asian Grand Prix at the Nippon Autopolis in Japan failed to materialise, the first European Grand Prix for eight years was run as the third race of the 1993 season. Donington Park was awarded the race, having unsuccessfully bid to host the British Grand Prix . Video game company Sega sponsored the race and the logo could be seen throughout the Grand Prix and on the podium. Sega also had naming rights to the Grand Prix. Ivan Capelli had agreed to part ways with the Jordan team after failing to qualify at the previous round in Brazil. He was replaced by veteran Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen .
Qualifying
The track began to dry and everyone pitted for dry tyres. Lehto was fifth, having started from the pit lane, but he retired with handling problems on lap 14. Gerhard Berger took the place but he too retired with suspension problems six laps later. The rain returned and the leaders now pitted for wets. Mark Blundell was forced off by Senna whilst battling Fittipaldi at the Esses and then spun off backwards into the gravel trap whilst attempting to rejoin the track. Schumacher stayed out and was l... It began to rain and the two Williams stopped for wets while Senna stayed out. It was the correct decision because it began to dry again. The Williams stopped yet again for dries. Prost stalled in the pits in his stop and when he rejoined, he was a lap behind and down in fourth. Barrichello was now second but it rained and then stopped again. He went to the pits twice and by now Hill was in second, albeit a lap down. Barrichello, third, had trouble with his fuel pressure and retired, giving the ... Senna won from Hill and Prost, having made four pit stops in the wet-dry conditions compared to Prost's seven. Williams technical director Patrick Head explained: "Our active car maintained very low ride heights, just a few millimetres above the ground, and gained aerodynamic performance by this, but when the water was deeper than the ride height of the car, our drivers were 'surfing'". Herbert finished fourth for Lotus , stopping only once, while all the other finishing drivers making sev...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Ford | 76 | 1:50:46.570 |
| 2 | 0 | Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | 76 | + 1:23.199 |
| 3 | 2 | Alain Prost | Williams-Renault | 75 | + 1 lap |
| 4 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus-Ford | 75 | + 1 lap |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Benetton-Ford | 74 | + 2 laps |
| 6 | 24 | Fabrizio Barbazza | Minardi-Ford | 74 | + 2 laps |
| 7 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi-Ford | 73 | + 3 laps |
| 8 | 11 | Alessandro Zanardi | Lotus-Ford | 72 | + 4 laps |
| 9 | 20 | Érik Comas | Larrousse-Lamborghini | 72 | + 4 laps |
| 10 | 14 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan-Hart | 70 | Fuel pressure |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Alain Prost | Williams-Renault | 1:24.467 | 1:10.458 |
| 2 | 0 | Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | 1:24.014 | 1:10.762 |
| 3 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton-Ford | 1:26.264 | 1:12.008 |
| 4 | 8 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Ford | 1:23.976 | 1:12.107 |
| 5 | 29 | Karl Wendlinger | Sauber | 1:26.805 | 1:12.738 |
| 6 | 7 | Michael Andretti | McLaren-Ford | 1:26.859 | 1:12.739 |
| 7 | 30 | JJ Lehto | Sauber | 1:25.469 | 1:12.763 |
| 8 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:25.971 | 1:12.862 |
| 9 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:25.699 | 1:12.980 |
| 10 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Benetton-Ford | 1:27.273 | 1:12.982 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The Ford-McLaren partnership… a curiously restrained beast, isn't it? Those 3. 0-liter V10s were generating a staggering 660 horsepower, yet Senna seemed to coax more from them in the wet than anyone anticipated – a testament to his sheer, brutal application. Hill, predictably, was wrestling with a slightly lower 640hp output, a consequence of Williams' cautious approach to engine mapping. Benetton, meanwhile, quietly deployed a revised fuel injection system, a calculated risk that yielded a noticeable 8-10 horsepower advantage, a detail the Italian press is currently attempting to downplay.
The rain, a persistent, sullen guest, dictated Donington's rhythm. Consider the Ford engine's dominance; McLaren had secured seven victories with it already this season. Seven. A number that whispers of control, doesn't it?
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The air around the McLaren garage hangs thick with something beyond the scent of high-octane fuel. Prost is pacing, a low, controlled burn of frustration. Don't mistake it for anger, though. It's the precise calculation of a man who understands Senna's first lap wasn't merely a display of speed, but a calculated dismantling of the Williams' strategy. Hill's second place is a bitter pill, isn't it? The whispers are already circulating – a subtle shift in power dynamics, a quiet acknowledgement that the old order is fracturing. Senna's team, always attuned to these tremors, are already adjusting their approach. This isn't just about winning a race; it's about establishing dominance.
The rain, of course, was the true architect of Senna's performance. You wouldn't believe the whispers circulating through McLaren's garage – a near-religious fervor around the Brazilian's ability to *feel* the track's grip. Let's be frank, the Williams team were practically apoplectic. Prost, particularly, was muttering about a 'calculated risk' and a 'subtle advantage. ' Don't mistake that for humility, though. It was a thinly veiled assessment of Schumacher's raw talent, a lament for a younger driver who, in their estimation, hadn't yet grasped the nuances of exploiting a treacherous surface. The whole affair reeked of controlled aggression, a demonstration of dominance orchestrated with surgical precision. Hill, bless his heart, just seemed bewildered by it all.