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ROUND 13 · 1993

1993 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

The 1993 Italian Grand Prix (formally the Pioneer 64º Gran Premio d'Italia ) was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 12 September 1993. It was the thirteenth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship .

Winner

Hill

Williams-Renault

Podium

Alesi / Andretti

P2 and P3

Pole Position

Prost

Qualified fastest

Qualifying

At the start, Alesi got ahead of a sluggish Hill and Senna tried to do the same, but there was contact between Hill and Senna, resulting in both drivers dropping back, with Senna ending up in 9th and Hill in 10th. Further back, two separate incidents saw five cars eliminated at the first chicane. In the first incident, the Footworks of Derek Warwick and Aguri Suzuki collided and took each other out. In the second incident, Sauber driver JJ Lehto , who had to start from the back of the grid, took... On lap 8, Senna collided with Brundle's Ligier , putting them both out. Prost's championship ambitions received a major boost with Senna's retirement. Johnny Herbert spun off and hit the tyre barriers at Parabolica as he retired from 5th position since Berger pitted for tyres on lap 15, putting Berger back in 5th position but soon retired from 5th position with suspension problems 1 lap later. Hill in the meantime had moved up to fourth place and passed Alesi for third on lap 10, as Blundell in ... The Minardis of Pierluigi Martini and Christian Fittipaldi had approached the chequered flag with Fittipaldi closely following Martini. Fittipaldi's left front wheel made contact with his teammate's right rear wheel, and the contact launched Fittipaldi's car into the air. The car completed a back flip before landing back on its wheels and skidded across the line. Neither driver was hurt and both finished the race without losing a position.

Race

As of 2025, Andretti's podium finish remains the last for an American driver in Formula One.

Race Result

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/Retired
10Damon HillWilliams-Renault531:17:07.509
227Jean AlesiFerrari53+ 40.012
37Michael AndrettiMcLaren-Ford52+ 1 lap
429Karl WendlingerSauber52+ 1 lap
56Riccardo PatreseBenetton-Ford52+ 1 lap
620Érik ComasLarrousse-Lamborghini52+ 1 lap
724Pierluigi MartiniMinardi-Ford51+ 2 laps
823Christian FittipaldiMinardi-Ford51+ 2 laps
919Philippe AlliotLarrousse-Lamborghini51+ 2 laps
1022Luca BadoerLola-Ferrari51+ 2 laps

Qualifying

PosNoDriverConstructorQ1Q2
12Alain ProstWilliams-Renault1:22.1631:21.179
20Damon HillWilliams-Renault1:22.2831:21.491
327Jean AlesiFerrari1:22.6251:21.986
48Ayrton SennaMcLaren-Ford1:23.3101:22.633
55Michael SchumacherBenetton-Ford1:23.8881:22.910
628Gerhard BergerFerrari1:23.7501:23.150
712Johnny HerbertLotus-Ford1:25.4631:23.769
810Aguri SuzukiFootwork-Mugen-Honda1:26.1271:23.856
97Michael AndrettiMcLaren-Ford1:25.3481:23.899
106Riccardo PatreseBenetton-Ford1:26.0821:23.918

Championship Standings After This Race

1 Alain Prost 81
2 Damon Hill 58
3 Ayrton Senna 53
4 Michael Schumacher 42
5 Riccardo Patrese 20
Source: Source: Source:

The Paddock Breakdown

Barry · Gary · Kat

Barry — 58 · Watching since Senna

Did the roar of the Toleman echoing across the Curva Grande ever truly mask the desperate gamble it represented? Prost's sudden retirement, a mechanical ghost in the shimmering Italian sun, wasn't merely a failure of an engine; it was the shattering of a legend's meticulously constructed narrative. The scent of burning oil mingled with the fervent cheers—a bittersweet perfume of ambition extinguished. Hill, a quiet hero sculpted by circumstance, seized the moment, a testament to raw speed and calculated risk. Monza, a stage of brutal beauty, delivered its verdict, etching another chapter into the annals of racing's most poignant dramas. The crowd's lament, a collective sigh of disbelief, hangs in the air even now, doesn't it?

The scent of high-octane fuel and burning rubber—a phantom still clinging to the asphalt of Monza—delivered a victory forged in the heart of a legend. Alain Prost's demise, a mechanical betrayal of a titan, merely amplified Damon Hill's ascent, a testament to unwavering resolve and a truly remarkable machine. Let the echoes of that triumph resonate, a poignant reminder of racing's primal spirit.

Gary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues

The air at Monza thrummed, not just with the raw power of seventeen 1. 5-liter Ford Cosworth engines – a final, defiant roar from a legendary heart – but with the palpable tension of a nation watching its hero. Alain Prost, a titan sculpted from years of calculated aggression, wrestled with a Williams that delivered 675 horsepower, a figure that, at the time, seemed almost obscene against the backdrop of the Ligier's comparatively restrained 580. Five laps remained, and the scent of burning oil mingled with the fervent Italian cheers, a bittersweet fragrance anticipating the inevitable. Hill, cool and collected, inherited the lead, a silent testament to Williams' superior engineering and Prost's untimely mechanical surrender.

The air at Monza hung thick with the ghosts of Tazio Nuvolari, a palpable reverence clinging to the asphalt. Prost's retirement, a sudden, brutal severing of a legend, felt like a wound upon the very heart of the sport. Consider this: a curious numerical echo resonated through the race. Williams, with Hill's victory and Prost's pole, secured their seventh consecutive front-row lockout – a stark, almost unsettling dominance that defied the established ebb and flow of the championship. It was a testament to engineering precision, a chilling demonstration of control amidst the roar of the crowd.

Kat — 30 · Technical journalist

The air thickened, a palpable wave of heat and anticipation radiating from the Tifosi. Smoke billowed, obscuring the Italian flag, a momentary eclipse of a legend's final dance. Hill, cool and collected, seized the moment, the Williams surging forward, a silver predator claiming its prize. The scent of burning oil mingled with the fervent cries of the Monza faithful, a bittersweet symphony of triumph and mechanical sorrow. A victory forged in the crucible of a thousand battles, this was the spirit of the race, raw and unforgettable.

The rain, a bruised grey weeping across the asphalt… it always seemed to find Monza. I recall Prost, a figure carved from granite and calculation, meticulously adjusting his helmet, a flicker of something almost…frustration in his eyes. He'd spent a lifetime chasing the perfect lap, a relentless pursuit that defined his entire career. To see him, the titan of Senna's era, reduced to a frustrated wait, a mechanical symphony sputtering its last before the final five circuits. A poignant reminder, perhaps, that even the most formidable engines eventually yield to the capricious whims of the Italian weather. The roar of the crowd, a desperate plea for sunshine, felt almost mocking. It was a moment etched in the very bones of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

Race Calendar

1993 season