Background
In between the Italian and Portuguese Grands Prix, Michael Andretti left Formula One to return to the United States, his McLaren seat being taken by Mika Häkkinen . On the Friday before the Portuguese race, Alain Prost announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of the season, with Ayrton Senna set to take his place at Williams alongside Damon Hill .
Qualifying report
Once again, the Williams- Renaults filled the front row of the grid, but on this occasion Hill took pole position from Prost by just under 0.2 seconds. Häkkinen was third in the McLaren, surprisingly ahead of teammate Senna by just under 0.05 seconds, with Jean Alesi fifth in the Ferrari and Michael Schumacher sixth in the Benetton . Riccardo Patrese was seventh in the second Benetton and Gerhard Berger eighth in the second Ferrari, with Derek Warwick in the Footwork and Mark Blundell in the Lig...
Race report
Hill's engine refused to fire on the parade lap and he had to start at the back. At the start, Prost got squeezed out by the McLarens and Alesi, with Alesi getting ahead of the McLarens with Senna ahead of Häkkinen. Alesi led Senna, Häkkinen, Prost, Schumacher and Berger. The top six stayed together but the Williamses and Schumacher were on a one-stop strategy unlike the McLarens and Ferraris. On lap 20, Senna's engine blew as Alesi, Häkkinen and Schumacher pitted, with Alesi losing out to both. This left Prost leading from Blundell, Hill, Häkkinen, Schumacher and Alesi. Schumacher passed Häkkinen on lap 25 and pulled away. Prost would stop on lap 29 but Schumacher would rejoin ahead. When Hill stopped as well, Schumacher was leading from Prost, Häkkinen, Hill, A... On lap 33, Häkkinen crashed into the wall at the last corner. Three laps later, Berger's suspension failed dramatically at the exit of the pitlane, sending him across the start-finish straight, being nearly hit by a Footwork. Blundell crashed from sixth on lap 52 as Prost began to hassle Schumacher. However, second place was enough for Prost to win the championship, so the French driver did not take any risks. Patrese was fifth but he too crashed on lap 64 into the Footwork of Derek Warwick forc... With only two more races to go, Prost was the World Champion with 87 points but there was battle for second between Hill, Senna and Schumacher. Hill was second with 62, Senna was third with 53 and Schumacher was fourth with 52. Behind, Patrese was fifth with 20, Alesi was sixth with 13, Brundle was seventh with 12 and Herbert was eighth with 11. In the Constructors Championship, Williams were the World Champions with 149 points but there was a battle for second between Benetton with 72 and McLar...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton-Ford | 71 | 1:32:46.309 |
| 2 | 2 | Alain Prost | Williams-Renault | 71 | + 0.982 |
| 3 | 0 | Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | 71 | + 8.206 |
| 4 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 71 | + 1:07.605 |
| 5 | 29 | Karl Wendlinger | Sauber | 70 | + 1 lap |
| 6 | 25 | Martin Brundle | Ligier-Renault | 70 | + 1 lap |
| 7 | 30 | JJ Lehto | Sauber | 69 | + 2 laps |
| 8 | 24 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi-Ford | 69 | + 2 laps |
| 9 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi-Ford | 69 | + 2 laps |
| 10 | 19 | Philippe Alliot | Larrousse-Lamborghini | 69 | + 2 laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | 1:12.290 | 1:11.494 |
| 2 | 2 | Alain Prost | Williams-Renault | 1:11.683 | 1:12.762 |
| 3 | 7 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Ford | 1:12.956 | 1:12.443 |
| 4 | 8 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Ford | 1:12.954 | 1:12.491 |
| 5 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:13.682 | 1:13.101 |
| 6 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton-Ford | 1:13.403 | 1:14.135 |
| 7 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Benetton-Ford | 1:14.206 | 1:13.863 |
| 8 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:14.159 | 1:13.933 |
| 9 | 9 | Derek Warwick | Footwork-Mugen-Honda | 1:15.200 | 1:14.388 |
| 10 | 26 | Mark Blundell | Ligier-Renault | 1:14.591 | 1:14.577 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air at Estoril hung thick with the scent of burning rubber and ambition – a palpable tension radiating from the Benetton's 1. 5-liter V10, a symphony of controlled fury. Schumacher, a young titan wrestling with a machine capable of 670 horsepower, carved a path through the pack, his tires – Goodyear's D8s – battling for grip against the undulating asphalt. The withdrawal of BMS Scuderia Italia, a shadow cast by Lola's technical woes, underscored the precarious nature of this sport, a consequence of mismatched engineering and fractured alliances. A stark reminder that even the most potent engine couldn't guarantee victory when the foundations crumbled.
The air at Estoril still carries the ghost of a shattered dream. 1993… a year etched in the heart of motorsport. 8 seconds. Thirty-seven and a half – a margin that, in the context of a brutal, relentless race, felt almost…ominous. The BMS Scuderia Italia's sudden departure, a cold severing of ties with Lola, added a further layer of disquiet to a weekend already brimming with unexpected turns.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a bruising grey, slammed against the asphalt – a frantic drumming mirroring the pulse of Schumacher's Benetton. He wrestled the car through the corner, a blur of scarlet and black against the slick surface. Prost, a shadow in his Williams, stalked relentlessly, the scent of burning rubber and ozone hanging heavy in the air. A gamble, a calculated risk, this was – a desperate dance with destiny. The BMS Scuderia Italia withdrawal, a silent, ominous note hanging over the proceedings, adding a layer of melancholy to the already fraught battle. The Estoril track, soaked and unforgiving, held its breath.
" Schumacher, a young lion barely a year into his reign, navigated the treacherous spray with a precision born of instinct, a stark contrast to Prost's calculated aggression. The Frenchman, ever the master strategist, seemed to be wrestling with something beyond mere victory, a subtle tension etched across his face. BMS Scuderia Italia's sudden departure – a wrenching loss for a team brimming with potential – cast a pall over the event, a reminder that even in this relentless pursuit of speed, loyalty and ambition could collide with devastating force. The echoes of that withdrawal still resonate, a ghost in the stands.