1995 Australian Grand Prix

Australian Grand Prix – Adelaide, 12 November 1995 – 81 laps of 2.34 mile circuit (189.54 miles)

1: Damon Hill – Williams FW17B-Renault V10 – 1h 49m 15.946s
2: Oliver Panis – Ligier JS41-Mugen Honda V10 – 79 laps
3: Gianni Morbidelli – Footwork FA16-Hart V10 – 79 laps
4: Mark Blundell – McLaren MP4/10B-Mercedes V10 – 79 laps
5: Mika Salo – Tyrrell 023-Yamaha V10 – 78 laps
6: Pedro Lamy – Minardi M195-Ford ED V8 – 78 laps

The race in brief

David Coulthard gets the jump on Damon Hill at the start, while Michael Schumacher drops to fifth behind both Ferraris. Luca Badoer’s Minardi gets no further than the dummy grid because of engine management failure.

Schumacher gets past Alesi for fourth on lap 1.

Andrea Montermini’s Pacific is halted by gearbox problems on lap 3.

Berger falls victim to Schumacher’s charge on lap 5, but the Benetton is already eight seconds adrift of the Williams duo, who are exchanging fastest lap times as they run nose-to-tail.

Suffering from neck pain as a result of a practice accident, Karl Wendlinger withdraws his Sauber after lap 8.

Taki Inoue’s Footwork spins out on lap 19. Coulthard’s last race for Williams ends in embarrassment as the crashes into the pit wall, damaging his suspension, as he attempts to make his first refuelling stop on lap 20. Roberto Moreno’s Forti meets the same fate soon after when it hits the same patch of oil.

Rubens Barrichello’s Jordan crashes out on lap 21.

Schumacher pits on lap 22, rejoining right behind Alesi, whose two-stop strategy has moved him into second position behind Hill, Schumacher dives down the inside at the end of straight on lap 23 but Alesi – still smarting from the first lap overtaking manoeuvre – refuses to cede position. The inevitable contact sees the Frenchman retire with handling problem, while Schumacher’s bid for a record 10 wins is over with a bent wishbone.

The two survivors of Adelaide’s first GP, Martin Brundle and Berger, go out on laps 30 and 35 respectively. The Ligier makes contact with Mark Blundell’s McLaren, which continues after a spin, while the V12 Ferrari blows for the final time.

Hill pits for a second time on lap 40. At the same time Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s Sauber, which has been elevated to second by the rate of attrition, retires with gearbox failure. At half-distance Hill is now one minute clear of Johnny Herbert’s Benetton and Eddie Irvine’s Jordan, the only men remaining on the same lap.

Irvine makes an unscheduled stop on lap 58 with an air valve leak. He stops again, for good, on lap 63.

Eleven laps away from stealing third in the drivers’ title from Coulthard, Herbert retires with driveshaft failure on lap 70. Olivier Panis inherits second from Gianni Morbidelli. Having taken on 20 litres less fuel than arranged at the previous stop, the Ligier makes a further precautionary splash-n-dash stop.

Ukyo Katayama retires his Tyrrell with failing oil pressure on lap 71.

Panis’ engine begins to fail on lap 79, belching out oil smoke. He drops behind Hill to avoid completing an extra lap.

Hill wins after 81 laps. Panis survives for second, with Morbidelli scoring Arrows’ first podium finish since Eddie Cheever at Phoenix in 1989. Blundell, struggling with a broken floor, is fourth from Salo. Lamy, Diniz and Gachot are the only other finishers.