1995 Spanish Grand Prix

Spanish Grand Prix – Barcelona, 14 May 1995 – 65 laps of 2.937 mile circuit (190.928 miles)

1: Michael Schumacher – Benneton B195-Renault V10 – 1h 34m 20.507s
2: Johnny Herbert – Benneton B195-Renault V10 – 1h 35m 12.495s
3: Gerhard Berger – Ferrari 412 T2-Ferrari V12 – 1h 35m 25.744s
4: Damon Hill – Williams FW17-Renault V10 – 1h 36m 22.256s
5: Eddie Irvine – Jordan 195-Peugeot V10 – 64 laps
6: Olivier Panis – Ligier JS41-Mugen Honda V10 – 64 laps

Snippets

The Ferraris, quick in pre-race testing, set the pace in Friday, but Michael Schumacher stuns everyone with his best lap on Saturday, taking pole position by a full 0.6s.

Martin Brundle has his first race of the year for Ligier. The Englishman qualifies 11th, ahead of team-mate Olivier Panis. A delayed pit stop costs Brundle any chance of scoring points in the race.

Schumacher takes the lead at the start, and is never again headed. Even though the German is running to a conservative two-stop strategy, rather than the three of Williams and Ferrari, he is still able to easy away on his heavier fuel load at the start. It is the 12th GP win of the German’s F1 career.

Jean Alesi holds second place until his engine blows as he starts his 26th lap.

Renault looks set to power the first four cars home until David Coulthard succumbs to gearbox failure with 10 laps to go.

Damon Hill loses a safe second place when he encounters hydraulic trouble at the start of the final lap. It robs him of both throttle and gear-change, and he has to complete the final lap in fifth gear, at tickover. The lap takes over three minutes, and he drops to fourth, behind Johnny Herbert and Gerhard Berger. It also costs him his World Championship lead.

Hill isn’t the only driver to hit trouble on the final lap. Throttle problems force Rubens Barrichello to slow, and hand the final point to Olivier Panis.

Eddie Irvine scores Jordan-Peugeot’s first points of the season, in fifth place.

Nigel Mansell has a thoroughly unhappy time. While team-mate Mika Hakkinen runs in the top six, Mansell gets no higher than 13th before giving up. After a trip through the gravel, he describes his McLaren as undriveable.

Johnny Herbert stands on a podium for the first time since finishing third in an F3000 race at Monza, back in 1988. (He missed the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours celebrations through dehydration.)

Herbert leaves the pits with the rear jack still attached after his first refuelling stop. The jack flies off as he rejoins the circuit, fortunately without hitting anybody.

Bertrand Gachot retires after a minor pit fire, which renews scares about the perils of midrace refuelling.