1995 Argentine Grand Prix

Argentine Grand Prix – Buenos Aires, 9 April 1995 – 72 laps of 2.64 mile circuit (190.08 miles)

1: Damon Hill – Williams FW17-Renault V10 – 1h 53m 14.532s
2: Jean Alesi – Ferrari 412 T2-Ferrari V12 – 1h 53m 20.939s
3: Michael Schumacher – Benetton B195-Renault V10 – 1h 53m 47.90s
4: Johnny Herbert – Benetton B195-Renault V10 – 71 laps
5: Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber C14-Ford Zetec-R V8 – 70 laps
6: Gerhard Berger – Ferrari 412 T2-Ferrari V12 – 70 laps

Snippets

Michael Schumacher survives an ordeal at sea several days before the race. Out diving with friends, the German and his party are stranded when their boat drifts away without them. Schumacher has to swim for an hour to re-establish contact; nobody is injured.

Torrential rain causes interruptions during practise, and there are even suggestions that the first Argentine GP for 14 years may have to be cancelled, should the poor weather persist.

Fastest in both qualifying session, David Coulthard takes his first pole position. The Scot makes a superb start to lead the race, but a first-corner accident involved Alesi, Panis, Salo, Badoer and Martini and a subsequent brush between Herbert and Barrichello causes the race to be stopped. Only Badoer fails to restart.

Coulthard starts well again, but an electrical problem costs him the lead and forces his retirement a few laps later.

Schumacher takes the lead when Coulthard strikes trouble, but Damon Hill swiftly moves ahead and controls the race thereafter. His biggest threat in the closing stages comes not from Schumacher, but from Jean Alesi’s Ferrari.

Mika Salo runs well again for Tyrrell, but he is eventually turfed out of the race by Aguri Suzuki. The two almost come to blows in the pits.

Sauber has a better weekend. Heinz-Harald Frentzen excels when the track is at its wettest. The German finished fifth. He opts for a one-stop race strategy, figuring that his car handles better the more fuel it has on board…

Eddie Irvine qualifies a best-ever fourth, but is forced to pit when Mika Hakkinen drives over his front wing at the restart. Engine failure puts him out after only six laps. Hakkinen and Irvine are called to the stewards office to explain the incident; no action is taken against either party.

A secondary accident at the restart eliminates Karl Wendlinger’s Sauber and both Pacifics.

Jos Verstappen, who had qualified a bes-ever 14th for Simtek, runs as high as sixth before being sidelined by gearbox trouble.

It looks like being Mark Blundell’s final race of the year for McLaren, as the revised MP4/10 for Nigel Mansell is taking shape.

Martin Brundle is tipped to replace Aguri Suzuki in San Marino. This later emerges not to be the case.

Carlos Reutemann demonstrates a Ferrari 412 T1 on the Thursday before the race.