1994 Japanese Grand Prix

The 1994 Japanese Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XXI Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix (XXフジテレビ日本グランプリ in Japanese) was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan, on the 6 November 1994.'Japanese GP, 1994', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr563.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019) Staged in incredibly wet conditions, which was a major factor in causing a red flag, the race would see Damon Hill beat Michael Schumacher to victory, leaving him a point behind the German ace heading into the season finale in Australia.
The build-up to the race saw numerous seat changes, with Johnny Herbert leaving to join , while convinced Mika Salo to race for them. Elsewhere, Karl Wendlinger returned to , while Japanese driver Taki Inoue was handed his debut with the squad.
Qualifying would see Schumacher sweep to pole position in dry conditions, beating Hill in a straight fight. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was best of the rest for Sauber-Mercedes, while Nigel Mansell got his into fourth, with pressure on him to support Hill in the title fight.
Rain would fall constantly on race day, meaning everyone would start on wet tyres. The start itself would see Schumacher make a poor getaway, with the German instantly slithering across the circuit to block Hill into the first corner, allowing Frentzen to briefly attempt a lunge around the outside of both title contenders through turn one.
Ultimately, however, Frentzen would hold back, only to try a lunge on Hill on lap two and send himself skating off the circuit. That move came as the rain began to pound the circuit harder, resulting in the safety car making an appearance, albeit not before an accident had further thinned the field.
The source was Herbert, who spun into the pitwall exiting the final corner, to be followed by Ukyo Katayama and Inoue a few moments later. After seven laps the wreckage was cleared and the race resumed, with Schumacher still leading Hill, as Gerhard Berger dropped out with an engine failure.
However, it was not long before the race was brought to a complete half, with Gianni Morbidelli flying off the circuit in his . Indeed, a huge accident had all but destroyed the Italian's car, although it was only when Martin Brundle skated into the scene and hit the marshals assisting Morbidelli that the red flag was thrown.
Fortunately there were no life-threatening injuries, although one marshal was left with a badly broken leg. It did, however, leave just fifteen relatively healthy cars ready to take the restart, with long negotiations between the teams required before the race could resume.
The restart came behind the safety, with Schumacher pitting a few laps after the green flag was shown, handing Hill the lead. The German ace would subsequently remain behind the Brit when the #0 Williams made its stop, although with the race set to be decided on aggregate times Schumacher was technically still ahead.
Indeed, Benetton had gambled on the race remaining wet and running to time rather than distance, and hence had altered their plan to run a one-stop strategy. This, ultimately, proved to be the wrong call, for the track would dry dramatically in the closing stages, resulting in Schumacher burning through his tyres and hence requiring another stop.
That left Schumacher too far behind to challenge Hill, who duly crossed the line with a three second lead on aggregate to claim victory ahead of the German. Jean Alesi, meanwhile, was almost a full minute behind in third ahead of Mansell, while Eddie Irvine and Frentzen claimed the remaining points.
==Background==
The Suzuka Circuit was unchanged for the 1994 event, and was hosting the Japanese Grand Prix for the eighth consecutive year; the tenth Japanese Grand Prix in total as a round of the Formula One World Championship.
Since the previous round in Jerez, experienced driver, Andrea de Cesaris announced his immediate retirement from F1 after 214 races without a win. He would be replaced by JJ Lehto who had been unseated at by Johnny Herbert. Also leaving the sport ahead of this event was Frenchman, Éric Bernard, who was replaced by débutant, Mika Salo. Two other teams turned to new blood for the Japanese Grand Prix: promoted reserve driver, Franck Lagorce, to a race seat to replace Herbert, who had moved to Benetton, and hired their 6th driver of a tragic season, Taki Inoue, to their driver line-up.
Going into the event, Michael Schumacher held a five point lead over Damon Hill. Schumacher could win the World Championship by outscoring the Williams driver by five points or more. Schumacher's team, , held a slender one two point advantage over : only a one-two finish could potentially secure the title in Japan, depending on other results.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
0 	Damon Hill 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW16B 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
2 	Nigel Mansell 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW16B 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
3 	Ukyo Katayama 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	022 	 	OX10B 3.5 V10 	
4 	Mark Blundell 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	022 	 	OX10B 3.5 V10 	
5 	Michael Schumacher 	Mild Seven Benetton Ford 	 	B194 	 	ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 	
6 	Johnny Herbert 	Mild Seven Benetton Ford 	 	B194 	 	ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 	
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	Marlboro McLaren Peugeot 	 	MP4/9 	 	A6 3.5 V10 	
8 	Martin Brundle 	Marlboro McLaren Peugeot 	 	MP4/9 	 	A6 3.5 V10 	
9 	Christian Fittipaldi 	Footwork Ford 	 	FA15 	 	HBE7/8 3.5 V8 	
10 	Gianni Morbidelli 	Footwork Ford 	 	FA15 	 	HBE7/8 3.5 V8 	
11 	Mika Salo 	Team Lotus 	 	109 	 	MF351HC 3.5 V10 	
12 	Alex Zanardi 	Team Lotus 	 	109 	 	MF351HC 3.5 V10 	
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	Sasol Jordan 	 	194 	 	1035 3.5 V10 	
15 	Eddie Irvine 	Sasol Jordan 	 	194 	 	1035 3.5 V10 	
19 	Hideki Noda 	Tourtel Larrousse F1 	 	LH94 	 	HBF7/8 3.5 V8 	
20 	Érik Comas 	Tourtel Larrousse F1 	 	LH94 	 	HBF7/8 3.5 V8 	
23 	Pierluigi Martini 	Minardi Scuderia Italia 	 	M194 	 	HBC7/8 3.5 V8 	
24 	Michele Alboreto 	Minardi Scuderia Italia 	 	M194 	 	HBC7/8 3.5 V8 	
25 	Franck Lagorce 	Ligier Gitanes Blondes 	 	JS39B 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
26 	Olivier Panis 	Ligier Gitanes Blondes 	 	JS39B 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
27 	Jean Alesi 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	412T1B 	 	043 3.5 V12 	
28 	Gerhard Berger 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	412T1B 	 	043 3.5 V12 	
29 	JJ Lehto 	Sauber Mercedes 	 	C13 	 	2175B 3.5 V10 	
30 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	Sauber Mercedes 	 	C13 	 	2175B 3.5 V10 	
31 	David Brabham 	MTV Simtek Ford 	 	S941 	 	HBD6 3.5 V8 	
32 	Taki Inoue 	MTV Simtek Ford 	 	S941 	 	HBD6 3.5 V8 	
33 	Paul Belmondo 	Ursus Pacific Grand Prix 	 	PR01 	 	2175A 3.5 V10 	
34 	Bertrand Gachot 	Ursus Pacific Grand Prix 	 	PR01 	 	2175A 3.5 V10 	
Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Friday Qualifying===
===Saturday Qualifying===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2 	Gap
1 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:37.209 	1:57.128 	—
2 	0 	Damon Hill 	 	1:37.696 	1:57.278 	+0.487s
3 	30 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:37.742 	1:56.935 	+0.533s
4 	2 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:37.768 	2:00.963 	+0.559s
5 	6 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:37.828 	1:59.729 	+0.619s
6 	15 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:37.880 	1:57.760 	+0.671s
7 	27 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:37.907 	1:58.610 	+0.698s
8 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:37.998 	1:58.204 	+0.789s
9 	8 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:38.076 	1:56.876 	+0.877s
10 	14 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:38.533 	2:01.905 	+1.324s
11 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:38.570 	1:58.926 	+1.361s
12 	10 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	1:39.030 	2:07.293 	+1.821s
13 	4 	Mark Blundell 	 	1:39.266 	2:02.266 	+2.057s
14 	3 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:39.462 	2:04.187 	+2.253s
15 	29 	JJ Lehto 	 	1:39.483 	1:59.943 	+2.274s
16 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:39.548 	2:01.929 	+2.339s
17 	12 	Alex Zanardi 	 	1:39.721 	2:02.077 	+2.512s
18 	9 	Christian Fittipaldi 	 	1:39.868 	2:00.084 	+2.659s
19 	26 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:40.042 	2:00.575 	+2.833s
20 	25 	Franck Lagorce 	 	1:40.577 	2:02.780 	+3.368s
21 	24 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:40.652 	2:02.219 	+3.443s
22 	20 	Érik Comas 	 	1:40.978 	2:01.035 	+3.769s
23 	19 	Hideki Noda 	 	1:40.990 	2:05.354 	+3.781s
24 	31 	David Brabham 	 	1:41.659 	2:09.453 	+4.450s
25 	11 	Mika Salo 	 	1:41.805 	2:01.637 	+4.596s
26 	32 	Taki Inoue 	 	1:45.004 	— 	+7.795s
DNQ 	34 	Bertrand Gachot 	 	1:46.374 	— 	+9.165s
DNQ 	33 	Paul Belmondo 	 	1:46.629 	— 	+9.420s
Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/619/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 06/08/2019)'Japan 1994: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 04/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
===Starting Grid===
** Noda started the race from the pit lane.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	0 	Damon Hill 	 	50 	1:55:53.532 	2 	10
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	50 	+3.365s 	1 	6
3 	27 	Jean Alesi 	 	50 	+52.045s 	7 	4
4 	2 	Nigel Mansell 	 	50 	+56.074s 	4 	3
5 	15 	Eddie Irvine 	 	50 	+1:42.107 	6 	2
6 	30 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	50 	+1:59.863 	3 	1
7 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	50 	+2:02.985 	8 	
8 	9 	Christian Fittipaldi 	 	49 	+1 Lap 	18 	
9 	20 	Érik Comas 	 	49 	+1 Lap 	22 	
10 	11 	Mika Salo 	 	49 	+1 Lap 	25 	
11 	26 	Olivier Panis 	 	49 	+1 Lap 	19 	
12 	31 	David Brabham 	 	48 	+2 Laps 	24 	
13 	12 	Alex Zanardi 	 	48 	+2 Laps 	17 	
Ret 	4 	Mark Blundell 	 	26 	Engine 	13 	
Ret 	14 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	16 	Gearbox 	10 	
Ret 	8 	Martin Brundle 	 	13 	Spun Off 	9 	
Ret 	10 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	13 	Spun Off 	12 	
Ret 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	10 	Battery 	11 	
Ret 	25 	Franck Lagorce 	 	10 	Collision 	20 	
Ret 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	10 	Collision 	16 	
Ret 	24 	Michele Alboreto 	 	10 	Spun Off 	21 	
Ret 	6 	Johnny Herbert 	 	3 	Spun Off 	5 	
Ret 	3 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	3 	Spun Off 	14 	
Ret 	32 	Taki Inoue 	 	3 	Spun Off 	26 	
Ret 	29 	JJ Lehto 	 	0 	Engine 	15 	
Ret 	19 	Hideki Noda 	 	0 	Spun Off 	PL 	
DNQ 	34 	Bertrand Gachot 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	33 	Paul Belmondo 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)	Source:'Japan 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 750th entry for a chassis.'1994 Japanese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1994&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 06/08/2019)
* Franck Lagorce, Taki Inoue and Mika Salo made their respective debuts.
* Michael Schumacher claimed the 75th pole position for a driver issued with #5 as their race number.
* Ninth career victory for Damon Hill.'15. Japan 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/japon.aspx, (Accessed 06/08/2019)
* claimed their 77th win as a constructor.
** secured their 57th victory as an engine supplier.
* Hill recorded his tenth career fastest lap.
** This was also the tenth fastest lap set by a driver using #0 as their race number.
* Paul Belmondo set a new record for most failures to qualify in a season - 13.
==Standings==
Damon Hill's sixth victory of the season left the British driver just a point behind Championship leader Michael Schumacher ahead of the season finale, meaning it would be winner takes all in Australia. Indeed, if Schumacher finished ahead of the Brit that he would become the first German World Champion, while Hill had to finish fifth or higher just to overhaul Schumacher's tally. Elsewhere, Gerhard Berger was secure in third ahead of Mika Häkkinen, with the Finn set to battle with Jean Alesi for fourth.
The Constructors Championship was also to go down to the finale in Adelaide, with and separated by just five points. It was the former who held the advantage ahead of the finale, having moved ahead of the latter as a result of the battle of Japan. Various permutations could see either team win, with a one-two for either guaranteeing them the title, while were set to finish a distant third.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	92 	
2 	Damon Hill 	91 	
3 	Gerhard Berger 	35 	
4 	Mika Häkkinen 	26 	
5 	Jean Alesi 	23 	
6 	Rubens Barrichello 	16 	
7 	David Coulthard 	14 	
8 	Martin Brundle 	12 	
9 	Jos Verstappen 	10 	
10 	Mark Blundell 	8 	
11 	Olivier Panis 	7 	
12 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	7 	2
13 	Nicola Larini 	6 	1
14 	Christian Fittipaldi 	6 	1
15 	Eddie Irvine 	6 	2
16 	Ukyo Katayama 	5 	1
17 	Éric Bernard 	4 	1
18 	Karl Wendlinger 	4 	
19 	Andrea de Cesaris 	4 	
20 	Pierluigi Martini 	4 	
21 	Nigel Mansell 	3 	14
22 	Gianni Morbidelli 	3 	1
23 	Érik Comas 	2 	1
24 	JJ Lehto 	1 	1
25 	Michele Alboreto 	1 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	108 	1
2 	 	103 	1
3 	 	64 	
4 	 	38 	
5 	 	25 	
6 	 	13 	
7 	 	12 	1
8 	 	11 	1
9 	 	9 	
10 	 	5 	
11 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Japanese Grand Prix
Category:1994 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Japan