1996 German Grand Prix

The 1996 German Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LVIII Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the 28 July 1996.'German GP, 1996', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr592.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019) The race would see Damon Hill secure his twentieth career victory on his march to the 1996 World Championship, albeit a win that came in fortuitous circumstances.
The Brit, as usual, would grab pole position during qualifying, although it took a last gasp run effort from the #5 pilot to do so. Indeed, Hill's late run would break the hearts of the hoard of fans supporting Michael Schumacher, with the defending World Champion having to settle for second ahead of Gerhard Berger.
Raceday dawned dark but dry, with the warm-up resulting in the two engined s at the top of the timesheets. However, heavy rain swept across the circuit to ensure that an additional session was held, with teams trying hastily prepared wet setups.
Yet, when the race start time did arrive the circuit was dry, meaning all nineteen starters would use full slick tyres. Hill duly lined-up on pole to start as the overwhelming favourite, only to make a mess of his launch.
Fortunately for Hill his poor start was matched by Schumacher, and hence allowed the two s of Berger and Jean Alesi to charge into the lead. Mika Häkkinen tried to go with them only for Schumacher to squeeze him towards the pitwall, allowing Hill to get away in third ahead of Schumacher, while Häkkinen tumbled down to eighth.
The two Benettons tried their best to escape from Hill, with the top three quickly breaking clear. Behind, Jacques Villeneuve tried his best to get ahead of Schumacher, only to lose out to David Coulthard at the first chicane.
Back with the leaders and Hill was stuck behind the Benettons, clearly faster but unable to launch an attack into the chicanes. Williams therefore decided to alter the Brit's strategy, making him run longer on his first stint, before trying a short sprint mid-race while the Benetton's were in the pit lane.
The ploy seemed to work, with Hill setting consecutive new lap records after his stop, which translated to a sixteen second lead after Berger made his stop. However, when Hill rejoined from his second stop he would appear behind Berger, but crucially ahead of Alesi.
That left Berger to defend from Hill alone, with the Brit quickly pulling onto the back of the Benetton and begin his bid for the lead. However, Berger would resist the #5 Williams' first attacks, and as the laps ticked away Hill looked less and less likely to get past the Benetton.
Behind, Alesi was in a lonely third, while Villeneuve had finally broken clear of Schumacher and Coulthard to secure fourth during the stops. That had left the German and the Scot to fight amongst themselves, with the McLaren weaving around in the Ferrari's mirrors as the race wore on.
Indeed, it seemed as if that would be how the top six finished, only for Berger's engine to fail on the run to the Clark chicane with just three laps to go. Hill duly swept past to secure the lead, with a frustrated Berger left to rue his luck at the side of the circuit.
That was the final action of the race, with Hill sweeping across the line to secure victory, in spite of the fact that Olivier Panis had accidentally been shown the chequered flag first. Behind Hill came Alesi and Villeneuve, while Schumacher fended off Coulthard to secure fourth with Rubens Barrichello rounding out the scorers.
==Background==
Jacques Villeneuve had cut the gap to the top of the Championship after his second victory of the campaign, leaving Silverstone fifteen behind Damon Hill out front. Indeed, while it was still the Brit's Championship to lose, Villeneuve's win ensured that he was the man most likely to take the crown away from Hill in the remaining six rounds. Behind Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi had held station in third and fourth, while Gerhard Berger had leapt up to fifth.
In the Constructors Championship had inched closer to the title, leaving Silverstone with 111 points to their name. had secured second, but had also slipped 70 points behind, with 96 points left to fight for across the rest of the campaign. , meanwhile, had slipped six behind the Benetton team, with closing in in fourth, leaving their home race just three behind the fabled Scuderia.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F310 	 	046 3.0 V10 	
2 	Eddie Irvine 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F310 	 	046 3.0 V10 	
3 	Jean Alesi 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B196 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
4 	Gerhard Berger 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B196 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
5 	Damon Hill 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW18 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW18 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	Marlboro McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4/11B 	 	FO 110D 3.0 V10 	
8 	David Coulthard 	Marlboro McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4/11B 	 	FO 110D 3.0 V10 	
9 	Olivier Panis 	Equipe Ligier Gauloises Blondes 	 	JS43 	 	MF301HA 3.0 V10 	
10 	Pedro Diniz 	Equipe Ligier Gauloises Blondes 	 	JS43 	 	MF301HA 3.0 V10 	
11 	Rubens Barrichello 	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 	 	196 	 	A12 3.0 V10 	
12 	Martin Brundle 	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 	 	196 	 	A12 3.0 V10 	
14 	Johnny Herbert 	Red Bull Sauber Ford 	 	C15 	 	JD Zetec-R 3.0 V8 	
15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	Red Bull Sauber Ford 	 	C15 	 	JD Zetec-R 3.0 V8 	
16 	Ricardo Rosset 	Footwork Hart 	 	FA17 	 	830 3.0 V8 	
17 	Jos Verstappen 	Footwork Hart 	 	FA17 	 	830 3.0 V8 	
18 	Ukyo Katayama 	Tyrrell Yamaha 	 	024 	 	OX11A 3.0 V10 	
19 	Mika Salo 	Tyrrell Yamaha 	 	024 	 	OX11A 3.0 V10 	
20 	Pedro Lamy 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M195B 	 	EDM 3.0 V8 	
21 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M195B 	 	EDM 3.0 V8 	
22 	Luca Badoer 	Forti Corse 	 	FG03 	 	EDD 3.0 V8 	
23 	Andrea Montermini 	Forti Corse 	 	FG03 	 	EDD 3.0 V8 	
Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	5 	Damon Hill 	 	1:43.912 	— 	236.381 km/h
2 	4 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:44.299 	+0.387s 	235.504 km/h
3 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:44.477 	+0.565s 	235.102 km/h
4 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:44.644 	+0.732s 	234.727 km/h
5 	3 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:44.670 	+0.758s 	234.669 km/h
6 	6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:44.842 	+0.930s 	234.284 km/h
7 	8 	David Coulthard 	 	1:44.951 	+1.039s 	234.041 km/h
8 	2 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:45.389 	+1.477s 	233.068 km/h
9 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:45.452 	+1.540s 	232.929 km/h
10 	12 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:45.876 	+1.964s 	231.996 km/h
11 	10 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:46.575 	+2.663s 	230.474 km/h
12 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:46.746 	+2.834s 	230.105 km/h
13 	15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:46.899 	+2.987s 	229.776 km/h
14 	14 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:47.711 	+3.799s 	228.044 km/h
15 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:48.139 	+4.227s 	227.141 km/h
16 	18 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:48.381 	+4.469s 	226.634 km/h
17 	17 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:48.512 	+4.600s 	226.360 km/h
18 	20 	Pedro Lamy 	 	1:49.461 	+5.549s 	224.398 km/h
19 	16 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	1:49.551 	+5.639s 	224.213 km/h
107% Time: 1:51.186 	107% Time: 1:51.186 	107% Time: 1:51.186 	107% Time: 1:51.186 	107% Time: 1:51.186 	107% Time: 1:51.186 	107% Time: 1:51.186
NC 	21 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	 	1:51.357 	+7.445s 	220.577 km/h
WD* 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
WD* 	23 	Andrea Montermini 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/648/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Germany 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
*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.
** Berger and Montermini were both withdrawn as Forti had no engines.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Damon Hill 	 	45 	1:21:43.417 	1 	10
2 	3 	Jean Alesi 	 	45 	+11.452s 	5 	6
3 	6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	45 	+33.926s 	6 	4
4 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	45 	+41.517s 	3 	3
5 	8 	David Coulthard 	 	45 	+42.196s 	7 	2
6 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	45 	+1:42.099 	9 	1
7 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	45 	+1:43.912 	12 	
8 	15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	13 	
9 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	15 	
10 	12 	Martin Brundle 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	10 	
11 	16 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	19 	
12 	20 	Pedro Lamy 	 	43 	+2 Laps 	18 	
13* 	4 	Gerhard Berger 	 	42 	Engine 	2 	
Ret 	2 	Eddie Irvine 	 	34 	Engine 	8 	
Ret 	14 	Johnny Herbert 	 	25 	Vibrations 	14 	
Ret 	10 	Pedro Diniz 	 	19 	Engine 	11 	
Ret 	18 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	19 	Spin 	16 	
Ret 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	13 	Gearbox 	4 	
Ret 	17 	Jos Verstappen 	 	0 	Collision 	17 	
DNQ 	21 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	23 	Andrea Montermini 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Berger was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 75th entry for Ukyo Katayama.'1996 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1996&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
* Twentieth victory for Damon Hill.'11. Germany 1996', statsf1.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
* scored their 92nd win as a constructor.
** registered their 83rd win as an engine supplier.
* Hill recorded the 90th fastest lap for a Renault engine.
==Standings==
Damon Hill moved 21 points clear at the head of the Championship as a result of his seventh win of the season, ending the German weekend on 73 points. Jacques Villeneuve remained his closest challenger, with the Canadian racer himself holding a 21 point lead over the man in third. That driver would be Jean Alesi, who moved two clear of Michael Schumacher, with both needing a strong result in Hungary to stay in the hunt.
In the Constructors Championship the fight was effectively over, with moving onto 125 points. left Germany as the only constructor capable of defeating their similarly engined rivals, although with 78 points splitting the pair at the end of the German weekend. Benetton were therefore set to fight with for second, with not too far behind in fourth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Damon Hill 	73 	
2 	Jacques Villeneuve 	52 	
3 	Jean Alesi 	31 	1
4 	Michael Schumacher 	29 	1
5 	David Coulthard 	18 	1
6 	Gerhard Berger 	16 	1
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	16 	
8 	Olivier Panis 	11 	
9 	Rubens Barrichello 	11 	
10 	Eddie Irvine 	9 	
11 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	6 	
12 	Mika Salo 	5 	
13 	Johnny Herbert 	4 	
14 	Martin Brundle 	3 	
15 	Pedro Diniz 	1 	
16 	Jos Verstappen 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	125 	
2 	 	47 	
3 	 	38 	
4 	 	34 	
5 	 	14 	
6 	 	12 	
7 	 	10 	
8 	 	5 	
9 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1996 Grands Prix
Category:German Grand Prix