1993 Japanese Grand Prix

The 1993 Japanese Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XIX Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix (XIX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 24 October 1993.'Japanese GP, 1993', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr547.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna once again demonstrate his wet race talents to claim victory, a result which put joint top of the all-time winners list with at 103 victories.
The build-up to the race was dominated by Alain Prost's decision to retire at the end of the season, the Frenchman opting to end his F1 career having secured his fourth title. His employers duly announced his old nemesis Senna as his successor, while McLaren announced a deal to use engines for . There was also some controversy at , with team boss Cyril de Rouvre reported to be in legal trouble back in France.
Qualifying would see Prost sweep to pole position as expected, although a spin for teammate Damon Hill would leave the Brit a distant sixth. Second on the grid therefore went to Senna ahead of his teammate Mika Häkkinen, while Michael Schumacher and Gerhard Berger also got ahead of Hill.
The start of the race would see Senna sprint clear of Prost to claim an early lead, with the Frenchman left to fend off the attentions of Häkkinen and Berger. Behind, meanwhile, debutante and Suzuka specialist Eddie Irvine shot up to fifth, before fending off early attempts to pass from Schumacher and Hill.
It was not long, however, before both the and Williams were ahead of Irvine's Jordan, with the top six quickly breaking clear of the rookie. That was, until Hill and Schumacher went for the same gap when trying to pass Berger, resulting in Schumacher receiving terminal damage.
The pit stop window opened on lap eleven, although rain would begin to fall as Senna made his stop, rejoining in second behind Prost. The Brazilian duly caught and passed his old rival as the rain intensified, with both duly stopping for full wets moments after Senna claimed the lead.
The rain soon stopped however, although Senna would build a huge thirty second lead before the field began to stop for fresh tyres. However, that advantage would be cut in half after the Brazilian got caught trying to lap Hill and Irvine, the latter having passed the #8 McLaren to un-lap himself after making the switch back to slicks, much to the Brazilian's later ire.
Senna and Prost duly stopped again with eleven laps to go, although Prost would not manage to make up any more time on the Brazilian. Irvine, meanwhile, would fall behind teammate Rubens Barrichello during the stops, before accidentally hitting the back of Derek Warwick as the pair scrapped for sixth, knocking his compatriot out of the race.
With that the race was run, with Senna able to cruise home to claim his fortieth career victory ahead of Prost. Häkkinen swept home in third to secure his first podium finish ahead of Hill, while Barrichello and Irvine survived to claim the remaining points.
After the race there would be an infamous clash between Senna and Irvine in the paddock, the former receiving a suspended two race ban after punching the Brit. Their dispute was the result of Irvine's decision to un-lap himself during the race.
==Background==
Second place for Alain Prost in Portugal ensured that the Frenchman had done enough to claim the FIA Formula One World Championship with two rounds to spare. Indeed, the Frenchman would leave Estoril with a 25 point lead over closest challenger Damon Hill, with the Brit only able to score twenty points across the remaining two rounds. The Brit was, however, set to finish second, holding a nine point advantage over third placed Ayrton Senna.
In the Constructors Championship had been able to again extend their title winning lead, moving onto 149 points after fourteen races. , meanwhile, had inched further away from , leaving Portugal twelve points ahead with 32 left to fight for. Benetton could therefore secure the runner-up spot in Japan, while had claimed fourth from .
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
0 	Damon Hill 	Canon Williams Team 	 	FW15C 	 	RS5 3.5 V10 	
2 	Alain Prost 	Canon Williams Team 	 	FW15C 	 	RS5 3.5 V10 	
3 	Ukyo Katayama 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	021 	 	OX10A 3.5 V10 	
4 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	021 	 	OX10A 3.5 V10 	
5 	Michael Schumacher 	Camel Benetton Ford 	 	B193B 	 	HBA7 3.5 V8 	
6 	Riccardo Patrese 	Camel Benetton Ford 	 	B193B 	 	HBA7 3.5 V8 	
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	Marlboro McLaren 	 	MP4/8 	 	HBE7 3.5 V8 	
8 	Ayrton Senna 	Marlboro McLaren 	 	MP4/8 	 	HBE7 3.5 V8 	
9 	Derek Warwick 	Footwork Mugen Honda 	 	FA14 	 	MF351HB 3.5 V10 	
10 	Aguri Suzuki 	Footwork Mugen Honda 	 	FA14 	 	MF351HB 3.5 V10 	
11 	Pedro Lamy 	Team Lotus 	 	107B 	 	HBD6 3.5 V8 	
12 	Johnny Herbert 	Team Lotus 	 	107B 	 	HBD6 3.5 V8 	
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	Sasol Jordan 	 	193 	 	1035 3.5 V10 	
15 	Eddie Irvine 	Sasol Jordan 	 	193 	 	1035 3.5 V10 	
19 	Toshio Suzuki 	Larrousse F1 	 	LH93 	 	3512 3.5 V12 	
20 	Érik Comas 	Larrousse F1 	 	LH93 	 	3512 3.5 V12 	
21 	Michele Alboreto 	BMS Lola Scuderia Italia 	 	T93/30 	 	040 3.5 V12 	
22 	Luca Badoer 	BMS Lola Scuderia Italia 	 	T93/30 	 	040 3.5 V12 	
23 	Jean-Marc Gounon 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M193 	 	HBC6 3.5 V8 	
24 	Pierluigi Martini 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M193 	 	HBC6 3.5 V8 	
25 	Martin Brundle 	Ligier Gitanes Blondes 	 	JS39 	 	RS5 3.5 V10 	
26 	Mark Blundell 	Ligier Gitanes Blondes 	 	JS39 	 	RS5 3.5 V10 	
27 	Jean Alesi 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F93A 	 	041 3.5 V12 	
28 	Gerhard Berger 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F93A 	 	041 3.5 V12 	
29 	Karl Wendlinger 	Team Sauber F1 	 	C12 	 	2175A 3.5 V10 	
30 	JJ Lehto 	Team Sauber F1 	 	C12 	 	2175A 3.5 V10 	
Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/portugal/engages.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)
==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 	2 	Alain Prost 	 	1:38.587 	1:37.154 	—
2 	8 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:38.942 	1:37.284 	+0.130s
3 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:38.813 	1:37.326 	+0.162s
4 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:38.589 	1:37.530 	+0.376s
5 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:39.024 	1:37.622 	+0.468s
6 	0 	Damon Hill 	 	1:38.979 	1:38.352 	+1.198s
7 	9 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:41.086 	1:38.780 	+1.626s
8 	15 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:41.018 	1:38.966 	+1.812s
9 	10 	Aguri Suzuki 	 	1:41.380 	1:39.278 	+2.124s
10 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:40.748 	1:39.291 	+2.137s
11 	30 	JJ Lehto 	 	1:40.346 	1:39.391 	+2.237s
12 	14 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:41.624 	1:39.426 	+2.272s
13 	3 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:40.963 	1:39.511 	+2.357s
14 	27 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:39.535 	2:44.132 	+2.381s
15 	25 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:41.543 	1:39.951 	+2.797s
16 	29 	Karl Wendlinger 	 	1:41.367 	1:40.153 	+2.999s
17 	26 	Mark Blundell 	 	1:41.278 	1:40.696 	+3.542s
18 	4 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:41.480 	1:40.696 	+3.542s
19 	12 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:41.488 	3:41.040 	+4.334s
20 	11 	Pedro Lamy 	 	1:43.165 	1:41.600 	+4.446s
21 	20 	Érik Comas 	 	1:43.483 	1:41.769 	+4.615s
22 	24 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:42.388 	1:41.989 	+4.835s
23 	19 	Toshio Suzuki 	 	1:44.562 	1:42.175 	+5.021s
24 	23 	Jean-Marc Gounon 	 	1:46.782 	1:43.812 	+6.658s
WD* 	21 	Michele Alboreto 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
WD* 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1993/races/603/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'Japan 1993: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)
*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.
** Alboreto and Badoer's entries were withdrawn after and BMS Scuderia Italia left F1.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	8 	Ayrton Senna 	 	53 	1:40:27.912 	2 	10
2 	2 	Alain Prost 	 	53 	+11.435s 	1 	6
3 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	53 	+26.129s 	3 	4
4 	0 	Damon Hill 	 	53 	+1:23.538 	6 	3
5 	14 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	53 	+1:35.101 	12 	2
6 	15 	Eddie Irvine 	 	53 	+1:46.421 	8 	1
7 	26 	Mark Blundell 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	17 	
8 	30 	JJ Lehto 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	11 	
9 	25 	Martin Brundle 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	15 	
10 	24 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	22 	
11 	12 	Johnny Herbert 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	19 	
12 	19 	Toshio Suzuki 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	23 	
13* 	11 	Pedro Lamy 	 	49 	Accident 	20 	
14* 	9 	Derek Warwick 	 	48 	Collision 	7 	
Ret 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	45 	Accident 	10 	
Ret 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	40 	Engine 	5 	
Ret 	10 	Aguri Suzuki 	 	28 	Spin 	9 	
Ret 	23 	Jean-Marc Gounon 	 	26 	Withdrawn 	24 	
Ret 	3 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	26 	Engine 	13 	
Ret 	29 	Karl Wendlinger 	 	25 	Engine 	16 	
Ret 	20 	Érik Comas 	 	17 	Engine 	21 	
Ret 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	10 	Collision 	4 	
Ret 	27 	Jean Alesi 	 	7 	Engine 	14 	
Ret 	4 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	0 	Collision 	18 	
WD 	21 	Michele Alboreto 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)	Source:'Japan 1993: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Lamy and Warwick were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* Debut race for Eddie Irvine, Jean-Marc Gounon and Toshio Suzuki.'15. Japan 1993', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/japon.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019)'1993 Japanese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1993&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 31/07/2019)
* 7,500th entry for a car using Goodyear tyres.
* 33rd and final pole position for Alain Prost.
* Ayrton Senna claimed his 40th career victory.
* scored their 103rd win as a constructor.
** Engine suppliers registered their 165th win.
* Maiden podium finish for Mika Häkkinen.
* Maiden points finish for Barrichello and Irvine.
* Prost recorded the 41st and final fastest lap of his career.
** This was also the 75th fastest lap set by a Williams chassis.
==Standings==
Alain Prost moved even further ahead in the Championship having already secured the crown, leaving Japan with 93 points to his name. His teammate Damon Hill had retained second, although the Brit headed into the finale in Australia just two ahead of race winner Ayrton Senna. Those two would therefore duel for second at the finale, with Michael Schumacher too far back to challenge in fourth.
In the Constructors Championship had once again shown why they had been the team to beat in , moving onto 158 points for the campaign. , meanwhile, had moved back into second, heading into the finale with a two point advantage over . They would be in a private duel to be runner-up in Australia, with and set to fight for fourth instead.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Alain Prost 	93 	
2 	Damon Hill 	65 	
3 	Ayrton Senna 	63 	
4 	Michael Schumacher 	52 	
5 	Riccardo Patrese 	20 	
6 	Jean Alesi 	13 	
7 	Martin Brundle 	12 	
8 	Johnny Herbert 	11 	
9 	Mark Blundell 	10 	
10 	Gerhard Berger 	10 	
11 	Michael Andretti 	7 	
12 	Karl Wendlinger 	7 	
13 	Christian Fittipaldi 	5 	
14 	JJ Lehto 	5 	
15 	Mika Häkkinen 	4 	14
16 	Derek Warwick 	4 	1
17 	Philippe Alliot 	2 	1
18 	Rubens Barrichello 	2 	3
19 	Fabrizio Barbazza 	2 	2
20 	Alex Zanardi 	1 	2
21 	Érik Comas 	1 	2
22 	Eddie Irvine 	1 	7
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	158 	
2 	 	74 	1
3 	 	72 	1
4 	 	23 	
5 	 	22 	
6 	 	12 	
7 	 	12 	
8 	 	7 	
9 	 	4 	
10 	 	3 	
11 	 	3 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Formula One races in Japan
Category:Japanese Grand Prix
Category:1993 Grands Prix