1996 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix, otherwise officially advertised as the XII Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj, was the twelfth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary, on the 11 August 1996.'Hungarian GP, 1996', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr593.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019) The race would see Jacques Villeneuve beat teammate Damon Hill to victory to secure the World Constructors Championship for , leaving Williams level with on the all-time list with eight titles.
Qualifying had seen the two Williams' beaten to pole position, however, with Michael Schumacher sneaking to top spot by just 0.053s. Championship leader Hill was his closest challenger ahead of Villeneuve, before a 1.3 second gap back to Eddie Irvine in fourth.
Strategy would play a big part in the race, with Villeneuve opting for a three stop race, while Hill tried a two stop. Schumacher, meanwhile, would opt for a three stop the same as Villeneuve, knowing that the Hungaroring was one of the hardest circuits to pass on, regardless of pace difference.
The start of the race would be dictated by which side of the grid a driver started, with those on the clean side having far better getaways. Indeed, Schumacher, Villeneuve and Jean Alesi, starting first, third and fifth, would head into the first corner first, second and third, while Hill, Irvine and Gerhard Berger slipped to fourth, fifth and sixth.
Hill's hopes of victory evaporated during those early laps, with the Brit simply unable to get past Alesi, in spite of the Frenchman almost throwing his car off at the first corner. Indeed, Alesi's lack of pace compared to those around him was dramatically shown by Schumacher and Villeneuve, who sprinted clear of the by over a second a lap.
Indeed, it was only when Alesi ventured into the pits for his first stop that Hill finally showed his pace, setting fastest lap before getting mired in lapped traffic. That, ultimately, saw Hill slip back behind Alesi as he ventured out of the pits, with the Frenchman dramatically swinging across the circuit to prevent Hill lunging inside of the Benetton into turn one.
Out front, meanwhile, it was a similar battle, with Villeneuve able to extend his first stint and still remain glued to the slower Ferrari's tail. When Schumacher stopped the Canadian was released, and two quick laps prior to his stop ensured that the #6 Williams emerged ahead of the #1 Ferrari, despite spending more time in the pits.
With that Villeneuve was away, Schumacher simply unable to match the pace of the fuelled up Williams. Behind Alesi finally made a mistake to gift Hill third place, the Frenchman sliding wide at turn one, with the Brit instantly lapping two seconds a lap faster in his pursuit of Schumacher.
However, Williams had different ideas, and moments after Schumacher and Villeneuve made their second stops, Hill was brought into the pits, the team deciding to try and avoid any traffic rather than go for track position. The Brit was hence sent out with a smaller fuel load then planned and told to hunt down Schumacher, with twelve seconds separating them.
Williams' new plan was to pit Hill the moment that he caught the back of the Ferrari, although that was hastily reverted when someone realised that Ferrari would simply pit Schumacher at the same time to remain ahead. The Williams crew therefore charged into the pitlane and forced Ferraris hand, only to tell Hill to stay out.
Ferrari fell for their trick beautifully, with Schumacher sweeping into the pitlane while Hill charged past. The Brit duly set a succession of fastest laps before coming in for a splash and dash eleven laps later, a charge that brought him perilously close to teammate Villeneuve after the Canadian had a slow third stop.
Ultimately Hill would catch Villeneuve on the penultimate lap, resulting in a two lap high-speed duel through backmarkers. Yet, Villeneuve would hang on to claim victory ahead of his teammate, a result which left Williams as Constructors Champions with four races to spare.
Behind, Schumacher was set for third, only for a throttle issue in the closing stages to end his race prematurely. Alesi was hence promoted onto the podium ahead of Mika Häkkinen, while Olivier Panis and Rubens Barrichello completed the scorers.
==Background==
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.
===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:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/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 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:17.129 	— 	185.207 km/h
2 	5 	Damon Hill 	 	1:17.182 	+0.053s 	185.079 km/h
3 	6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:17.259 	+0.130s 	184.895 km/h
4 	2 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:18.617 	+1.488s 	181.701 km/h
5 	3 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:18.754 	+1.625s 	181.385 km/h
6 	4 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:18.794 	+1.665s 	181.293 km/h
7 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:19.116 	+1.987s 	180.555 km/h
8 	14 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:19.292 	+2.163s 	180.154 km/h
9 	8 	David Coulthard 	 	1:19.384 	+2.255s 	179.946 km/h
10 	15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:19.436 	+2.307s 	179.828 km/h
11 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:19.538 	+2.409s 	179.597 km/h
12 	12 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:19.828 	+2.699s 	178.945 km/h
13 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:19.966 	+2.837s 	178.636 km/h
14 	18 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:20.499 	+3.370s 	177.453 km/h
15 	10 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:20.665 	+3.536s 	177.088 km/h
16 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:20.678 	+3.549s 	177.059 km/h
17 	17 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:20.781 	+3.652s 	176.834 km/h
18 	16 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	1:21.590 	+4.461s 	175.080 km/h
19 	20 	Pedro Lamy 	 	1:21.713 	+4.584s 	174.817 km/h
20 	21 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	 	1:22.468 	+5.339s 	173.216 km/h
107% Time: 1:22.528 	107% Time: 1:22.528 	107% Time: 1:22.528 	107% Time: 1:22.528 	107% Time: 1:22.528 	107% Time: 1:22.528 	107% Time: 1:22.528
WD 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
WD 	23 	Andrea Montermini 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Marlboro Magyar Nagydij - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/649/hungary/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)'Hungary 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/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.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	77 	1:46:21.134 	3 	10
2 	5 	Damon Hill 	 	77 	+0.771s 	2 	6
3 	3 	Jean Alesi 	 	77 	+1:24.212 	5 	4
4 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	76 	+1 Lap 	7 	3
5 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	76 	+1 Lap 	11 	2
6 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	75 	+2 Laps 	13 	1
7 	18 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	74 	+3 Laps 	14 	
8 	16 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	74 	+3 Laps 	18 	
9* 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	70 	Throttle 	1 	
10* 	21 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	 	69 	Spin 	20 	
Ret 	4 	Gerhard Berger 	 	64 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	50 	Electrical 	10 	
Ret 	14 	Johnny Herbert 	 	35 	Engine 	8 	
Ret 	2 	Eddie Irvine 	 	31 	Gearbox 	4 	
Ret 	20 	Pedro Lamy 	 	24 	Suspension 	19 	
Ret 	8 	David Coulthard 	 	23 	Engine 	9 	
Ret 	17 	Jos Verstappen 	 	10 	Spin 	17 	
Ret 	12 	Martin Brundle 	 	5 	Spin 	12 	
Ret 	10 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1 	Collision 	15 	
Ret 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	0 	Collision 	16 	
WD 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	23 	Andrea Montermini 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)	Source:'Hungary 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* declared as the FIA Formula One World Championship for Constructors Champions.
** This was Williams' eighth Championship as a constructor.'12. Hungary 1996', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/hongrie.aspx, (Accessed 16/08/2019)
** Renault picked up their fifth title in a row as an engine supplier.
* Third career victory for Jacques Villeneuve.
* 93rd win for Williams as a constructor.
** Renault registered their 84th win as an engine supplier.
* Damon Hill recorded his nineteenth and final fastest lap.
==Standings==
Victory for Jacques Villeneuve ensured that the battle for Championship was still an active one with four rounds to go, the Canadian racer leaving Hungary seventeen behind his teammate. Indeed, Damon Hill would all but win the Championship in Belgium if he won with Villeneuve failing to score, with the Canadian now officially the only man who could deny him a maiden title. Behind Jean Alesi had inched away from Michael Schumacher in third, while Mika Häkkinen moved into the top five.
The fight for the Constructors Championship, meanwhile, was officially over, with leaving Budapest with a 90 point lead over . With only 64 points left to fight for it was therefore impossible for the Italian registered team to get back on terms, meaning Williams had their fourth title in five seasons. Benetton were therefore in a fight to finish second, having inched further away from and .
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Damon Hill 	79 	
2 	Jacques Villeneuve 	62 	
3 	Jean Alesi 	35 	
4 	Michael Schumacher 	29 	
5 	Mika Häkkinen 	19 	2
6 	David Coulthard 	18 	1
7 	Gerhard Berger 	16 	1
8 	Olivier Panis 	13 	
9 	Rubens Barrichello 	12 	
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 	 	141 	
2 	 	51 	
3 	 	38 	
4 	 	37 	
5 	 	15 	
6 	 	14 	
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:Grand Prix articles
Category:1996 Grands Prix
Category:Hungarian Grand Prix