| 1994 Monaco Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 16 in the1994 Formula One World Championship | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 15 May 1994 | ||
| Official name | LII Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco | ||
| Location | Circuit de Monaco,Monte Carlo | ||
| Course | Street circuit | ||
| Course length | 3.328 km (2.068 miles) | ||
| Distance | 78 laps, 259.584 km (161.298 miles) | ||
| Weather | Sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Benetton-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:18.560 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Michael Schumacher | Benetton-Ford | |
| Time | 1:21.076 on lap 35(lap record) | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Benetton-Ford | ||
| Second | McLaren-Peugeot | ||
| Third | Ferrari | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1994 Monaco Grand Prix was aFormula One motor race held on 15 May 1994 at theCircuit de Monaco,Monte Carlo. It was the fourth race of the1994 Formula One World Championship, and the first following the deaths ofAyrton Senna andRoland Ratzenberger at theSan Marino Grand Prix two weeks previously.
The 78-lap race was won frompole position byMichael Schumacher driving aBenetton-Ford, his fourth victory from the first four races of 1994.Martin Brundle finished second in aMcLaren-Peugeot, withGerhard Berger third in aFerrari.
After the deaths ofAyrton Senna andRoland Ratzenberger at theSan Marino Grand Prix, sweeping changes were announced by the FIA to the rules and regulations of Formula One in a bid to improve safety. The majority were scheduled to come into force after the Monaco Grand Prix, but an 80 km/h pit-lane speed limit was brought into force in time for this race.[1]
Both Williams andSimtek, the teams for whom Senna and Ratzenberger drove, ran only one car each during the race weekend.
Eddie Irvine was serving the third race of his three-race ban issued to him for his part in the crash during theBrazilian Grand Prix.Andrea de Cesaris again took Irvine's place at Jordan, whilst Irvine acted as a pit-lane reporter forESPN.[2]
Olivier Beretta became the first Monégasque to compete in the Monaco Grand Prix sinceAndré Testut in1959. This was the last time a driver from Monaco competed in his home race, untilCharles Leclerc took part in the2018 race.
During the first free practice session on Thursday morning, Austrian driverKarl Wendlinger had a major accident at the Nouvelle Chicane. Travelling at almost 280 km/h (170 mph) he appeared to brake too late, and the car slid sideways into the water-filled barriers. Wendlinger was knocked unconscious and was taken initially to the Princess Grace Hospital, and later to Saint Roch Hospital in Nice. He suffered a serious head injury and remained in acoma for several weeks.[1] TheSauber-Mercedes team decided to withdraw from the race after this incident.
Michael Schumacher claimed the first pole position of his Grand Prix career. Mika Häkkinen qualified second, which was also the highest starting position thus far in his career. Martin Brundle qualified 2nd in the first qualifying session on the Thursday, three tenths of a second in front of team mate Mika Häkkinen, but could not repeat this on the Saturday and dropped to 8th.
As a mark of respect for Senna and Ratzenberger, the FIA decided toleave the first two grid positions empty for the race and painted them with the colours of the Brazilian and Austrian flags.[3] For the first time since the1959 United States Grand Prix, there was no previous World Champion competing in the race and also no former Monaco Grand Prix winner. There were also only four previous race winners: Schumacher, Hill, Berger and Alboreto.
At the start of the race,Damon Hill clipped the left rear tyre ofMika Häkkinen'sMcLaren just before theSainte Dévote corner. Häkkinen retired immediately, while Hill continued for a few corners before retiring with broken right front suspension.Gianni Morbidelli andPierluigi Martini also collided beforeSainte Dévote, putting each other out.Eric Bernard in the secondLigier had soon spun out of the race at the Nouvelle chicane.
Katayama retired his Tyrrell from 6th position on lap 39 when his gearbox failed, as of which by lap 41, the engine onMark Blundell's Tyrrell failed, leaving oil on the track atSainte Dévote retiring 2 laps after Katayama which Schumacher, leading the race, had to avoid. The second placedFerrari ofGerhard Berger did slip on the oil, however, and required a three-point turn to escape from the run off area beside the stricken Tyrrell. Berger returned to the track still in his second place, but dirty tyres left him vulnerable to theMcLaren ofMartin Brundle, who promptly overtook him down the outside ofMirabeau on the same lap.Christian Fittipaldi in hisFootwork-Ford ran close behind the Ferraris of Berger and Alesi in fourth position until his first refuelling stop near the start of the race. Fittipaldi continued to run strongly in a points position until lap 47 when the gearbox failed.
The race was led from start to finish by Schumacher, who continued his perfect start to the 1994 season with four victories in the first four races. As Schumacher also held the fastest lap, this meant he scored the firstGrand Slam of his career, and he was the first driver other thanAlain Prost or Ayrton Senna to win the Monaco Grand Prix since1983. Brundle's second place equalled the best finish of his F1 career.Michele Alboreto finished sixth in his Minardi to score his final point in F1.
This is more or less where I live now so this victory means a lot. I am very pleased that we came here with the car sorted out after a few small problems and we were very competitive. I am very happy thatFormula One set such an example.
— Michael Schumacher commenting about victory, Transcript of recording fromGrand Prix Racing.
This is a great day for me and I am so glad to achieve this for my loyal and patient fans. Today was one of the best days in my racing career. I made a perfect start and had a faultless race. It has been a very difficult time. When your five-year-old daughter asks you if it's true [Ayrton] Senna is dead it is difficult to reconcile things.
— Martin Brundle on his second place andAyrton Senna, Transcript of recording fromGrand Prix Racing.
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| Previous race: 1994 San Marino Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1994 season | Next race: 1994 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1993 Monaco Grand Prix | Monaco Grand Prix | Next race: 1995 Monaco Grand Prix |
43°44′4.74″N7°25′16.8″E / 43.7346500°N 7.421333°E /43.7346500; 7.421333
