Emotions ran high amongst teams and fans alike as Formula 1 stopped in Germany for round nine of the 1994 World Championship. Michael Schumacher’s second place at the British Grand Prix was rescinded after the German controversially overtook polesitter Damon Hill on the parade lap, and was subsequently given a two-race suspension for his troubles. As well as this, Benetton were fined $600,000 for failing to adhere to the stewards and for failing to send copies of engine management system when requested. This originally meant that Schumacher would miss his home Grand Prix unless the team chose to appeal, which they did. In retaliation to the FIA’s ruling, a group of Schumacher fans attacked Williams’ team vehicles after all teams had arrived at the Hockenheimring.
1994 German Grand Prix
In qualifying, the powerful Ferrari V12 engine propelled Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi into a scarlet red front-row, the team’s first pole position in four years. Hill qualified his Williams third, just ahead of the home hero Schumacher. Tyrrell impressed with Ukyo Katayama, out-qualifying the sister Williams of David Coulthard to line up fifth, with Mark Blundell seventh.
Both Ferraris led away at the start, with a fast-starting Katayama getting the jump on Hill and Schumacher to take third, but the behind the first five there was chaos. Andrea De Cesaris’ Sauber and the Lotus of Alex Zanardi collided in the midfield, a collision which then took out both Minardis of Pierluigi Martini and Michele Alboreto. Just ahead, Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren and Blundell’s Tyrrell were either side of Coulthard going into turn one. The Scotsman was squeezed out and left with no room, and hit Hakkinen thus.
A hard-braking Blundell was then hit by Irvine, setting off a chain reaction, which also took out Frentzen and Barrichello, leaving all of them in the gravel and out of the race. Herbert and the sister McLaren of Martin Brundle also retired whilst attempting to avoid the carnage in front of them. As the front-runners exited turn one, Alesi’s car gave out with engine failure, and Schumacher edged ahead of Katayama, who collided with Hill soon after, leaving both with damaged suspensions.
Katayama was able to continue but Hill had to pit, causing a queue as Coulthard also required a pit-stop after damaging his front wing. Katayama retired six laps later with a jammed throttle, elevating the Ligier of Olivier Panis to third, the Frenchman avoiding the pile-up at turn one from twelfth on the grid. After an early stop from Schumacher, the sister Benetton of Jos Verstappen followed suit and pitted on lap fifteen.
When the fuel nozzle failed to enter properly, a haze of fuel spat out over the car before it became engulfed in flames. After quick work to extinguish the fire, no-one was seriously injured, but four Benetton mechanics and Verstappen suffered minor burns. The team’s race ended early five laps later when Schumacher’s engine failed, leaving Berger in an almost-unassailable lead, elevating Panis to second and the second Ligier of Eric Bernard to third.
The order of the front remained unchanged as Berger took Ferrari’s first victory since Alain Prost in Spain four seasons previously. Panis and Bernard finished second and third with Christian Fittipaldi and Gianni Morbidelli making it a Footwork fourth and fifth, with Erik Comas scoring a point for Larrousse.
The top of the drivers’ championship was unchanged, with Schumacher still leading second-placed Hill by 27 points. Berger’s win elevated Ferrari to second in the constructors’ championship ahead of Williams.
After an investigation by the FIA later that season, Benetton were found guilty of cheating for removing the filter from the refuelling rig which led to the fire during Verstappen’s pit-stop, but were not punished after late evidence from Larrousse proved that the company providing fuel rigs for all teams, Intertechnique, advised all teams to remove the filter back two months before, which all but four teams did.
