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The 1996 British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XLIX RAC British Grand Prix, was the tenth round of the 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on the 14 July 1996.[1] The race would see Jacques Villeneuve sweep to his second victory of his rookie season for Williams-Renault, as teammate and Championship leader Damon Hill retired mid-race.[1]

It was Hill who had led the way after qualifying, securing pole position two tenths clear of Villeneuve.[1] Michael Schumacher was, as ever, best of the rest for Ferrari, while Mika Häkkinen secured fourth for McLaren-Mercedes.[1]

However, Hill's hopes of victory were curtailed right at the start, as he made a poor getaway from the grid and tumbled down the order.[1] Villeneuve and Häkkinen were marginally better, while Schumacher just managed to beat the Brit too.[1] In contrast, Jean Alesi would be the man to watch, with the #3 Benetton-Renault streaking through to challenge Villeneuve into Stowe.[1]

Villeneuve would, however, hold on and secure the lead, although both he and Alesi were able to escape up the road.[1] Häkkinen was next ahead of Schumacher and Hill, although it was not long before Schumacher dropped out, a gearbox failure caused by an oil leak ending his race on lap six.[1]

With Schumacher out of the way Hill was able to catch the back of Häkkinen, although the Finn placed his McLaren masterfully to prevent the Brit from making a move.[1] Furthermore, Häkkinen had his own ambitions of making ground, finding himself stuck behind Alesi's second placed Benetton once the Frenchman had been dropped by Villeneuve.[1]

Indeed, Villeneuve was really pushing before the first pitstop phase, trying to build as big a lead as possible in case Hill broke through into second.[1] There would, however, be no change to the order after the first stops, with Alesi briefly leading before he made his stop.[1]

Hill, however, would not get to make his stop, instead reporting an issue at the front of his car that was causing a lot of understeer.[1] Eventually the mounting pegs on his front left wheel failed and sent the Brit skating off the circuit at Copse, leaving the British fans to cheer on David Coulthard at the lower end of the top ten.[1]

Hill's disappearance left Häkkinen clear to attack Alesi, although after the stops the McLaren would be unable to match the pace of the Frenchman.[1] He duly slipped back behind Gerhard Berger in the second Benetton after his second stop, with the Austrian racer going on to try and challenge his teammate Alesi for second.[1]

Alesi's second stop would drop the #3 Benetton into Berger's sights, although a brake failure for the Frenchman ended their fight before it began.[1] Berger was hence left in a lonely second behind Villeneuve, who was cruising to the chequered flag knowing that only mechanical strife would rob him of victory.[1]

With that the race was over, with Villeneuve duly sweeping across the line to secure his second win in his rookie year.[1] Berger and Häkkinen were separated by over half a minute as they completed the podium, while Rubens Barrichello, Coulthard and Martin Brundle secured the remaining points.[1]

Background[]

A sixth victory in nine races left Damon Hill in complete command of the Championship, ending the weekend on 63 points. That equated to a 25 point advantage over Jacques Villeneuve in second, with the Canadian racer likely to be the only pretender to the Brit for the rest of the season. Indeed, Michael Schumacher had slipped 37 points behind after his pre-race engine failure, with Jean Alesi just a point behind the German racer in fourth.

In the Constructors Championship it was Williams-Renault who once again ended a Grand Prix weekend as the best team, leaving France with 101 points. A huge 66 point gap followed before Ferrari appeared in second, level on points with defending Champions Benetton-Renault in third, separated by Ferrari's lone victory. McLaren-Mercedes were nine points behind in fourth, with Ligier-Mugen-Honda in fifth.

Entry list[]

The full entry list for the 1996 British Grand Prix is outlined below:

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
1 Germany Michael Schumacher Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari F310 Ferrari 046 3.0 V10 G
2 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari F310 Ferrari 046 3.0 V10 G
3 France Jean Alesi Italy Mild Seven Benetton Renault Benetton B196 Renault RS8 3.0 V10 G
4 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Mild Seven Benetton Renault Benetton B196 Renault RS8 3.0 V10 G
5 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW18 Renault RS8 3.0 V10 G
6 Canada Jacques Villeneuve United Kingdom Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW18 Renault RS8 3.0 V10 G
7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren Mercedes McLaren MP4/11 Mercedes FO 110D 3.0 V10 G
8 United Kingdom David Coulthard United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren Mercedes McLaren MP4/11 Mercedes FO 110D 3.0 V10 G
9 France Olivier Panis France Equipe Ligier Gauloises Blondes Ligier JS43 Mugen-Honda MF301HA 3.0 V10 G
10 Brazil Pedro Diniz France Equipe Ligier Gauloises Blondes Ligier JS43 Mugen-Honda MF301HA 3.0 V10 G
11 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland B&H Total Jordan Peugeot Jordan 196 Peugeot A12 3.0 V10 G
12 United Kingdom Martin Brundle Ireland B&H Total Jordan Peugeot Jordan 196 Peugeot A12 3.0 V10 G
14 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Switzerland Red Bull Sauber Ford Sauber C15 Ford Cosworth JD Zetec-R 3.0 V8 G
15 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Red Bull Sauber Ford Sauber C15 Ford Cosworth JD Zetec-R 3.0 V8 G
16 Brazil Ricardo Rosset United Kingdom Footwork Hart Footwork FA17 Hart 830 3.0 V8 G
17 Netherlands Jos Verstappen United Kingdom Footwork Hart Footwork FA17 Hart 830 3.0 V8 G
18 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell Yamaha Tyrrell 024 Yamaha OX11A 3.0 V10 G
19 Finland Mika Salo United Kingdom Tyrrell Yamaha Tyrrell 024 Yamaha OX11A 3.0 V10 G
20 Portugal Pedro Lamy Italy Minardi F1 Team Minardi M195B Ford Cosworth EDM 3.0 V8 G
21 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Minardi F1 Team Minardi M195B Ford Cosworth EDM 3.0 V8 G
22 Italy Luca Badoer Italy Forti Corse Forti FG03 Ford Cosworth EDD 3.0 V8 G
23 Italy Andrea Montermini Italy Forti Corse Forti FG03 Ford Cosworth EDD 3.0 V8 G
Source:[2]

Practice Overview[]

Qualifying[]

Report[]

Qualifying Results[]

The full qualifying results for the 1996 British Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Time Gap Ave. Speed
1 5 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Williams-Renault 1:26.875 210.178 km/h
2 6 Canada Jacques Villeneuve United Kingdom Williams-Renault 1:27.070 +0.195s 209.707 km/h
3 1 Germany Michael Schumacher Italy Ferrari 1:27.707 +0.832s 208.184 km/h
4 7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.856 +0.981s 207.831 km/h
5 3 France Jean Alesi Italy Benetton-Renault 1:28.307 +1.432s 206.770 km/h
6 11 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Jordan-Peugeot 1:28.409 +1.534s 206.531 km/h
7 4 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Benetton-Renault 1:28.653 +1.778s 205.963 km/h
8 12 United Kingdom Martin Brundle Ireland Jordan-Peugeot 1:28.946 +2.071s 205.284 km/h
9 8 United Kingdom David Coulthard United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.966 +2.091s 205.238 km/h
10 2 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Italy Ferrari 1:29.186 +2.311s 204.732 km/h
11 15 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Ford Cosworth 1:29.591 +2.716s 203.806 km/h
12 18 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:29.913 +3.038s 203.076 km/h
13 14 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Switzerland Sauber-Ford Cosworth 1:29.947 +3.072s 203.000 km/h
14 19 Finland Mika Salo United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:29.949 +3.074s 202.995 km/h
15 17 Netherlands Jos Verstappen United Kingdom Footwork-Hart 1:30.102 +3.227s 202.650 km/h
16 9 France Olivier Panis France Ligier-Mugen-Honda 1:30.167 +3.292s 202.504 km/h
17 10 Brazil Pedro Diniz France Ligier-Mugen-Honda 1:31.076 +4.201s 200.483 km/h
18 21 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:31.365 +4.490s 199.849 km/h
19 20 Portugal Pedro Lamy Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:31.454 +4.579s 199.654 km/h
107% Time: 1:32.956[3]
NC 23 Italy Andrea Montermini Italy Forti-Ford Cosworth 1:35.206 +8.331s 191.786 km/h
NC 22 Italy Luca Badoer Italy Forti-Ford Cosworth 1:35.304 +8.429s 191.589 km/h
EXC* 16 Brazil Ricardo Rosset United Kingdom Footwork-Hart 1:30.529
Source:[4][3]
  • 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.
  • * Rosset was excluded from the results of the session after missing an FIA weight-check.[3] He would, however, be allowed to start at the back of the grid.

Grid[]

Pos. Pos.
Driver Driver
______________
Row 1 1 ______________
Damon Hill 2
______________ Jacques Villeneuve
Row 2 3 ______________
Michael Schumacher 4
______________ Mika Häkkinen
Row 3 5 ______________
Jean Alesi 6
______________ Rubens Barrichello
Row 4 7 ______________
Gerhard Berger 8
______________ Martin Brundle
Row 5 9 ______________
David Coulthard 10
______________ Eddie Irvine
Row 6 11 ______________
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 12
______________ Ukyo Katayama
Row 7 13 ______________
Johnny Herbert 14
______________ Mika Salo
Row 8 15 ______________
Jos Verstappen 16
______________ Olivier Panis
Row 9 17 ______________
Pedro Diniz 18
______________ Giancarlo Fisichella
Row 10 19 ______________
Pedro Lamy 20
______________ Ricardo Rosset

Race[]

Report[]

Results[]

The full results for the 1996 British Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 6 Canada Jacques Villeneuve United Kingdom Williams-Renault 61 1:33:00.874 2 10
2 4 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Benetton-Renault 61 +19.026s 7 6
3 7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 61 +50.830s 4 4
4 11 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Jordan-Peugeot 61 +1:06.716 6 3
5 8 United Kingdom David Coulthard United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 61 +1:22.507 9 2
6 12 United Kingdom Martin Brundle Ireland Jordan-Peugeot 60 +1 Lap 8 1
7 19 Finland Mika Salo United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 60 +1 Lap 14
8 15 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Ford Cosworth 60 +1 Lap 11
9 14 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Switzerland Sauber-Ford Cosworth 60 +1 Lap 13
10 17 Netherlands Jos Verstappen United Kingdom Footwork-Hart 60 +1 Lap 15
11 21 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 59 +2 Laps 18
Ret 3 France Jean Alesi Italy Benetton-Renault 44 Brakes 5
Ret 9 France Olivier Panis France Ligier-Mugen-Honda 40 Handling 16
Ret 10 Brazil Pedro Diniz France Ligier-Mugen-Honda 38 Engine 17
Ret 5 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Williams-Renault 26 Wheel 1
Ret 20 Portugal Pedro Lamy Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 21 Gearbox 19
Ret 16 Brazil Ricardo Rosset United Kingdom Footwork-Hart 13 Electrical 20
Ret 18 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 12 Engine 12
Ret 2 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Italy Ferrari 5 Differential 10
Ret 1 Germany Michael Schumacher Italy Ferrari 3 Hydraulics 3
DNQ 23 Italy Andrea Montermini Italy Forti-Ford Cosworth
DNQ 22 Italy Luca Badoer Italy Forti-Ford Cosworth
Source:[5]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.

Milestones[]

Standings[]

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 Williams-Renault had inched closer to the title, leaving Silverstone with 111 points to their name. Benetton-Renault had secured second, but had also slipped 70 points behind, with 96 points left to fight for across the rest of the campaign. Ferrari, meanwhile, had slipped six behind the Benetton team, with McLaren-Mercedes closing in in fourth, leaving their home race just three behind the fabled Scuderia.

World Championship for Drivers
Pos. Driver Pts. +/-
1 United Kingdom Damon Hill 63
2 Canada Jacques Villeneuve 48
3 Germany Michael Schumacher 26
4 France Jean Alesi 25
5 Austria Gerhard Berger 16 ▲3
6 United Kingdom David Coulthard 16 ▼1
7 Finland Mika Häkkinen 16 ▼1
8 France Olivier Panis 11 ▼1
9 Brazil Rubens Barrichello 10 ▲1
10 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine 9 ▼1
11 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6
12 Finland Mika Salo 5
13 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert 4
14 United Kingdom Martin Brundle 3
15 Brazil Pedro Diniz 1
16 Netherlands Jos Verstappen 1
World Championship for Constructors
Pos. Team Pts. +/-
1 United Kingdom Williams-Renault 111
2 Italy Benetton-Renault 41 ▲1
3 Italy Ferrari 35 ▼1
4 United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 32
5 Ireland Jordan-Peugeot 13 ▲2
6 France Ligier-Mugen-Honda 12 ▼1
7 Switzerland Sauber-Ford Cosworth 10 ▼1
8 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 5
9 United Kingdom Footwork-Hart 1

Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.

References[]

Images and Videos:

References:

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 'British GP, 1996', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr591.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
  2. 'Britain 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 'Britain 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
  4. 'British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/647/great-britain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
  5. 'Britain 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
  6. 6.0 6.1 '1996 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1996&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 '10. Britain 1996', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 15/08/2019)
V T E United Kingdom British Grand Prix
Circuits Brooklands (1926 - 1927), Silverstone (1948 - Present), Aintree (1955 - 1962), Brands Hatch (1963 - 1986)
SilverstoneArena2010
Races 19501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
Non-Championship Races 1926192719481949
V T E 1996 Formula One Season
Teams Ferrari • Benetton • Williams • McLaren • Ligier • Jordan • Sauber • Footwork • Tyrrell • Minardi • Forti
Engines Ferrari • Ford • Hart • Mercedes • Mugen-Honda • Peugeot • Renault • Yamaha
Drivers M. Schumacher • 2 Irvine • 3 Alesi • 4 Berger • 5 Hill • 6 Villeneuve • 7 Häkkinen • 8 Coulthard • 9 Panis • 10 Diniz • 11 Barrichello • 12 Brundle • 14 Herbert • 15 Frentzen • 16 Rosset • 17 Verstappen • 18 Katayama • 19 Salo • 20 Lamy • 21 Fisichella • 21 Marques • 21 Lavaggi • 22 Badoer • 23 Montermini
Other Drivers Magnussen • Mansell • McNish • Prost • R. Schumacher • Tuero
Cars Ferrari F310 • Benetton B196 • Williams FW18 • McLaren MP4/11 • Ligier JS43 • Jordan 196 • Sauber C15 • Footwork FA17 • Tyrrell 024 • Minardi 195B • Forti FG01B • Forti FG03
Tyres Goodyear
Races Australia • Brazil • Argentina • Europe • San Marino • Monaco • Spain • Canada • France • Britain • Germany • Hungary • Belgium • Italy • Portugal • Japan
Non-Championship Races F1 Indoor Trophy
See also 1995 Formula One Season • 1997 Formula One Season • Category
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