1993 Spanish GP – Prost, Senna and Schumacher only time together on podium

Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher have been standing together on a podium on this day in 1993 at the Spanish GP in Barcelona.

It was the third race on the new circuit Circuit de Catalunya, which was built on the eve of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona with first race being held in 1991.

Williams had an exceptionally dominant FW15C car in 1993, with which Prost won 13 pole positions and started all 16 races from the front row. Team often had a two-second advantage ahead of the competition in qualifying . That year, the cars had the most driving aids and systems that made driving easier and car faster like complicated active suspension, automatic transmission, ABS and traction control system and which were largely banned in 1994.

However, after the first four races Ayrton Senna was two points ahead of Prost thanks to Frenchman retirement in Brazil and Senna’s victories in Brazil and Donington Park where he drove a miraculous first lap in the rain while Prost celebrated in first race in South Africa and in the fourth race in Imola.

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Williams locked the front row in Spain for the fourth time in 1993. and Prost won the pole position for the fifth time in a row – Hill was second with 0.537 seconds behind, Senna was 1.913 seconds slower and Schumacher was already 2.711 seconds behind in fourth place.

Prost started badly because automatic gearbox on his Williams did not shifted from first to second gear and he had to do it by himself, which costed him time. Hill took the lead while the Frenchman managed to defend himself from Senna.

Hill led for 10 laps but Prost passed him at the end of the main straight at the start of 11th lap. Prost was leading convincingly, but his car began to jump a lot and Hill was able to catch up before his Renault V10 engine expired in lap 41.

After Hill’s retirement Prost could bring his car home in front of Senna (+16.873 s) and Schumacher (+27.125 s). It was the only time that these three drivers stood together on the podium.

Then they had six championship titles (Senna and Prost three each) and today they count 14 (Senna three, Prost four and Schumacher seven).

Prost took the lead in the drivers championship ahead of Senna, who trailed him by two points. Senna will take the lead again in the next race with a record sixth victory in Monaco, but the French will return to the lead in the next race in Canada and lead by the end of the season.

STARTNI POREDAK

REZULTATI UTRKE

Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher – 1:20.989 (lap 61)

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 5/16 RACES

CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP