1993 Season

Driver changes

The biggest story is Nigel Mansell’s departure. The reigning World Champion declined to return to Williams because team owner Frank Williams would not guarantee him equal status alongside incoming triple champion Alain Prost, who is back in the sport after a year away in 1992. Mansell moves to IndyCar racing in the United States with Newman-Haas Racing. His absence means Williams cannot display the number 1 on either car. Damon Hill — the team’s 1992 test driver with just two Grand Prix starts — takes the second Williams seat alongside Prost. Hill carries number 0, the first time that number has appeared in Formula One since the 1973 United States Grand Prix. Prost runs number 2.

McLaren’s driver situation has also been unsettled. Ayrton Senna was reluctant to re-sign after Honda’s withdrawal left the team with customer Ford engines, and has initially agreed only to drive on a race-by-race basis. The team has signed American IndyCar champion Michael Andretti — son of 1978 World Champion Mario — and Mika Häkkinen, who impressed at Lotus in 1991 and 1992. With Senna’s subsequent return for the full season, Häkkinen is moved into a test driver role.

Riccardo Patrese has left Williams after five seasons to join Benetton alongside Michael Schumacher. Martin Brundle, released by Benetton following disagreements with team manager Flavio Briatore, moves to Ligier alongside fellow Briton Mark Blundell — the first and only time in Ligier’s history that the team fields no French driver.

Gerhard Berger returns to Ferrari after three years at McLaren, partnering Jean Alesi. Ivan Capelli and Nicola Larini, both disappointing in 1992, are gone; Larini moves back into a test driver role. Lotus retains Johnny Herbert and signs Alessandro Zanardi to replace Häkkinen. Tyrrell keeps Andrea de Cesaris and takes on Japan’s Ukyo Katayama from Larrousse. Footwork brings back Derek Warwick, returning after two years racing sports cars with Jaguar and Peugeot, alongside retained Aguri Suzuki.

BMS Scuderia Italia switches from Dallara to Lola chassis and signs Michele Alboreto alongside Italian debutant Luca Badoer, the 1992 Formula 3000 champion. Jordan pairs debutant Rubens Barrichello with Ivan Capelli. Larrousse takes Philippe Alliot (returning after 1987–1989) and Érik Comas, who moves from Ligier. Minardi keeps Christian Fittipaldi and adds Fabrizio Barbazza.

New entry Sauber signs JJ Lehto from BMS Scuderia Italia and Karl Wendlinger, who impressed with March in 1992 and was part of the Sauber-Mercedes sportscar programme. Of the 13 competing teams, only seven drivers line up with the same team as in 1992: Senna, Schumacher, Alesi, Herbert, de Cesaris, Suzuki and Fittipaldi.

Team changes

Brabham, Andrea Moda and Fondmetal all failed to complete the 1992 season, and March formally withdrew at the start of 1993, leaving just 13 teams on the grid.

Sauber are the sole new entry, backed in part by Mercedes-Benz through their funding of engine supplier Ilmor. Under Mercedes’ instruction, the engines are badged as “Saubers” for this debut season, with “Concept by Mercedes-Benz” decals on the engine cover. Jordan abandons its Yamaha V12 in favour of the new Hart V10 — Hart Racing Engines returning to Grand Prix racing full-time for the first time since early 1986.

Several car numbers change across the grid: Williams takes 0 and 2; Benetton inherits Williams’ long-held 5 and 6; McLaren takes 7 and 8 (previously used by Brabham, and by McLaren themselves in 1978–1984); Jordan moves to 14 and 15; Larrousse takes 19 and 20; Sauber receives 29 and 30, the highest numbers on the grid.

Calendar

The season runs to 16 races, maintaining the calendar size in place since 1984. The Mexican Grand Prix is dropped after seven years due to safety concerns about the bumpy surface at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. A planned Asian Grand Prix at the Autopolis circuit in Japan was cancelled after plans failed to materialise.

In place of the Asian race, the European Grand Prix returns to the calendar for the first time in eight years — it was last held at Brands Hatch in 1985. The 1993 race is awarded to Donington Park, which hosts its first top-level event since the Donington Grand Prix in 1938 and its first ever World Championship Formula One race. The San Marino and Spanish Grands Prix also swap positions, so Spain now runs second in the European leg of the season.

Regulation changes

Several changes target cornering speeds. Car track width is reduced from 2,150 mm to 2,000 mm. Tyre widths are cut: rears drop from 18 to 15 inches, fronts from 13 to 11 inches. The rear wing maximum height falls from 100 cm to 95 cm, and front wing maximum overhang from 100 cm to 90 cm. Driver headrest surface area is enlarged from 80 to 400 cm².

On the sporting side, the pit lane speed limit in practice sessions is lowered to 50 km/h. Strict crowd control measures are imposed to prevent spectators entering the circuit before the end of the race.

The 1993 season represents the high-water mark of advanced driver aid technology. The Williams FW15C features hydraulically controlled active suspension, power steering, anti-lock brakes, fly-by-wire controls, traction control, a semi-automatic gearbox, onboard telemetry and a push-to-pass system. Williams also tested a continuously variable transmission during development, while Benetton trialled a four-wheel steering system. Nearly all cars run some form of active suspension. Many of these systems are expected to be banned for 1994.

All teams are supplied tyres by Goodyear.