1995 Brazilian Grand Prix

Entrants

Nigel Mansell is not in the McLaren. His cockpit is too narrow — he could not fit in the MP4/10 during pre-season testing — and the team is building a wider monocoque to accommodate him. Test driver Mark Blundell takes the seat for the opening two races while that work is completed. Of the 26 entrants, Pedro Diniz (Forti) is the only driver making his Formula One debut with no prior race entries; Andrea Montermini (Pacific) starts his first race after failing to qualify for the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix due to injury.

Milestones

This is the first Brazilian Grand Prix to be held since the death of three-time champion Ayrton Senna at Imola the previous year. Throughout the weekend, tributes are being paid: a parade lap with all drivers waving Brazilian flags from a truck, a display by the Brazilian Air Force forming a large “S” in the sky, and the renaming of a local highway to Rodovia Ayrton Senna. São Paulo had planned to rename the circuit itself after Senna, but the family of Carlos Pace, the existing dedicatee, objected. Rubens Barrichello carries a special tribute helmet design.

Practice

The Autódromo José Carlos Pace was resurfaced over the winter in an attempt to reduce its bumpiness. The results have backfired: drivers are unanimously critical, with Coulthard calling the track “bumpy as hell, quite unbelievable” and Barrichello declaring the organisers “a bunch of idiots — the track is three times bumpier than before.” Frentzen reported that the bumping left him close to passing out.

In Friday free practice, Hill was fastest (1:21.664) ahead of Coulthard; Schumacher was third but crashed heavily into the tyre barrier at turn eight, a corner normally taken at 140 mph. A joint in the steering column failed. Benetton sourced replacement components from São Paulo overnight. As a precaution, Herbert was kept in the garage for the session and did not set a time. In Friday qualifying, Hill went provisional pole (1:20.081), with Schumacher managing only part of his allotted laps after crashing again.

In Saturday free practice, run in wet and drying conditions, Schumacher was fastest (1:23.607) after a beneficial ride height adjustment, despite going off at the exit of turn five. Saturday qualifying could not improve on the Friday dry times. Hill kept pole on his Friday benchmark; Schumacher’s best across the weekend was 1:20.382. Coulthard starts third, Herbert fourth after setting a late flying lap — equalling his best career qualifying position — and both Ferraris fifth and sixth. Hill’s pole is his first since the 1994 British Grand Prix. Describing the Benettons bracketed by Williams cars on the second row, Hill joked: “The English [sic] have got Michael surrounded.”

A new regulation requires all teams to submit fuel samples to the FIA before each event; any deviation from the reference sample constitutes an infringement. Scrutineering of fuel samples from Schumacher’s Benetton and Coulthard’s Williams taken after Friday qualifying already did not match the approved reference. Both teams are racing under appeal, though neither driver has been informed so as not to unsettle them before the start.