Side by side

Damon Hill and Ayrton Senna run side by side in their Williams’ FW16-Renault during practice for the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix, the first round of the season, held at the Interlagos circuit (pictured above).

The FW16, designed by Adrian Newey and Patrick Head, was the favorite for the 1994 season, but it proved difficult to tame because of aerodynamic flaws, at the start of the season.

However, Ayrton Senna drove around these flaws and brilliantly took pole position in front of his home crowd. Michael Schumacher was second 3 tenths behind, while Damon Hill was fourth… a second and a half behind the Brazilian!

In the race, Senna spun and retired, leaving the way open for Schumacher (Benetton-Ford), who won by a lap over Damon Hill (Williams-Renault) and Jean Alesi (Ferrari). The season was underway, but Senna realised he didn’t have the dominant machine, so competitive in the hands of Mansell and Prost in recent years, in his hands.