Alain Prost won his home Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, becoming the first Formula One driver to record 100 podium finishes.
Key Facts
- Race length
- 72 laps
- Championship round
- 8th of 1993 season
- Prost's podium milestone
- 100th Formula One podium
- Prost's championship lead
- Extended to 12 points over Senna
- First BBC commentator change
- Jonathan Palmer replaced the late James Hunt
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1993 Formula One season was a championship battle between Alain Prost in his Williams-Renault and Ayrton Senna in the McLaren-Ford. Prost, racing in front of his home crowd at Magny-Cours, started from second on the grid behind his teammate Damon Hill, who led the opening 26 laps from pole position.
On 4 July 1993, Prost overtook Hill and went on to win the 72-lap French Grand Prix. Hill finished second and Schumacher third in the Benetton-Ford, while Senna could only manage fourth. The race also marked the final Grand Prix start for Fabrizio Barbazza and the BBC debut of Jonathan Palmer as commentator following James Hunt's death.
Prost extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 12 points over Senna, strengthening his title challenge. His victory was also his 100th Formula One podium, a milestone no driver had previously reached. Jonathan Palmer would continue as Murray Walker's BBC co-commentator through the end of the 1996 season.