Damon Hill won the 1996 French Grand Prix from second on the grid after pole-sitter Schumacher's Ferrari failed on the warm-up lap.
Key Facts
- Race distance
- 72 laps
- Winner
- Damon Hill (Williams-Renault)
- Pole position
- Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
- Championship round
- 9th race of 1996 season
- Last Forti start
- Final race a Forti car started
- Third place
- Jean Alesi (Benetton-Renault)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Michael Schumacher took pole position for Ferrari, setting up an anticipated battle with Damon Hill's Williams-Renault. However, Schumacher's engine blew on the warm-up lap before the race began, eliminating the championship leader before the start.
The 72-lap French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours on 30 June 1996 saw Damon Hill lead from start to finish, interrupted only by pit stops. Jacques Villeneuve finished second despite a heavy qualifying crash, and Jean Alesi took third place for Benetton-Renault on home soil.
Hill extended his 1996 championship lead with a dominant victory. The race also marked the end of an era for the Forti team, as it proved to be the last Grand Prix in which a Forti car successfully started, with the constructor failing to qualify for all subsequent rounds.