1993 Formula One World Championship

Alain Prost (pictured in 1989 with McLaren) won his fourth and final title with Williams in his last season of F1 racing.
Three-time world champion Ayrton Senna (pictured celebrating his win in Brazil) finished runner-up in his final season at McLaren
Prost's teammate Damon Hill (pictured in 1995) finished the season ranked third in his first year with Williams.

The 1993 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1993 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1993 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 14 March and ended on 7 November. Alain Prost won his fourth and final Drivers' Championship. As of 2023, this is the last championship for a French Formula One driver.

Furthermore, Prost achieved his 50th F1 victory at the British Grand Prix, becoming the first driver to reach this milestone. His fierce rival, Ayrton Senna, finished runner-up in the championship after winning five races for McLaren-Ford; these included his home race in Brazil, the European Grand Prix in wet conditions,[1] and, for the fifth year in succession and sixth time in all, the Monaco Grand Prix. Prost's Williams teammate, Damon Hill, took his first F1 victory in Hungary; two further victories gave him third in the championship.

At the end of the season, Prost retired from Grand Prix racing, bringing an end to an era in which he and Senna had largely dominated the sport. Senna would take Prost's place at Williams, only to lose his life three races into the 1994 season.

1993 was notable for being the crux of a period in Formula One known for massive advances in technology in a very short time. The Williams FW15C of that year, for example, featured hydraulically and electronically-controlled active suspension, power steering, anti-lock brakes, fly-by-wire controls, traction control, a semi-automatic gearbox that could be switched over to fully-automatic, highly sophisticated onboard telemetry, pneumatic valve springs in the engine, and even a push-to-pass system that, at least in theory, made overtaking easier. Williams also tested a continuously variable transmission, while Benetton-Ford tested a four-wheel steering system late in the season. Nearly all cars in 1993 had an active suspension system, which kept the car's ride height consistent throughout a lap, making the aerodynamics of the car more efficient and effective. Many of these systems would be banned for 1994.

Williams-Renault won their second consecutive Constructor's Championship this year, the sixth in all for Williams.

  1. ^ Collantine, Keith (11 April 2013). "Today in 1993: Senna's last great race at Donington". F1 Fanatic. Retrieved 18 August 2015.