| 1996 French Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 9 of 16 in the 1996 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
.svg) | |||||
| Race details | |||||
| Date | 30 June 1996 | ||||
| Official name | LXXXII French Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours, France | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 4.250[1] km (2.641 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 72 laps, 305.814[2] km (190.024 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Dry | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:15.989 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |
 Jacques Villeneuve | Williams-Renault | |||
| Time | 1:18.610 on lap 48 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Williams-Renault | ||||
| Second | Williams-Renault | ||||
| Third | Benetton-Renault | ||||
|
Lap leaders | |||||
The 1996 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours, France on 30 June 1996. It was the ninth race of the 1996 Formula One World Championship.
The 72-lap race was won by Briton Damon Hill, driving a Williams-Renault, after he started from second position. German Michael Schumacher took pole position in his Ferrari but failed to start the race after his engine blew on the warm-up lap, leaving Hill to lead from start to finish except for the pit stops. Hill's teammate, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, who had crashed heavily at Estoril corner in qualifying, finished second, with local driver Jean Alesi third in a Benetton-Renault.
This was the last Grand Prix where a Forti car started the race as they would fail to qualify for the remaining Grand Prix they would enter, however both cars were forced to retire.[3]
- ^ Derived based on the identical race distance and number of laps in 1998 French Grand Prix
- ^ Calculated based on the race classification shown during TV broadcast
- ^ "Forti - Grands Prix started 1996 • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.