With the memory of the death of Ayrton Senna still present, the world of Formula 1 continued its course in a 1994 season in which Michael Schumacher was crowned world champion for the first time at just 25 years old, the second youngest in history. the entire story, trailing only Emerson Fittipaldi , who achieved it just under two months earlier.
The German was the great star of the highest category now, and it is that with his Benetton he was heading towards all kinds of records, although for the following year he would go to Ferrari in what was the dream of the ‘ Kaiser ‘ of returning to the most stop the Prancing Horse . However, before that, he had to round off a dominant 1995 campaign in which he took nine wins, although they resisted him on Saturdays, since he only had four pole positions against seven for Damon Hill and his Williams.
That was what he did at the Pacific Grand Prix at the Aïda circuit , where he achieved his 18th victory to be crowned two-time world champion, although there was still one thing pending for his team, the one that made him great in Formula 1.
This is how the Japanese Grand Prix was reached on October 29 , where Michael Schumacher had the opportunity, along with Johnny Herbert, to give his team the constructors’ title. In the case of the German, everything was sentenced, and that is that he was 33 points ahead of his immediate pursuer, the Briton from the Grove team, Hill, but in the team fight, Benetton was only 21 ahead of Williams, with still 32 in play.
To keep hopes alive, Sir Frank Williams ‘s team had to cut at least seven units from those led by someone well known in the Spanish fans for what happened years later, Flavio Briatore .
“Now I’ve achieved my goal, I run without pressure, all I want is to enjoy myself,” said Schumacher after becoming champion when he arrived at Suzuka, but in his mind he still wanted to break the record of nine wins in one season set by Nigel Mansell in 1992, so if he did, his team would take the crown.
In the Japanese appointment, the British introduced an electronic blocking device , which acted as a kind of handbrake, something useful to avoid skipping the exits in places with slopes, as it happened in the circuit of the country of the Rising Sun, even more vital when it came to defending the pole position that the German did on Saturday ahead of Jean Alesi in what would be his single-seater in 1996. Everything turned upside down for Benetton, with Schumacher in first place and Herbert in ninth, since the Williamses were fourth, with Damon Hill, and sixth with David Coulthard.
On the Sunday of the race, the rain made an appearance, which presaged an eventful test. In the afternoon, the water dried up, but no pilot trusted them and they went out with the wet tires
The ‘Kaiser’ retained that first place for much of the test, only giving up the lead on a few occasions to Mika Hakkinen and Damon Hill, while Herbert staged a good comeback to finish on the podium. The German’s victory gave Benetton its first and only constructors’ title, but his victory did not matter in the result, because both Grove single-seaters did not even cross the finish line.
Between laps 39 and 40 , first an accident involving David Coulthard and another involving Damon Hill, the efforts of Williams were in vain, who saw how for that 1995 they were left without a streak of six seasons as the best Formula 1 team, something That has never happened in history.
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