1996 F1 Season
16 races · Williams FW18
The 1996 season confirmed Williams' crushing superiority in the post-Senna era. The FW18, designed by Adrian Newey, was one of the most dominant cars in history, and the two blue machines had barely any rivals all year.
The title fight was an in-house affair between Damon Hill and rookie Jacques Villeneuve, the reigning IndyCar champion newly arrived in Europe. Hill, more experienced and consistent, prevailed with eight wins in sixteen races. Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher began his rebuild of Ferrari and moved the tifosi to tears with three memorable wins — Barcelona in the rain, Spa and Monza — in a clearly inferior car.
The ending had a bitter twist: despite winning the championship, Williams had already decided not to retain Hill for 1997, leaving the brand-new champion without a seat in the dominant team. It was the last title for a driver who carried his father Graham Hill's name.
Drivers' Champion
Damon Hill
Williams FW18
Constructors' Champion
Williams
16 races
Key moment
"Hill clinched the title in Japan, closing a historic season for Williams."
What if 1996 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 1996 grid — every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating — and re-ran the full 16-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Damon Hillreal championWilliams | P1.7 | 46% |
| Michael SchumacherFerrari | P1.7 | 44% |
| Jacques VilleneuveWilliams | P2.6 | 10% |
| Jean AlesiBenetton | P4.5 | 0% |
| Mika HäkkinenMcLaren | P4.8 | 0% |
| Gerhard BergerBenetton | P5.9 | 0% |
Damon Hill takes the title 46% of the time: one in every 2 simulated championships goes to somebody else, almost always Michael Schumacher. It was not a dominated year, it was a won one.
Tags
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 1996 championship-winning car?