The events leading to Ayrton Senna’s suspicions of Benetton’s potential use of illegal traction or launch control began with Senna securing pole position for the race, his 64th career pole, during Friday qualifying. However, Saturday’s session proved challenging as both Senna and his teammate Damon Hill spun at the Revolver corner, affecting their performance in the subsequent session.
Senna expressed confusion over the unexpected spins, stating that the car felt fine and the conditions seemed favorable. Despite the setback, he remained optimistic, acknowledging the disappointment but relieved that it happened during qualifying rather than on race day.
On Sunday, during the race, Michael Schumacher’s Benetton displayed an impressive launch off the start line, fueling suspicions regarding the team’s starts. Schumacher quickly overtook Senna, whose car experienced difficulty maintaining traction and was subsequently hit from behind by Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren, causing Senna to spin.
The incident led to Senna’s retirement from the race after further contact with Nicola Larini’s Ferrari. Senna and Hakkinen both commented on the collision, with Hakkinen expressing regret over the contact but attributing it to Senna and Schumacher breaking late.
Despite Senna’s hopes for a race restart, the lack of a red flag meant he had to retire. He briefly watched the race trackside before returning to the pits, where team manager Ian Harrison attempted to prevent any confrontation between Senna and Larini.
Senna remained convinced of foul play by Benetton, but subsequent investigations by the FIA found no evidence of traction control use during race weekends, although a hidden launch control system was discovered in Benetton’s software. Schumacher went on to win the race comfortably, extending his lead in the championship.
