FILTER FIDDLING FUELS FIREBALL! The Story of the 1994 German Grand Prix 

The Larrousse connection came about because they were a customer of Benetton; they bought Benetton gearboxes and rear suspension, which is the origin of them talking technical about details such as the fuel filter and Larrousse writing to the FIA. The team which first removed it though was Ligier; having had a friendly chat with Intertechnique. It transpired (in 1995 per interview with Max Mosley speaking pre-season) that the filter was not designed to filter the fuel; but to catch any rig debris (large pieces). Ligier reasoned that they had been using the rigs in testing and anything which could have shown up, would have by then... Ligier of course, were owned by Flavio Briatore and probably reasonably to assume that's how Ligier and Benetton technical people were talking. Benetton (Brawn and Villadelprat) then asked Charlie Whiting if they could remove the filter and were told yes, if Intertechnique said it was okay, then it was okay. So it was not a filter *designed* to slow down the fuel flow. It was a debris filter, to remove particulates from within the rig and prevent them from entering the car or the fuel hose. It's specifically referenced as a debris filter in the FIA hearing documents (which were published in full in Motor Sport Magazine, and still available in their archive, and the FIA's, though most journalists never seem to actually go to the source for these things....) There was apparently no rule about removing the filters as they were in the hose (where altering the rig was against the rules), which the teams themselves were entitled to dismantle, service and reassemble. So by the letter, Benetton did not 'cheat' by removing it, though they were benefitting from a potentially increased fuel flow rate. Worth noting that when it was 'discovered' there was no filter, was 3 days after Hockenheim; so if Benetton knew the filter was an/the issue, they could very simply have reinstalled it. And didn't. Benetton blamed the rig mechanism itself for being badly-made and of a poor overall design (and had aircraft crash investigators AFTA conduct an independent review of the rig to try and find the cause (why do so if they knew it was as simple as the filter? An elaborate cover-up?) and asked Intertechnique and the FIA for design drawings to compare their rig nozzle to; which was refused...) In quite the unrelated coincidence; Intertechnique then, on Friday in Hungary, replaced every team's fuel nozzle with a new updated design. Benetton then immediately had a failure of that new part in dry testing, took it back to Intertechnique and realised it was manufactured out of tolerance and immediately needed replacing.. McLaren (Ron Dennis, specifically) claim that season in pre-season testing; they spilled ~12 litres(!) of fuel from the nozzle in static testing, on a cold, stationary car. A spring had been fitted backwards by Intertechnique, holding the valve open instead of closing it. Facing more questions on safety and potential lawsuits, media attention and team protests about the safety of refuelling; the FIA for some reason, publicly determined fault for the Hockenheim fire was down to Benetton's filter removal. In the face of multiple other nozzle failures, aircraft crash investigators stating the physical impossibility of a piece of 'dirt' small enough to jam open the nozzle being caught by the mesh filter (later corroborated as above, by Max Mosley), Intertechnique redesigning and replacing every nozzle in the pit lane between Hockenheim and Hungary, nope; it was just Benetton's filter removal. The large pressure bottles in the pitlane were (per Simon Morley interview in 2018) pressurized Nitrogen, for the wheel guns. Benetton also fully pressurized their fuel rig with Nitrogen, as opposed to air or Oxygen, to ensure max fuel delivery rate every time, and adjusted during the weekends and in-race. There were no rules about fuel rig pressurization, so Benetton optimised it for fastest delivery. With filter reinstallation mandated they still had shorter pit stops than everyone else for the rest of the season, and 1995.

Benneton's rear jack was handled by Steve Matchett. He'd cover the 1994 season in his first book, Life in the Fast Lane. He'd later be one of the 3 main commentators in US F1 TV from 2000-2012.

1964, Two cars at the Indianapolis 500 exploded in a crash because cars back then ran on Gasoline. So Indy car mandated cars switch to an methanol blend which does not explode, but you cannot see it when it burns. 1981 you had the Rick Mears pit fire where no one knew Mears was on fire until his dad grabbed a fire extinguisher and put him out. Indy car mandated a lot of new safety rules including fuel will not flow until the hose is attached correctly, a dead man switch so if the hose is dropped it shuts off and the fuel tanks bolted to the ground. Indy also mandated a simple change every pit has a 5 gallon bucket of water to throw on anyone who is on fire. Every pit crew member had to wear a helmet and fire suit, not just the guys over the wall. Seems like Indy has been about 10 years ahead of F1 when it comes to safety.

Another fire related incident happened at the 2009 Brazillian Grand Prix - after the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen left the box with the refueling hose still attached to it, fuel was leaking from the hose. Behind him was the Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen and the exhaust from the Ferrari allowed the puddle of fuel to ignite into a fireball. Thankfully, no one was injured, both Räikkönen and Kovalainen (after Brawn GP mechanics managed to extract the hose out of the McLaren) continued the race. Kovalainen then received a 25-second penalty for unsafe release, but he would've been out of the points anyway (he'd have been 9th, but back then only the Top 8 scored points), wheras Kimi clawed back to 6th. The fuel hose incident at Interlagos was also a little over a year after a similar inciden witht Felipe Massa and the now infamous 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

I would love to see a 1994 only playlist to keep track of everything going on this season. Great vid!

Ah, the Ignited Colours of Benetton, who could forget it! (Shame I had to quote a headline from the back page of the Sun, but it was a classic! Lol)

The 1994 F1 season was like a throwback to the late 1960's and 1970's era F1.

1994 was my first year watching F1. It really was a horror show, over and over again.

Ignoring the consistent replays of the fire, I would still be remembering it in extreme clarity. It scared the crap out of me, and I still shudder just thinking about it. That was a crazy year, as well as a near tragic one. It's not something you ever forget.

This race was...very weird. However I do like it because it was Eric Bernard's only podium - a guy who is a largely forgotten driver now but he was very promising early on. He never really recovered from a nasty accident in 1991, a fate that his compatriot Panis also suffered from.

Good job it wasn’t a few years earlier, the pit crews back in the day wore shorts and t shirts when refuelling.

Jos's bright spot of his career.

Ahh who can forget the Ignited Colours of Benetton. 94' was the first year i watched every race and haven't stopped since

Also everyone forgets about Irvine's pit-stop fire Belgium 1995..

There was an Irvine pit fire at Belgium in 1995 too, from what I recall.

Berger always went well at Hockenheim & Monza. The high-speed low-downforce tracks suited his smooth driving style, and his preference for a car with mild understeer helped with traction out of the slow chicanes. He also had a great understanding of how to drive those tracks - I remember in an interview in the late-'90s him talking about the importance of getting the line on corner exit just right, so the steeriring could be kept straight all the way down the long straights. At such high speed the drag induced by turning the front wheels at all cost significant speed.

1:52 and that is the perfect example of the pure beauty of a f1 car.

Thanks for all the great content. Your videos are always a treat to watch.

Another iconic accident from this era (which got replayed ad nauseam) was Fittipaldi's flip at Monza in '93.

With your deep dive style, and your timeline ability.. Would be cool to see you do a set series for a standout season. Just a thought. banger video btw.

Mechanics have always despised refuelling and this is exactly why. Steve Matchett's book graphically details the Verstappen fire, time really does seem to slow down when you're in something like that. The colour drained from Schumacher's face when he saw the sister car in the garage.

I remember it vividly. 1994 is one of those years that many would simply like to forget ever happened. As for Schumi, I will never understand. The man had alien like talent, he could have won championships in an era, and yet his whole career was mired with one controversy after another. Why? He didn't need all that crap to win, and yet... couldn't help himself? It's a damn shame.

Have you thought about doing a story time episode about the contract fight between Williams and mclaren over who coulthard drives for in 1995?

That Pitbull track 'Fireball' seems to be fitting for the JV accident at Hockenheim

I had watched some races here and there, but 1994 was the first year I really started to watch and follow F1. What a year to pick to be your first....

Oh....that fire that burned Max's dad's eyebrows....

For me the earliest motorsport memory is the flying mercs at Le Mans.

For those curious I think Aiden was referring to Schindlers List

This and sennas death are the most burned in to my memory (no pun intended) watching f1 as a kid. For a long time i thought they were sucking fuiel in to the car as well as pumping it in

I was 6 years old and terrified of fire. It was the 3rd time I cried watching a Grand Prix that season. No prizes for guessing one of the others, but a hearty congratulations if you can guess the 2nd.

Excellent title, Mr Millward. Lovely stuff. Cheers for another quality blast of F1 chat.

I actually had completely forgotten that the Ligiers completed the podium of that race, shows how much the fire overrides every other memory.

I click play and then intsa like, cause i know this is going to be good.

In hindsight, Schumacher should've taken the three race ban, since he didn't score in Germany and Spa (another DQ) anyway. Of course, Hill winning in Hungary would've lost him a further 14 points (-10 for him +4 for Hill), but a win and a second at either Monza and Estoril (not inconceivable) would've meant he'd been leading Hill by 7 points in Adelaide (provided the other races would've gone the same). Well, as Murray Walker always used to say: F1 is IF spelt backwards. Anyway, a two, or three race ban for what was essentially overtaking on the warm up lap (which is now no longer illegal, as long as you line up on the grid correctly) always seemed a bit harsh and compensation for something else. Hell, even a DQ was harsh, a 5 or 10 second time penalty would've bene more appropriate. I'll never understand what Schumacher was thinking when he overtook Hill on those warm up laps. And I guess we'll never know. Schumacher lost at least 16 points due to questionable DQ's and a further 12 to 16 due to race bans. Would've been champion by the European GP otherwise.

I was 10 in 1994 and this was the season I became a huge F1 & Damon fan

On the topic of pit fires, take a look into the 1981 Indy 500 Rick Mears pit fire. IndyCars used methanol at the time, which burns clear, so it is a bizarre scene with many people running around like they are on fire (because they are) with no visible flames. Probably something many of your viewers, particularly non-American viewers, don’t know about.

I am really enjoying your content

Just discovered your channel today and immediately subscribed after this one post .Top quality content .i will be watching you back catalogue of posts ..top stuff .Greetings from Northern Europe 🤗...Harry

I was thinkign toward the end about moments I remember most, and the usual ones apply, Senna's crash, this one, Hill/Schumacher at Adelaide, and Grosjean at Sakrain/Bahrir... I distinctly remember feeling at the time exactly as I did when I watched Senna's crash live. I was absolutely convinced he wasn't getting out of that car.

A interesting fact about Diniz 1996 fire in Argentina. That turn is called "confectionery turn". Diniz was indeed at the confectionery oven. Thankfully, unhurt, even having to leave the car without been able to remove the steering wheel. He even said that he had no idea how he did it and was sure that would not be able to do it again, even if he tried 100 times. About this whole filter thing of 1994, even if Larrousse was told during the season that removing the filter was ok, if Benetton started the year without it, it was without the manufacturer consent. Not that it would change anything, but just to point that out.

jesus. I forgot the monica seles thing was this year too. important context!

bit that drives me nuts with Schumacher is that he didnt need to cheat. He was by far the best driver in (usually) the best car.

Damn, that fire is horrific. Enjoying your content Aidan. Edit: I just thought of another fire I saw footage of. It was in Indycar racing I think. I can't remember what the fuel they were using was, but you can't see the flames. So what you had was a pit crew dancing and wriggling around with a heat haze around them. Not so much horrific as very odd, and if you're an awful person like me, amusing.

I always wonder how good Jos could’ve been if he’d had some proper support, training and such. In later years, he did win his class in Le Mans first go, in that Porsche RS Spyder lmp2 you could only lease. Pretty car, that. He was so much faster than anyone, even with the same car, it was a bit embarrassing.

It's a good job that they use petrol and not alcohol like indy, at least you can see what's on fire. Glad everyone was relatively ok. I miss watching the full races.

Another great video!

Did anybody at the FIA actually talk to Intertechnique and verify they told Larrousse to take the filter off?

Another one of the mechanics injured was Steve Matchett. He talks about the incident in his book about his time in F1

Hello Aidan: In the photo at 14:56 you can see the brake disk glowing red hot. You don't often see that in daylight photos. Thank you.

The reason Benton weren’t punished as the FIA were worried they would have to punish Larousse who threatened to sue

Yet again aiden,,,,fantastic story telling....✌️👍🇬🇧

The way to reframe "only 6L" is asking if someone ever had to deal with a grease fire on the kitchen with a fraction of that, of something that isn't meant to be vaporised and go boom, and in a situation you can't just stop one second and think "oh yeah the lid" and then think how terrifying it is something that isn't supposed to catch fire suddenly going woomf.

Unfortunately my first memory of F1 is my hero (at the time) Gilles, being announced by the BBC as dead. I potentially have earlier memories, but that's the first one that I don't feel might be tainted by older me watching highlights and thus is legit.

Love the references to Two Gun Tommy!

Fires stopped happening as they banned refueling. Beneton was VERY lucky for not getting pinged for no filter in the refueling rig. FIA let them go as team members had been burnt

Great video👍

The pit crews should have been paid danger money during the 1994 F1 season. The Alboreto incident at Imola, then this, are 2 that spring to mind.

Now imagine that with alcohol as the fuel - Indy car...

Didn't Eddie Irvine's Jordan catch fire in a pit stop at Spa in 1995?

Now Aidan, don't try to get your favourite driver to the front row by phoning in a death threat to Verstappen! Aidan? Aidan! hello!???

Aside from Senna's death and this fireball, my most vivid F1 memory from when I was a kid is Spa 1998. Not just the crash after the hairpin but also Schumacher crashing into the back of Coulthard. It was so weird and unnecessary, there was plenty of space on the straight they were on. I thought I had seen the craziest race with the early mass crash and then Schumacher takes himself out.

I think you yourself Aiden could do an entire book on 1994. Think of the money?

Interesting about Hill; I read he pitted because he assumed was going to be stopped.

could you please make a playlist for 1994. thanks in advance

It was one of my first clear F1 memories too. Together with Senna fatally crashing. I was 9 at the time.

Brilliant as always

I was 18 watching this in 1994. What a shocking season. It seemed every potentially bad accident always had the worst possible outcome. After never having seen a fatal accident, the worst I’d seen was Berger 89, F1 seemed to be safer than you could have imagined. How naive we were.

3.7k to Moreno!!

What film are you referencing at the begining? 🤔😂 very intrigued!

i remember this

1994 would not suit for a Hollywood movie because in those movies the good guy always wins...Or atleast the bad guy does not win. And we all know the cheating bad guy won in the end in '94.

Irvine in belgium 95 have the same issue.

Genuine question do you have capacity to do a race by race on 94? It's a pearler of a season (tragedy aside) the cars were closer than people recall!

It is still baffling how this race was not red-flagged. I understand that after Imola, the FIA would not like to use safety car, but having a third of the field wiped out on the opening lap surely was something that should have stopped the race. (Then again, none of the cars were really parked on the racing line, so...)

Anyone else curious/knows about the film where the person was changed that was mentioned during the intro....having a mind blank moment

Why were Larrousse told to remove their filter?

I may off heard you wrong. Did you say Ferrari were running a skinny rear wing. Because they had the fattest one. Still a great video.

Aidan what’s the name of the 1994 season film you talked about at the start of the video? Don’t think I’ve seen it

I don't remember if it was 94 or 95, but I recall Verstappen sliding on the sidewalls of his right side tires through two cars at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

The other saving grace in this era was the mechanics having to wear overalls, as the early 80's they just used to wear t-shirts and shorts.

OsellaSquadraCorse has made an excellent comment below which further expands on the topic in the video and offers important additional information. Benetton did do some suspect things, but it was proven at the time that what they had done in removing the filter was a) legal and b) done my several other teams in the pitlane. The subsequent blaming solely of Benetton for the fire and refusal to discuss the topic further by the FIA, particularly in the wake of the later revelations of 1994 was some truly Balestre-esque dictatorial behaviour from the FIA that we have come to know. For those wanting to know more of the completely insane stories of 1994 with lots of additional background information, I thoroughly recommend "1994: The Story of a Tragic and Controversial F1 Season" by Ibrar Malik.

Jeeeeez. Common sense says “don’t screw with the fuel filling equipment.” Meanwhile You’d think that F1 would make a rule that says if you do screw with the fuel rig, you’d get DQ’d for the entire season. But no….

Don't forget Gianmaria Bruni in 2004

This is almost a mobile chicane video title

I didn't know it was such a race of attrition. The only thing that has BURNED on my retinas is the Verstappen pitfire.

It might of had everything but it didn't really have racing. We lost that chance after San Marino. It was all artificially created to make the only real race at Adelade.

At least his son tried to replicate his teammate's legacy

Is the film you refer to schindlers list?

Black Hawk Down and McGregor‘s character ”Grimes“?

come on guys hurry up only 3.7k subs until the moreno video

I think those bottles had nitrogen.

1994 is a properly cursed season innit

Hey AM, which movie are you referencing in the opening? It sounds familiar

I remember hearing years ago if Willy T. Ribbs started at Daytona , someone would take him out with a deer rifle or something like that .

The moment that often makes reaction channel people's heads spin, first because kaboom, second because 'Wait, Max's dad raced in F1 too?! 🤯' Blah, blah, old Hockenheim, blah, the straights were awesome to drive, but the race was always a lottery. Either you'd blow up where no one could see you in the forest, or turn 1 carnage. Seeking the tiniest of advantage, almost to the point of putting more effort into doing that than just getting on with it, in this case with the fuel. Where there was Brawn and Schumacher, there was this kind of advantage shenanigans. It's like a compulsion.

10:12 And that's how Max Verstappen was made (yes, I know he was born 3 years later but you get the idea).

Pedantry alert! Removing a filter without the authorisation of Intertechnique to gain an advantage is only cheating if it was against the regulations to do so. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not sure the regulations even allowed for Intertechnique to give teams permission to modify the fuel rigs, did it? I've a feeling the mods were not only unauthorised and illegal, but that they would still have been illegal even if the supplier had authorised them.

Ah refueling, when pit strategy wasn't so simple an Amazon embedded ad could figure it out.

What was Schumacher & the teams reasoning for passing on the formation lap ? Surely if he had done it before this race he would have received a warning & know not to do it again

Cheers, from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.