Formula 1 cars return to Donington Park

On April 29 and 30, the hills around Donington Park will reverberate to the sounds of Formula 1 engines, as a collection of historic F1 machines takes to the track during the Donington Historic Festival. The event will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1993 European GP, when Ayrton Senna drove his legendary ‘lap of the gods’ as part of an iconic masterclass of driving in the wet.

The historic F1 cars will be on track at lunchtime each day, giving spectators a taste of what it felt like to be in the grandstands on that famous day in April 1993, hopefully, without the torrential rain.

There will also be static displays in the race Paddock, featuring more F1 cars from the period and an exhibition in Donington Park’s Pitlane Suite showcasing memorabilia from 11 April 1993, together with memories and photographs from the public who were at the race.

The Formula 1 cars scheduled to appear include:

1993 Williams FW15C (static display) – driven to race wins by Alain Prost at South Africa, San Marino, Spain, Canada, France, Great Britain and Germany, and to victory in Hungary, Belgium and Italy by Damon Hill.

1993 Benetton-Ford B193 (track demo) – driven by Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Patrese during the 1993 season.

1992 McLaren MP4/7A (static display) – driven to race wins by Ayrton Senna at Monaco, Hungary and Italy and to victory in Canada and Australia by Gerhard Berger.

1990 Benetton-Ford B190 (track demo) – driven to victory at Australia and Japan by Nelson Piquet.

1984 Toleman TG-184 (track demo) – driven by Ayrton Senna drove in the 1984 Detroit GP and in qualifying for that year’s Monaco and Brands Hatch Grands Prix.

1998 Minardi M198 (track demo) – raced in period by Shinji Nakano.

The Donington Historic Festival also offers parades, an open-access paddock and pitlane walks, a trade village, plus the presence of hundreds of cherished classic cars in displays staged by dozens of car clubs. The event attracts a calibre of drivers that matches the cars, and past and present-day BTCC and Le Mans names are often seen on the entry lists.

Advance discounted tickets offer savings over gate prices and start at £26 for a one-day adult (16-plus) entry, with discounts for teens aged 13-15. Under 13s are admitted for free and car parking is also free. For further information and tickets please visit www.doningtonhistoric.com.