Drivers had to set a time within 107% of the pole position time to be allowed to race, aimed at excluding dangerously slow cars.
What makes 1996 nostalgic to watch today is the diversity of the grid. This was the last season before the "wide cars" of 1998 and the rise of pure aero-dependence. The racing was often raw. We saw the brilliance of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger at Benetton—two old lions past their prime but capable of magic on their day (Monza 1996 remains a classic upset). f1 1996
was the wildcard. The 1995 Indy 500 winner and CART champion arrived in F1 with a reputation for spectacular, fearless overtaking. He was the anti-Hill: instinctive, aggressive, and loud. Their dynamic was tense from the first test session. Drivers had to set a time within 107%
While Schumacher was laying bricks, Damon Hill was trying to finish the castle his father started. Driving for Williams-Renault, Hill had the best car on the grid—no question. The FW18 was a technological marvel, superior to the field in aerodynamics and engine power. But 1996 was Hill’s psychological battlefield. After the heartbreak of losing the 1994 title to Schumacher and the controversy of 1995, Hill had to prove he wasn’t just a "number two" driver. He did so with quiet dignity, winning eight races and silencing the critics who claimed he couldn’t cut it at the sharp end. The racing was often raw