The race itself – the Australian Grand Prix – was a classic Schumacher affair, with flashes of his speed but also his more ruthless side. After the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola, Schumacher was unquestionably becoming the biggest star in the sport, known for his fitness and phenomenal speed. But his passage to the title was interrupted by Hill, who had been Senna’s Williams team-mate until the Brazilian’s death.