1996 Formula One World Championship 1996 Formula One World Championship The 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 50th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The championship commenced on 10 March 1996 and ended on 13 October after sixteen races. Two World Championship titles were awarded, one for Drivers and one for Constructors. Damon Hill won the Drivers' Championship two years after being beaten by a point by Michael Schumacher, making him the first son of a World Champion (his father Graham having won the title in 1962 and 1968) to have won the title himself. Hill, who had finished runner-up for the
1996 Newsweek Champions Cup and the State Farm Evert Cup City champion, 1995 French Open runner-up and Doha semifinalist Thomas Muster and San Jose runner-up, U.S. Open defending champion and 1990 Indian Wells winner Andre Agassi. Other top seeds were Australian Open and 1995 Tour Championships titlist Boris Becker, Michael Chang, Goran Ivanišević, Jim Courier and Thomas Enqvist. Michael Chang defeated Paul Haarhuis 7–5, 6–1, 6–1 Steffi Graf defeated Conchita Martínez 7–6, 7–6 Todd Woodbridge / Mark Woodforde defeated Brian MacPhie / Michael Tebbutt 1–6, 6–2, 6–2 Chanda Rubin / Brenda Schultz-McCarthy defeated Julie Halard-Decugis / Nathalie Tauziat 6–1, 6–4 1996 Newsweek Champions Cup and the State Farm Evert Cup