The Pacific Grand Prix was the first of two races scheduled to be held in Japan in 1994, with the Japanese Grand Prix set to follow at Suzuka in October. The event at the newly added TI Circuit replaced the European Grand Prix at Donington Park, which had been cancelled after being originally placed on the calendar for the same date. The European Grand Prix would eventually return later in the season at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.
Several driver changes altered the expected grid. Ferrari's Jean Alesi injured his back during testing at Mugello and was replaced by Ferrari test driver Nicola Larini. At Jordan, Eddie Irvine had his one-race ban from a multi-car accident in Brazil extended to three races, meaning Aguri Suzuki took his seat for the Pacific round.
Most drivers set their fastest qualifying times during Friday's session, with Saturday's conditions proving slower. Senna claimed pole position for Williams by 0.22 seconds over Schumacher's Benetton. Damon Hill was third in the second Williams, followed by Mika Hakkinen in the McLaren, Berger in the Ferrari, and Martin Brundle in the second McLaren. The top ten was completed by Larini in the second Ferrari, Barrichello in the Jordan, Christian Fittipaldi in the Footwork, and Jos Verstappen in the second Benetton. At the back, the two Simtek cars of David Brabham and Roland Ratzenberger qualified 25th and 26th, while Bertrand Gachot and Paul Belmondo in the Pacific cars failed to qualify.
At the start, Schumacher moved ahead of Senna before the first corner. Senna was then struck from behind by Hakkinen and spun off the circuit. Larini, also caught up in the incident, crashed into Senna's Williams, ending both cars' races. Mark Blundell was also collected at the first corner and stalled in the middle of the track.
Damon Hill climbed to second place before retirement with transmission failure on lap 49. Jos Verstappen retired when he spun exiting the pits on lap 55. Martin Brundle was running third but retired with an overheating engine on lap 68 after Barrichello had already pitted. Separately, Michele Alboreto and Karl Wendlinger collided and both went into the gravel, retiring from the race. Schumacher went on to win by a comfortable margin from Berger and Barrichello.
Notably, Roland Ratzenberger's 11th-place classified finish would prove to be the Austrian driver's only points-eligible result in Formula One; he was killed during qualifying for the following race at Imola.
A significant subplot ran through the Pacific weekend. Nicola Larini, during practice, reportedly told the Italian media that he had used traction control — one of the electronic driver aids banned for the 1994 season — during a practice session. Ferrari and Larini subsequently denied the claims. The incident intensified existing suspicions that some teams were using illegal electronic aids in competition.
Following his retirement at the first corner, Senna notably chose not to return immediately to the Williams garage. Instead, he sat on the pit wall outside the first turn and observed the passing cars for approximately ten laps, listening for any sounds suggesting traction control use. He returned to the pits still suspicious that the Benetton B194 might be running illegal systems — a controversy that would persist throughout the season.
The 1994 Pacific Grand Prix is remembered primarily as part of the deeply contested and controversy-shadowed opening of the 1994 season, a campaign defined by the illegal driver aids dispute and shadowed by the tragedies at Imola two weeks later. For Jordan, Barrichello's podium was a milestone result that signaled the team's growing competitiveness in the midfield.