52nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing
"F1 1998" redirects here. For the video game based on the 1998 Formula One season, see
Formula 1 98
.
The
1998 FIA Formula One World Championship
was the 52nd season of
FIA
Formula One
motor racing. It featured the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 8 March and ended on 1 November.
The season saw a large shuffling of the pecking order, with
McLaren
emerging as the fastest constructor. After the factory withdrawal of
Renault
and the departure of designer
Adrian Newey
to McLaren, the
Williams
team and
Jacques Villeneuve
were unable to defend their respective championships. Williams suffered their first winless season since
1988
.
Mika Hakkinen
won his first
World Drivers' Championship
[1]
and McLaren won the
World Constructors' Championship
for the first time since
1991
.
[2]
Teams and drivers
[
edit
]
The following
teams
and
drivers
competed in the 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship.
†
All engines were 3.0 litre,
V10
configuration.
[3]
Team changes
[
edit
]
At the end of
1997
,
Renault
withdrew as a direct engine supplier from Formula One and thus marked the first season since
1988
that
Renault
-branded engines were absent due to the company's
privatisation plan
. As a result, the two teams running Renault engines were forced to source alternative suppliers.
Williams
opted to run engines supplied by
Mecachrome
, who were working with Renault to develop the most recent iteration of their RS9 engine rebadged with the Mecachrome name.
Benetton
sourced a similar rebadged Renault engine from
Playlife
. Neither Williams nor Benetton were competitive to the same level as in previous seasons. Renault themselves would invest in Benetton for
2000
, before buying the team outright in
2002
. They would not supply engines to other competing teams again until
2007
.
Arrows
had bought out
Brian Hart
's
preparation company
to build their own
engines
.
[6]
They would do so as well for
2000
.
The
Prost
and
Jordan
teams swapped their engine suppliers from 1997: Prost now used
Peugeot
, whilst Jordan used
Mugen
-
Honda
.
Minardi
switched from
Hart
to
Ford
engines.
Driver changes
[
edit
]
Gerhard Berger
retired at the end of
1997
after fourteen years in F1, leaving a vacant seat at
Benetton
. The team also opted not to renew
Jean Alesi
's contract, so the Frenchman signed a two-year deal to join
Johnny Herbert
at
Sauber
. As their replacements, Benetton signed
Giancarlo Fisichella
from
Jordan
and
Alexander Wurz
, who had already substituted for Berger for three races in 1997.
Jordan replaced Fisichella by signing
1996
World Champion
Damon Hill
to partner
Ralf Schumacher
. To fill his Hill's seat, Arrows secured the services of
Tyrrell
's
Mika Salo
alongside
Pedro Diniz
. Tyrrell also parted ways with
Jos Verstappen
in the off-season, despite
Ken Tyrrell
wanting him to stay. However, new owners
British American Tobacco
preferred to hire Brazilian
Ricardo Rosset
, who had briefly raced for the now-defunct
Lola
team in 1997. They promoted test driver
Toranosuke Takagi
to fill the second seat. Verstappen returned to F1 midway through 1998 with
Stewart
, while Lola's other driver,
Vincenzo Sospiri
, found a home in the
IndyCar Series
.
Prost
retained
Olivier Panis
, but dropped second driver
Shinji Nakano
and replaced him with
Jarno Trulli
. Trulli had started 1997 with
Minardi
but then substituted for Panis when he broke his leg at the
Canadian Grand Prix
. Meanwhile, Nakano joined Trulli's old team,
Minardi
, to replace his retiring countryman
Ukyo Katayama
. He was partnered by rookie
Esteban Tuero
, who was promoted from a testing role as he was preferred to the outgoing
Tarso Marques
. Marques would eventually return to F1 in
2001
, also with Minardi.
Mid-season changes
[
edit
]
Jan Magnussen
was dropped by
Stewart
after the
Canadian Grand Prix
, following a series of underwhelming performances (including crashing into and eliminating his teammate
Rubens Barrichello
on lap 1 at
Imola
). He was replaced by
Jos Verstappen
, who had been out of a drive since leaving
Tyrrell
at the end of 1997.
Calendar
[
edit
]
Round
|
Grand Prix
|
Circuit
|
Date
|
1
|
Australian Grand Prix
|
Albert Park Circuit
,
Melbourne
|
8 March
|
2
|
Brazilian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace
,
Sao Paulo
|
29 March
|
3
|
Argentine Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez
,
Buenos Aires
|
12 April
|
4
|
San Marino Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
,
Imola
|
26 April
|
5
|
Spanish Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Catalunya
,
Montmelo
|
10 May
|
6
|
Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco
,
Monte Carlo
|
24 May
|
7
|
Canadian Grand Prix
|
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
,
Montreal
|
7 June
|
8
|
French Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
,
Magny-Cours
|
28 June
|
9
|
British Grand Prix
|
Silverstone Circuit
,
Silverstone
|
12 July
|
10
|
Austrian Grand Prix
|
A1-Ring
,
Spielberg, Styria
|
26 July
|
11
|
German Grand Prix
|
Hockenheimring
,
Hockenheim
|
2 August
|
12
|
Hungarian Grand Prix
|
Hungaroring
,
Mogyorod
|
16 August
|
13
|
Belgian Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
,
Stavelot
|
30 August
|
14
|
Italian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
,
Monza
|
13 September
|
15
|
Luxembourg Grand Prix
|
Nurburgring
,
Nurburg
|
27 September
|
16
|
Japanese Grand Prix
|
Suzuka Circuit
,
Suzuka
|
1 November
|
Source:
[7]
|
Calendar changes
[
edit
]
- The
Portuguese Grand Prix
was originally scheduled near the end of the season, to be held at the
Estoril
circuit on 11 October. The race was cancelled as the government refused to pay for the required safety upgrades.
[8]
The cancellation left a gap of five weeks to the final race in Japan.
Regulation changes
[
edit
]
Technical regulations
[
edit
]
The 1998 season brought about two significant technical changes to reduce cornering speeds and aid overtaking:
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
- The reintroduction of
grooved tyres
to replace
slicks
for the first time since
1970
. The front tyres had three grooves, the rear tyres four. This was done to decrease cornering speeds and thus, increase safety.
[13]
Grooved tyres would remain in Formula One until the reintroduction of slicks in
2009
.
[14]
For 1998, both McLaren and Benetton switched from
Goodyear
to
Bridgestone
tyres, as the Japanese manufacturer expanded to work with six of the eleven teams in their second year competing in the sport. The two top teams from 1997, Williams and
Ferrari
, opted to retain Goodyear tyres. This would result in the two championship protagonist teams working with different tyre manufacturers.
- The reduction of the cars'
track
, from 2,000 mm (6 ft 7 in) to 1,800 mm (5 ft 11 in). This would give teams less room to play with to create downforce and give drivers more space on the track.
Quite a list of regulations were drafted up with regards to the
brakes
. The goal was to limit braking performance, thereby improving possibilities of overtaking and reducing costs.
[15]
The
cameras
mounted on top of the engine covers, as seen on selected cars from 1995 to 1997, were made mandatory for each car in 1998, and changed from an I-shape to a more aerodynamic T-shape. This design has remained largely unchanged since.
Mid-season changes
[
edit
]
"X wings", a pair of tall aerodynamic appendages mounted at the front of each sidepod and first seen on the
Tyrrell 025
in 1997, were banned before the
Spanish Grand Prix
.
[16]
The teams that used them before the ban were
Ferrari
,
Jordan
,
Prost
,
Sauber
, and
Tyrrell
.
Sporting regulations
[
edit
]
In
1997
, a driver was allowed a maximum of 30 laps
free practice
per day. This limit was abolished for 1998.
[17]
Season summary
[
edit
]
Rounds 1 to 6
[
edit
]
When the season commenced, it was immediately clear that
McLaren
had adapted to the rule changes best, with their drivers locking out the front row of the grid at the opening race of the season in
Australia
and both being more than half a second clear of
Michael Schumacher
in the
Ferrari
.
Mika Hakkinen
started on
pole position
and led up to lap 36, when he misheard a call to come into the
pits
. Teammate
David Coulthard
took the lead, but moved over to allow Hakkinen to pass, honouring a pre-race agreement that the driver leading at the first corner could win the race. The result was protested but was held up by the
WMSC
.
The McLaren drivers finished 1-2 again in
Brazil
, and in the same order. But once again, controversy was not far away: a protest was lodged regarding the McLaren braking system. It was suggested to allow the drivers to brake front and rear wheels independently, contravening the rules. McLaren agreed not to run the system, but remained dominant in the race.
With
Goodyear
making steps forward before
Argentina
, Schumacher was able to take his first win of the season there. Hakkinen finished a distant second and Coulthard only managed sixth after he was tipped into a spin by Schumacher early in the race.
Coulthard bounced back in
Imola
by gaining
pole position
and winning the race ahead of the Ferrari's of Schumacher and
Eddie Irvine
. Hakkinen suffered his first retirement of the season due to a gearbox failure.
It seemed that normal service resumed in
Spain
, however, where the McLaren took another 1-2 finish led by Hakkinen. A further win for Hakkinen in
Monaco
gave him a seventeen-point lead over Coulthard with Schumacher a further five points behind.
Rounds 7 to 12
[
edit
]
Michael Schumacher
climbed back in the standings by winning the next three races, while mistakes and mechanical failures cost both Hakkinen and Coulthard points. After the
British Grand Prix
, Schumacher had closed the gap to Hakkinen to just two points, while Coulthard was 26 points behind his teammate and looking unlikely to be able to fight for the championship.
Consecutive wins in
Austria
and
Germany
for Hakkinen, however, proved that McLaren still had the strongest car. Finally, a strategic master stroke in
Hungary
allowed Schumacher to take the win, with Hakkinen only managing sixth, and close the championship gap again, to just seven points.
Rounds 13 to 16
[
edit
]
The start of a typically rain-filled
Belgian Grand Prix
saw one of the worst accidents in Formula One history, with over half the cars on the grid crashing into each other after the first corner. Four of the drivers were unable to take the restart, which took place almost an hour later, due to lack of spare cars. An action-packed race saw
Mika Hakkinen
spin out into retirement at the restart and saw
Michael Schumacher
crashing into
David Coulthard
when trying to lap him. The path was then clear for
1996
world champion
Damon Hill
to take
Jordan's
first ever win, followed by teammate
Ralf Schumacher
in second.
Schumacher bounced back to take a surprise victory in
Italy
. Hakkinen initially followed in second, but after two spins caused by brake problems, could only manage fourth. The rivals were now level in points with two races to go and
Ferrari
was back into contention for the Constructors' Championship (just ten points behind on
McLaren
).
For the next race at the
Nurburgring
,
[a]
Hakkinen managed to beat Schumacher in a straight fight. And the season concluded in
Japan
, where Hakkinen won without any challenge from Schumacher, who stalled on the grid and retired from a blown tyre later in the race.
This gave Hakkinen his first Drivers' Championship and McLaren their eighth Constructors' Championship.
Williams
, champions of
1997
, experienced a disappointing season overall, with only two podium finishes for reigning champion
Jacques Villeneuve
and one for
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
. In Japan, they did manage to secure third in the Constructors' Championship, ahead of
Jordan
and
Benetton
.
Results and standings
[
edit
]
Grands Prix
[
edit
]
Scoring system
[
edit
]
Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race as follows:
[19]
Position
|
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
6th
|
Points
|
10
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
World Drivers' Championship standings
[
edit
]
|
Key
|
Colour
|
Result
|
Gold
|
Winner
|
Silver
|
Second place
|
Bronze
|
Third place
|
Green
|
Other points position
|
Blue
|
Other classified position
|
Not classified, finished (NC)
|
Purple
|
Not classified, retired (Ret)
|
Red
|
Did not qualify (DNQ)
|
Black
|
Disqualified (DSQ)
|
White
|
Did not start (DNS)
|
Race cancelled (C)
|
Blank
|
Did not practice (DNP)
|
Excluded (EX)
|
Did not arrive (DNA)
|
Withdrawn (WD)
|
Did not enter (empty cell)
|
Annotation
|
Meaning
|
P
|
Pole position
|
F
|
Fastest lap
|
|
Notes:
- † ? Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
World Constructors' Championship standings
[
edit
]
|
Constructor
|
|
AUS
|
BRA
|
ARG
|
SMR
|
ESP
|
MON
|
CAN
|
FRA
|
GBR
|
AUT
|
GER
|
HUN
|
BEL
|
ITA
|
LUX
|
JPN
|
Points
|
1
|
McLaren
-
Mercedes
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
6
P
|
1
P
|
2
|
Ret
|
Ret
P
|
6
F
|
Ret
|
2
F
|
2
F
|
2
|
7
|
Ret
|
3
|
3
|
156
|
8
|
1
P
F
|
1
P
F
|
2
|
Ret
|
1
P
F
|
1
P
F
|
Ret
|
3
P
|
2
P
|
1
|
1
P
|
6
P
|
Ret
P
|
4
F
|
1
F
|
1
|
2
|
Ferrari
|
3
|
Ret
|
3
|
1
|
2
F
|
3
|
10
|
1
F
|
1
|
1
F
|
3
|
5
|
1
F
|
Ret
F
|
1
P
|
2
P
|
Ret
P
F
|
133
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
3
|
3
|
Ret
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
8
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
3
|
Williams
-
Mecachrome
|
1
|
5
|
7
|
Ret
|
4
|
6
|
5
|
10
|
4
|
7
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
8
|
6
|
38
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
9
|
5
|
8
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
15
†
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
7
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
Jordan
-
Mugen-Honda
|
9
|
8
|
DSQ
|
8
|
10
†
|
Ret
|
8
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
7
|
4
|
4
|
1
|
6
|
9
|
4
|
34
|
10
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
7
|
11
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
16
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
9
|
2
|
3
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
5
|
Benetton
-
Playlife
|
5
|
Ret
|
6
|
7
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
2
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
Ret
P
|
7
|
8
|
Ret
|
8
|
6
|
8
|
33
|
6
|
7
|
4
|
4
F
|
Ret
|
4
|
Ret
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
11
|
16
†
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
7
|
9
|
6
|
Sauber
-
Petronas
|
14
|
Ret
|
9
|
5
|
6
|
10
|
12
†
|
Ret
|
7
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
10
|
7
|
3
|
5
|
10
|
7
|
10
|
15
|
6
|
11
†
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
7
|
7
|
Ret
|
8
|
Ret
|
8
|
Ret
|
10
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
10
|
7
|
Arrows
|
16
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
6
|
9
|
14
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
11
|
5
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
6
|
17
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
9
|
Ret
|
4
|
Ret
|
13
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
14
|
Ret
|
DNS
|
Ret
|
14
|
Ret
|
8
|
Stewart
-
Ford
|
18
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
10
|
Ret
|
5
|
Ret
|
5
|
10
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
DNS
|
10
|
11
|
Ret
|
5
|
19
|
Ret
|
10
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
12
|
Ret
|
6
|
12
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
13
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
13
|
Ret
|
9
|
Prost
-
Peugeot
|
11
|
9
|
Ret
|
15
†
|
11
†
|
16
†
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
11
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
15
|
12
|
DNS
|
Ret
|
12
|
11
|
1
|
12
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
11
|
Ret
|
9
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
10
|
12
|
Ret
|
6
|
13
|
Ret
|
12
†
|
?
|
Minardi
-
Ford
|
22
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
13
|
Ret
|
14
|
9
|
7
|
17
†
|
8
|
11
|
Ret
|
15
|
8
|
Ret
|
15
|
Ret
|
0
|
23
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
8
|
15
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
16
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
11
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
?
|
Tyrrell
-
Ford
|
20
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
14
|
Ret
|
DNQ
|
DNQ
|
8
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
12
|
DNQ
|
DNQ
|
DNS
|
12
|
Ret
|
DNQ
|
0
|
21
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
12
|
Ret
|
13
|
11
|
Ret
|
Ret
|
9
|
Ret
|
13
|
14
|
Ret
|
9
|
16
|
Ret
|
|
Constructor
|
|
AUS
|
BRA
|
ARG
|
SMR
|
ESP
|
MON
|
CAN
|
FRA
|
GBR
|
AUT
|
GER
|
HUN
|
BEL
|
ITA
|
LUX
|
JPN
|
Points
|
Source:
[20]
|
Notes:
- † ? Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
All Formula One Grands Prix held at the Nurburgring since
1984
have used the 5 km (3.1 mi) long GP-Strecke and not the 21 km (13 mi) long Nordschleife, which was last used by Formula One in
1976
.
- ^
Michael Schumacher
set the fastest qualifying time, but started the race from the back of the grid after stalling on the second formation lap. Pole position was left vacant on the grid.
Mika Hakkinen
, in the second slot, was the first driver on the grid, but Schumacher is still considered to have held pole position.
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]