1998 Formula One World Championship
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:F1 season
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 Template:F1.
Mika Häkkinen won his first World Drivers' Championship<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and McLaren won the World Constructors' Championship for the first time since Template:F1. McLaren would wait a further 26 years before their next constructors' title was secured in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship.
† All engines were 3.0 litre, V10 configuration.<ref name=1998Models/>
Team changes
At the end of Template:F1, Renault withdrew as a direct engine supplier from Formula One and thus marked the first season since Template:F1 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-based Mecachrome engine rebadging it Playlife after a fashion brand owned by the Benetton family. Neither Williams nor Benetton were competitive to the same level as in previous seasons. Renault themselves would invest in Benetton for Template:F1, before buying the team outright in Template:F1. They would not supply engines to other competing teams again until Template:F1.
Arrows had bought out Brian Hart's preparation company to build their own engines.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They would do so as well for Template:F1.
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
Gerhard Berger retired at the end of Template:F1 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 Template:F1 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 Template:F1, also with Minardi.
Mid-season changes
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
Calendar changes
- The Portuguese Grand Prix was originally scheduled as the penultimate round of the season, to be held at the Estoril circuit on 11 October. However the planned Estoril race was cancelled for a second consecutive year as the government refused to pay for the required safety upgrades.<ref>David Hayhoe, Formula 1: The Knowledge – 2nd Edition, 2021, page 36</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The cancellation left a gap of five weeks to the final race in Japan.
- The European Grand Prix which had taken place at the Circuito de Jerez as a replacement for Portuguese Grand Prix in 1997 was absent from the 1998 calendar. With the race at the Nürburgring retaining the Luxembourg Grand Prix title, this marked the first time in six years that no Grand Prix was held under the European Grand Prix title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
The 1998 season brought about two significant technical changes to reduce cornering speeds and aid overtaking:<ref name=technical>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Tanaka">Tanaka, Hiromasa. Transition of Regulation and Technology in Formula One. Honda R&D Technical Review 2009 - F1 Special (The Third Era Activities), 2009, p. 8.</ref><ref name="F1Technical">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AtlasF1">Template:Cite web</ref>
- The reintroduction of grooved tyres to replace slicks for the first time since Template:F1. The front tyres had three grooves, the rear tyres four. This was done to decrease cornering speeds and thus, increase safety.<ref name="Atlas 1998">Template:Cite web</ref> Grooved tyres would remain in Formula One until the reintroduction of slicks in Template:F1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 Template:Convert to Template:Convert. 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.<ref name="Grand Prix 1998">Template:Cite web</ref>
The cameras mounted on top of the engine covers, as seen on selected cars from 1995 to 1997, were changed from an I-shape to a more aerodynamic T-shape. This design has remained largely unchanged since. While the cameras still appeared on selected cars at each race, any car not running a camera had to have a dummy unit (which weighed the same as the camera so that there was no weight advantage) mounted in place.
Mid-season changes
"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.<ref>"X Wings are banned!" 4 May 1998. Retrieved 22 October 2017.</ref> The teams that used them before the ban were Ferrari, Jordan, Prost, Sauber, and Tyrrell.
Sporting regulations
In Template:F1, a driver was allowed a maximum of 30 laps free practice per day. This limit was abolished for 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Season summary
Rounds 1 to 6
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 Häkkinen 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 Häkkinen 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. Häkkinen 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. Häkkinen 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 Häkkinen. A further win for Häkkinen in Monaco gave him a seventeen-point lead over Coulthard with Schumacher a further five points behind.
Rounds 7 to 12
Michael Schumacher climbed back in the standings by winning the next three races, while mistakes and mechanical failures cost both Häkkinen and Coulthard points. After the British Grand Prix, Schumacher had closed the gap to Häkkinen 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 Häkkinen, however, proved that McLaren still had the strongest car. Finally, a strategic master stroke in Hungary allowed Schumacher to take the win, with Häkkinen only managing sixth, and close the championship gap again, to just seven points.
Rounds 13 to 16
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 Häkkinen 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 Template:F1 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. Häkkinen 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 Nürburgring,Template:Efn Häkkinen managed to beat Schumacher in a straight fight. And the season concluded in Japan, where Häkkinen won without any challenge from Schumacher, who stalled on the grid and retired from a blown tyre later in the race.
This gave Häkkinen his first Drivers' Championship and McLaren their eighth Constructors' Championship. Williams, champions of Template:F1, 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
Grands Prix
Scoring system
Template:Further Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race as follows:<ref name=Sporting_Regs>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
World Drivers' Championship standings
Notes:
- Template:Dagger – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
World Constructors' Championship standings
| Template:Tooltip | Constructor | Template:Tooltip | AUS Template:Flagicon |
BRA Template:Flagicon |
ARG Template:Flagicon |
SMR Template:Flagicon |
ESP Template:Flagicon |
MON Template:Flagicon |
CAN Template:Flagicon |
FRA Template:Flagicon |
GBR Template:Flagicon |
AUT Template:Flagicon |
GER Template:Flagicon |
HUN Template:Flagicon |
BEL Template:Flagicon |
ITA Template:Flagicon |
LUX Template:Flagicon |
JPN Template:Flagicon |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Flagicon McLaren-Mercedes | 7 | 2 | 2 | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | 2 | Ret | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Ret | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | 2 | 7 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 156 |
| 8 | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | 2 | Ret | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Ret | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | 1 | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | 1 | |||
| 2 | Template:Flagicon Ferrari | 3 | Ret | 3 | 1 | Template:F1 race position | 3 | 10 | Template:F1 race position | 1 | Template:F1 race position | 3 | 5 | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | Template:F1 race position | 133 |
| 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 4 | 2 | |||
| 3 | Template:Flagicon 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 | Template:Flagicon 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 | Template:Flagicon Benetton-Playlife | 5 | Ret | 6 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | Template:F1 race position | 7 | 8 | Ret | 8 | 6 | 8 | 33 |
| 6 | 7 | 4 | Template:F1 race position | Ret | 4 | Ret | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 16† | Ret | Ret | 7 | 9 | |||
| 6 | Template:Flagicon 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 | Template:Flagicon 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 | Template:Flagicon 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 | Template:Flagicon 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† | |||
| 10 | Template:Flagicon 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 | NC | Ret | Ret | |||
| 11 | Template:Flagicon 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 | |||
| Template:Tooltip | Constructor | Template:Tooltip | AUS Template:Flagicon |
BRA Template:Flagicon |
ARG Template:Flagicon |
SMR Template:Flagicon |
ESP Template:Flagicon |
MON Template:Flagicon |
CAN Template:Flagicon |
FRA Template:Flagicon |
GBR Template:Flagicon |
AUT Template:Flagicon |
GER Template:Flagicon |
HUN Template:Flagicon |
BEL Template:Flagicon |
ITA Template:Flagicon |
LUX Template:Flagicon |
JPN Template:Flagicon |
Points |
| Source:<ref name=1998Points/> | |||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
- Template:Dagger – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Notes
References
External links
- formula1.com – 1998 official driver standings (archived)
- formula1.com – 1998 official team standings (archived)
- 1998 Formula One Technical Regulations (archived)
Template:Formula One Championship Template:Authority control