1998 Austrian Grand Prix
1998 Austrian Grand Prix | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 10 of 16 in the 1998 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
Race details | |||||
Date | 26 July 1998 | ||||
Official name | XXVII Grosser Preis von Österreich | ||||
Location | A1-Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria | ||||
Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
Course length | 4.319 km (2.684 miles) | ||||
Distance | 71 laps, 307.146 km (190.564 miles) | ||||
Weather | Sunny | ||||
Pole position | |||||
Driver | Benetton-Playlife | ||||
Time | 1:29.598 | ||||
Fastest lap | |||||
Driver | David Coulthard | McLaren-Mercedes | |||
Time | 1:12.878 on lap 30 | ||||
Podium | |||||
First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
Third | Ferrari | ||||
Lap leaders |
The 1998 Austrian Grand Prix was a
Report
Qualifying
The qualifying session led to an unusual grid due to wet conditions, which dried out towards the end, with Fisichella taking his first ever pole and Jean Alesi alongside him in the Sauber.[1][2]
Race
Häkkinen started well to lead into the first corner but several cars collided at the first corner behind them, with Toranosuke Takagi's car ending up stranded. Olivier Panis was left immobile on the line with clutch failure. At the second corner, there was another accident, with both Arrows drivers colliding, hitting Coulthard in the process and knocking off his wing after he had qualified in 14th. Coulthard entered the pit lane for a new nose as a safety car was deployed to allow the debris from the collisions to be cleaned up, and he was able to catch up to the back of the field.[1]
At the restart, Häkkinen led away again with Schumacher close behind him. Schumacher attempted to pass Häkkinen but ran wide, allowing Fisichella in the Benetton past him and almost Rubens Barrichello in the Stewart as well. Barrichello soon dropped out with brake problems, while Schumacher overtook Fisichella again. Schumacher was already on a disadvantage with a two-stop strategy and Häkkinen on just one; his situation got worse when he ran very wide, bouncing violently through the gravel trap and ripping off his front wing. He was able to reach the pits and fit a new wing but rejoined almost a lap behind. Around the same time, Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the Williams experienced an engine failure, which caught fire; he was able to escape from the car unharmed.[1]
Twenty-one laps in, Fisichella and Alesi clashed at the second corner, with both having to retire. Coulthard and Schumacher were both quickly moving back up through the field; he had a lot of trouble passing his brother
Classification
Qualifying
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Lap | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton-Playlife | 1:29.598 | — |
2 | 14 | Jean Alesi | Sauber-Petronas
|
1:30.317 | +0.719 |
3 | 8 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:30.517 | +0.919 |
4 | 3 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:30.551 | +0.953 |
5 | 18 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart-Ford | 1:31.005 | +1.407 |
6 | 17 | Mika Salo | Arrows | 1:31.028 | +1.430 |
7 | 2 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams-Mecachrome | 1:31.515 | +1.917 |
8 | 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 1:31.651 | +2.053 |
9 | 10 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 1:31.917 | +2.319 |
10 | 11 | Olivier Panis | Prost-Peugeot | 1:32.081 | +2.483 |
11 | 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams-Mecachrome | 1:32.083 | +2.485 |
12 | 19 | Jos Verstappen | Stewart-Ford | 1:32.099 | +2.501 |
13 | 16 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows | 1:32.206 | +2.608 |
14 | 7 | David Coulthard | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:32.399 | +2.801 |
15 | 9 | Damon Hill | Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 1:32.718 | +3.120 |
16 | 12 | Jarno Trulli | Prost-Peugeot | 1:32.906 | +3.308 |
17 | 6 | Alexander Wurz | Benetton-Playlife | 1:33.185 | +3.587 |
18 | 15 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber-Petronas
|
1:33.205 | +3.607 |
19 | 23 | Esteban Tuero | Minardi-Ford | 1:33.399 | +3.801 |
20 | 21 | Toranosuke Takagi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:34.090 | +4.492 |
21 | 22 | Shinji Nakano | Minardi-Ford | 1:34.536 | +4.938 |
22 | 20 | Ricardo Rosset | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:34.910 | +5.312 |
107% time : 1:35.870
| |||||
Source:[3] |
- This was the last pole position of Benetton in Formula One.
Race
Championship standings after the race
- Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
|
|
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
- ^ a b c d Galvin, Max (26 July 1998). "Austrian Grand Prix Review". Autosport. Retrieved 14 February 2024 – via Atlas F1.
- ^ "1998 F1 World Championship | Motorsport Database". Motor Sport. 1998. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Austria 1998 – Qualifications • STATS F1". Stats F1. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ "1998 Austrian Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Austria 1998 – Championship • STATS F1". Stats F1. Retrieved 7 March 2019.