1998 Brazilian Grand Prix

Report

Background

Before the race there was a furore surrounding McLaren as Scuderia Ferrari had protested about its braking system, which enabled the drivers to apply the brakes on the rear wheels independently, and thus assist both turn into corners and traction out of them. This effectively meant that the system was a four-wheel steering device, which was banned by the FIA. McLaren announced that they would not appeal the decision. Ferrari, Sauber, and Minardi had all protested the designs of the McLaren, Williams, and Jordan cars, whilst Arrows had protested the McLaren and Williams designs and Tyrrell had protested against McLaren's design. Ferrari were censured by the stewards for claiming their competitors cars to be "dangerous", which FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting refuted. Drivers including Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill (the two most recent World Champion drivers) disliked how the device performed. As a result of Ferrari's protest, the team agreed not to use the system at any stage over the weekend. However, team boss Ron Dennis was livid that the system had been approved on four occasions by Whiting, but was being declared illegal by the three stewards in office for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Race

As soon as the race started, Mika Häkkinen took the lead, and he subsequently led every lap of the Grand Prix. At the back of the grid the Arrows team had their worst weekend since Tom Walkinshaw took over with Mika Salo qualifying 20th, and Pedro Diniz qualifying last. On lap one Häkkinen led David Coulthard by over a second, and was three seconds ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen in third. Ralf Schumacher spun out on the first lap at the fourth corner, meaning that he had not finished a single lap so far in the season. Eddie Irvine was ahead of the slow-starting Michael Schumacher. On lap 18 Coulthard was 5 seconds behind Häkkinen. Frentzen and Schumacher, after getting past his teammate, were 23 seconds behind the McLaren duo. Schumacher passed Frentzen at the first pit stop, but had to fight to make sure he was not lapped by the two McLarens. The McLarens were totally dominant, for the second time in as many races. Ferrari and Benetton could not compete with them, while reigning World Constructors' Champion Williams were also struggling. Damon Hill was disqualified following the race as his car did not meet the minimum weight requirements.

Classification

Qualifying

Race

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings

;Constructors' Championship standings

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

| Previous_year's_race = 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix | Next_year's_race = 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix

References

1. (1998). "Autocourse 1998-99". Hazleton Publishing.
2. (1998). "The Brazilian Grand Prix: Qualifying – Live". ITV.
3. F1, STATS. "Brazil 1998 - Qualifications • STATS F1".
4. "1998 Brazilian Grand Prix". formula1.com.
5. "Brazil 1998 - Championship • STATS F1".