1998 Argentine Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher ended McLaren‘s winning start to the season with victory in the Argentine Grand Prix at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. Mika Häkkinen finished second, while Eddie Irvine completed a double podium for Ferrari.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	McLaren
Pole time	1:25.852
Fastest lap	Alexander Wurz	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:28.179 on lap 39
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Third	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 April 1998	Practice 1	11:00
10 April 1998	Practice 2	13:00
11 April 1998	Practice 3	09:00
11 April 1998	Practice 4	10:15
11 April 1998	Qualifying	13:00
12 April 1998	Warm-up	08:30
12 April 1998	Race	13:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Mika Häkkinen arrived at round 3 leading the 1998 F1 World Championship on 20 points, with David Coulthard on 12. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 32 points.

Race entries

The regular twenty-two drivers returned, with Esteban Tuero preparing for his first home Grand Prix. Ferrari and the other Goodyear teams had revised tyres to evaluate, offering the prospect of a closer contest after McLaren‘s dominant opening two races.

Free Practice

The dirty, slippery circuit made it difficult to establish a comfortable balance on Friday. Jean Alesi‘s opening lap brought contact with team-mate Johnny Herbert, an unwelcome start for Sauber. David Coulthard reported sliding and oversteer on corner exit, while Ferrari found encouragement in the wider Goodyear front tyres and its recent development work.

Rain during the second session caught out several drivers. Häkkinen spun while pursuing a quicker lap, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen collided with Esteban Tuero‘s Minardi. David Coulthard ended the day fastest, almost a second ahead of Michael Schumacher. Damon Hill suffered an engine failure and Olivier Panis had gearbox trouble during the day’s running.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Argentine Grand Prix opening-day practice, 10 April 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:28.130	16
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.984s	22
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.358s	15
4	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.480s	20
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.651s	29
6	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.715s	24
7	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+1.924s	27
8	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+2.187s	16
9	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+2.515s	35
10	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.729s	14
11	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.833s	22
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.951s	16
13	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.167s	16
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.298s	24
15	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+3.597s	20
16	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+3.631s	25
17	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+3.720s	23
18	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+4.127s	22
19	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+4.530s	18
20	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+5.260s	19
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+5.601s	18
22	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+6.699s	18

Overnight rain left a very wet circuit for Saturday’s first session, but the surface dried as the running continued. Giancarlo Fisichella spun and Alexander Wurz became stranded in the gravel. Times improved sharply near the end, allowing Heinz-Harald Frentzen to finish fastest ahead of Jean Alesi and Olivier Panis.

Michael Schumacher set the quickest time in the second Saturday session, strengthening Ferrari‘s challenge. The improving surface encouraged faster laps, but Jean Alesi, Jacques Villeneuve, David Coulthard and Mika Salo all had excursions. David Coulthard finished second to Schumacher, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen third as Goodyear’s runners showed a more competitive turn of speed.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Argentine Grand Prix Saturday practice, 11 April 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:27.737	20
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.552s	19
3	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.610s	30
4	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.764s	24
5	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.964s	32
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.250s	30
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.414s	30
8	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.877s	29
9	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.896s	30
10	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.044s	36
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.105s	16
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.665s	28
13	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.695s	18
14	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.985s	24
15	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+3.071s	19
16	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.546s	21
17	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.772s	28
18	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+4.238s	26
19	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+4.826s	14
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+5.146s	28
21	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+5.562s	24
22	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+5.938s	21

Each practice table combines that day’s two sessions, showing each driver’s best time and total laps.

Qualifying

David Coulthard took pole with a 1:25.852, but Michael Schumacher split the McLarens to secure second. Häkkinen qualified third ahead of Eddie Irvine. Ferrari had closed enough of the gap to make the front of the grid look much less predictable than in the opening rounds.

Ralf Schumacher took fifth for Jordan, followed by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jacques Villeneuve and Alexander Wurz. David Coulthard improved as McLaren refined its setup, while Häkkinen struggled to put together an unobstructed lap. Eddie Irvine also encountered traffic during an attempt that had promised more.

Qualifying Classification

1998 Argentine Grand Prix Qualifying, 11 April 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:25.852	12
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:26.251	12
3	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:26.632	12
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:26.780	11
5	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:26.827	12
6	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:26.876	12
7	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:26.941	12
8	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:27.198	12
9	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:27.483	12
10	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:27.836	12
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:27.839	11
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:28.016	11
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	1:28.811	12
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:29.249	12
15	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:29.320	12
16	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:29.352	10
17	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	1:29.617	12
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:30.022	11
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	1:30.054	12
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	1:30.158	12
21	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	1:30.437	12
22	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:31.178	11

Sunday warm-up

Jean Alesi was fastest in the wet warm-up, ahead of Häkkinen. Johnny Herbert had a much less productive session in the other Sauber and failed to complete a flying lap. The weather remained a factor in the teams’ preparations, although the race would begin without the rain many had feared.

Warm-up Classification

1998 Argentine Grand Prix Warm-up, 12 April 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:47.594	13
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.431s	12
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.907s	12
4	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.436s	11
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.452s	12
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.630s	13
7	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+1.720s	13
8	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.841s	11
9	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.974s	11
10	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.079s	13
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.141s	11
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.013s	11
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+3.556s	11
14	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+3.565s	10
15	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+3.646s	10
16	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.663s	12
17	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+4.454s	12
18	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.889s	11
19	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+5.230s	8
20	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+5.572s	11
21	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+5.700s	4
22	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+452.213s	3

What happened in the 1998 Argentine Grand Prix?

David Coulthard led at the start, while Häkkinen moved ahead of Michael Schumacher. The Ferrari soon repassed Häkkinen and caught David Coulthard. Contact as Schumacher challenged for the lead sent David Coulthard off the circuit, dropping him into the pack.

Schumacher’s two-stop strategy then came up against Häkkinen’s single stop. The Ferrari had enough speed to regain the lead after its second visit to the pits, while Häkkinen lost time behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen. A late shower brought a brief excursion for Schumacher, but he recovered to complete his first win of the season.

Häkkinen finished second and Eddie Irvine third, followed by Alexander Wurz and Jean Alesi. David Coulthard recovered a point in sixth despite gearbox difficulties and a later collision that ended Jacques Villeneuve‘s race. Ferrari had finally broken McLaren‘s run of victories and given the championship a more competitive shape.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 26 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 14. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 39, with Ferrari on 21.

1998 Argentine Grand Prix race results

The 1998 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 12 April 1998, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	72	1:48:36.175	10
2	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	72	+22.898	6
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	72	+57.745	4
4	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	72	+1:08.134	3
5	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	72	+1:18.286	2
6	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	72	+1:19.751	1
7	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	72	+1:28.437	0
8	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	71	+1 Lap	0
9	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	71	+1 Lap	0
10	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	70	+2 Laps	0
11	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	70	+2 Laps	0
12	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	70	+2 Laps	0
13	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	69	+3 Laps	0
14	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	68	+4 Laps	0
15	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	65	Engine	0
Ret	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	63	Spun off	0
Ret	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	52	Collision	0
Ret	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	46	Collision	0
Ret	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	22	Suspension	0
Ret	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	18	Gearbox	0
Ret	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	17	Transmission	0
Ret	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	13	Gearbox	0

1998 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	39	1:28.179	173.878
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	32	1:28.261	173.716
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	23	1:28.272	173.694
4	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	57	1:28.468	173.310
5	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	69	1:28.507	173.233
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	27	1:28.933	172.403
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	44	1:29.000	172.274
8	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	57	1:29.201	171.885
9	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	46	1:29.310	171.676
10	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	37	1:29.592	171.135
11	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	35	1:29.694	170.941
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	30	1:29.857	170.631
13	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	36	1:30.408	169.591
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	25	1:30.876	168.717
15	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	27	1:30.992	168.502
16	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	41	1:31.057	168.382
17	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	36	1:31.168	168.177
18	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	17	1:31.541	167.492
19	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	12	1:32.519	165.721
20	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	16	1:32.808	165.205
21	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	42	1:33.091	164.703
22	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	8	1:33.350	164.246

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1998 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1998 Argentine Grand Prix.

1998 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	26
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	14
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	13
4	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	7
5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	6
6	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	6
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	2
8	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	2
9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	1
10	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	1
–	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	0
–	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	0
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	0
–	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	0
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Minardi	0
–	Ricardo Rosset	Brazilian	Tyrrell	0
–	Mika Salo	Finnish	Arrows	0
–	Esteban Tuero	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	0
–	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	0

1998 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	39
2	Ferrari	21
3	Williams	8
4	Benetton	7
5	Sauber	3
–	Jordan	0
–	Prost	0
–	Stewart	0
–	Tyrrell	0
–	Minardi	0
–	Arrows	0

1998 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1998 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	8 March
2	1998 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	29 March
3	1998 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	12 April
4	1998 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	26 April
5	1998 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	10 May
6	1998 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	24 May
7	1998 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	7 June
8	1998 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	28 June
9	1998 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	12 July
10	1998 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	26 July
11	1998 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	2 August
12	1998 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	16 August
13	1998 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	30 August
14	1998 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	13 September
15	1998 Luxembourg Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	27 September
16	1998 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	1 November