1998 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher won a rain-soaked British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit after a remarkable finish in the pit lane. Mika Häkkinen was second and Eddie Irvine third, but confusion over a late penalty meant the outcome remained disputed beyond the chequered flag.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:23.271
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:35.704 on lap 12
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Third	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 July 1998	Practice 1	11:00
10 July 1998	Practice 2	13:00
11 July 1998	Practice 3	09:00
11 July 1998	Practice 4	10:15
11 July 1998	Qualifying	13:00
12 July 1998	Warm-up	09:30
12 July 1998	Race	14:00

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 9 leading the 1998 F1 World Championship on 50 points, with Michael Schumacher on 44. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 80 points.

Race entries

The teams retained their race line-ups for Silverstone. Jordan introduced substantial aerodynamic revisions in its search for a first points finish, while Bridgestone brought a new tyre after McLaren‘s defeats in Canada and France.

Free Practice

Häkkinen led the opening session, with McLaren immediately looking strong on home ground. Eddie Irvine spun on his first lap and failed to set a time, costing Ferrari useful preparation. Jos Verstappen also locked his tyres heavily, damaging a set as Stewart worked to improve its persistent understeer.

David Coulthard moved ahead in the afternoon and Williams showed encouraging speed, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jacques Villeneuve close behind the McLarens. Eddie Irvine recovered to fifth, while Schumacher did not improve. Stewart continued experimenting with setup changes, but Jos Verstappen still struggled to make the car turn into the corners as he wanted.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 British Grand Prix opening-day practice, 10 July 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:25.640	36
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.124s	25
3	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.467s	31
4	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.474s	38
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.151s	18
6	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.200s	32
7	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.244s	27
8	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.481s	32
9	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.820s	30
10	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+2.027s	41
11	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.338s	25
12	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.496s	27
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+2.618s	35
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.699s	23
15	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.045s	40
16	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+3.343s	32
17	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.553s	22
18	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.622s	32
19	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.735s	6
20	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+4.024s	35
21	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.450s	36
22	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.626s	30

Gusty conditions on Saturday complicated the teams’ attempts to find a stable balance. McLaren was working with Bridgestone’s new tyre, while Jordan continued evaluating its revised bodywork and diffuser. The changes had shortened the Jordan‘s sidepods and required alterations to its cooling system, making this an important weekend for the struggling team.

Häkkinen finished Saturday practice fastest as McLaren maintained its advantage. Ralf Schumacher‘s morning would have consequences beyond the session: a yellow-flag infringement led to his fastest qualifying lap being deleted later. For the front-runners, the next task was to secure a clean qualifying run before the threatening rain arrived.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 British Grand Prix Saturday practice, 11 July 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:23.639	30
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.594s	24
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.621s	30
4	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.857s	28
5	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.044s	29
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.152s	31
7	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.195s	27
8	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.548s	27
9	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.130s	27
10	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.183s	17
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.265s	30
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.310s	31
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+2.882s	26
14	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.242s	31
15	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.290s	27
16	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.308s	28
17	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.363s	27
18	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+3.684s	31
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+4.051s	31
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.585s	29
21	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.678s	26
22	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+5.011s	26

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen took pole with a 1:23.271, nearly half a second clear of Schumacher. Jacques Villeneuve secured his best grid position of the season in third, ahead of David Coulthard. Rain threatened during qualifying but held off until the session had finished.

Ralf Schumacher and Olivier Panis had their qualifying times excluded after failing cockpit-exit safety checks and were allowed to start from the back. Ralf had already lost his fastest lap for the practice yellow-flag infringement. The penalties changed the starting order without altering Häkkinen’s pole position.

Qualifying Classification

1998 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 11 July 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:23.271	10
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:23.720	11
3	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:24.102	12
4	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:24.310	12
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:24.436	12
6	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:24.442	12
7	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:24.542	12
8	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:25.081	12
9	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:25.084	12
10	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:25.654	12
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:25.760	12
12	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:26.376	12
13	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	1:26.487	12
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:26.808	11
15	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	1:26.948	12
16	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:26.990	12
17	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	1:27.061	12
18	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	1:28.051	11
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	1:28.123	12
20	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	1:28.608	12
21	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan		12
22	11	Olivier Panis	Prost		12

Qualification times of Ralf Schumacher and Olivier Panis were disallowed because they failed an FIA safety drill.

Sunday warm-up

Heavy rain transformed warm-up into a test of wet-weather control. Ricardo Rosset hit the tyres, Jos Verstappen spun on acceleration and Damon Hill damaged his front wing in contact with a Stewart. David Coulthard narrowly headed Häkkinen, but the numerous incidents offered a warning of the difficult afternoon ahead.

Warm-up Classification

1998 British Grand Prix Warm-up, 12 July 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:37.910	11
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.011s	12
3	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.892s	14
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+2.217s	14
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+2.386s	12
6	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+3.007s	13
7	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.672s	12
8	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+3.710s	12
9	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.852s	12
10	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+4.028s	11
11	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+4.223s	13
12	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+4.459s	13
13	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.600s	15
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+4.620s	12
15	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.869s	14
16	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+4.998s	13
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+5.395s	13
18	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+5.828s	11
19	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+5.887s	10
20	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+6.616s	13
21	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+8.279s	11
22	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+10.955s	9

What happened in the 1998 British Grand Prix?

Häkkinen built a commanding lead as worsening rain caught out much of the field. David Coulthard spun out, and Häkkinen then damaged his front wing in an excursion. The safety car erased his remaining advantage. Soon after the restart, another mistake allowed Schumacher through into the lead.

Ferrari received late notice of a penalty for Schumacher passing Alexander Wurz under yellow flags. The team called him in on the final lap, but he crossed the finish line in the pit lane before reaching his pit box. The instruction had referred to a time penalty rather than a stop-go, despite citing a provision that did not apply to the lap of the offence.

The stewards withdrew the penalty because Ferrari had not been notified within the required twenty-five minutes. The FIA appeal court later upheld that cancellation. Schumacher therefore retained victory ahead of Häkkinen and Eddie Irvine. Alexander Wurz and Giancarlo Fisichella took fourth and fifth, while Ralf Schumacher recovered from the back to score Jordan‘s first point of the season.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 56 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 54. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 86, with Ferrari on 83.

1998 British Grand Prix race results

The 1998 British Grand Prix was held on 12 July 1998, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	60	1:47:02.450	10
2	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	60	+22.465	6
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	60	+29.199	4
4	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	59	+1 Lap	3
5	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	59	+1 Lap	2
6	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	59	+1 Lap	1
7	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	59	+1 Lap	0
8	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	58	+2 Laps	0
9	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	56	+4 Laps	0
Ret	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	53	Electrical	0
Ret	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	45	Spun off	0
Ret	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	40	Spun off	0
Ret	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	39	Accident	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	38	Engine	0
Ret	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	37	Spun off	0
Ret	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	37	Spun off	0
Ret	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	29	Spun off	0
Ret	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	29	Spun off	0
Ret	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	27	Spun off	0
Ret	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	27	Throttle	0
Ret	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	15	Spun off	0
Ret	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	13	Spun off	0

1998 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	12	1:35.704	193.346
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	2	1:35.961	192.828
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	3	1:36.120	192.509
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	12	1:36.530	191.691
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	2	1:36.884	190.991
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	12	1:37.199	190.372
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	11	1:37.202	190.366
8	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	12	1:37.223	190.325
9	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	12	1:37.343	190.090
10	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	9	1:37.389	190.000
11	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	10	1:37.887	189.034
12	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	12	1:37.982	188.851
13	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	9	1:38.160	188.508
14	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	9	1:38.424	188.002
15	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	11	1:40.097	184.860
16	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	10	1:40.948	183.302
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	12	1:41.114	183.001
18	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	4	1:41.629	182.074
19	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	11	1:42.346	180.798
20	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	33	1:43.755	178.343
21	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	29	1:44.083	177.781
22	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	3	1:44.700	176.733

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 British Grand Prix.

1998 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	56
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	54
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	30
4	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	29
5	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	17
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	15
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	11
8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	8
9	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	4
10	Mika Salo	Finnish	Arrows	3
11	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	3
12	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	1
13	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	1
14	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	1
15	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	1
–	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Minardi	0
–	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	0
–	Ricardo Rosset	Brazilian	Tyrrell	0
–	Esteban Tuero	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	0
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Stewart	0

1998 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	86
2	Ferrari	83
3	Benetton	32
4	Williams	19
5	Stewart	5
6	Arrows	4
7	Sauber	4
8	Jordan	1
–	Minardi	0
–	Tyrrell	0
–	Prost	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