1998 German Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mika Häkkinen extended his championship lead with victory at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring. David Coulthard completed another McLaren one-two, while Jacques Villeneuve gave Williams its first podium of the season and Michael Schumacher could manage only fifth.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:41.838
Fastest lap	David Coulthard	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:46.116 on lap 17
First	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Second	David Coulthard	McLaren
Third	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
31 July 1998	Practice 1	11:00
31 July 1998	Practice 2	13:00
1 August 1998	Practice 3	09:00
1 August 1998	Practice 4	10:15
1 August 1998	Qualifying	13:00
2 August 1998	Warm-up	09:30
2 August 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 11 leading the 1998 F1 World Championship on 66 points, with Michael Schumacher on 58. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 102 points.

Race entries

The same twenty-two drivers arrived at Hockenheim, but Ricardo Rosset‘s weekend ended after a Saturday practice accident. Ferrari brought a longer-wheelbase car for Schumacher to evaluate, while Jordan continued its development push with aerodynamic improvements and an updated Mugen-Honda engine.

Free Practice

David Coulthard led opening practice in clear conditions, ahead of Häkkinen and Jean Alesi. Ferrari used the session to compare its two configurations: Schumacher drove the longer-wheelbase car while Eddie Irvine retained the shorter version. The long straights and fast chicanes made stability and aerodynamic efficiency particularly important to that assessment.

Häkkinen moved ahead in the afternoon, but Damon Hill‘s third place was an encouraging result for Jordan and its latest engine and aerodynamic package. Ferrari remained behind, with Schumacher fifth and Eddie Irvine sixth. The longer-wheelbase experiment had not produced a decisive gain, and Schumacher returned to the shorter car on Saturday.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 German Grand Prix opening-day practice, 31 July 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:43.946	33
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.192s	29
3	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.348s	31
4	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+0.600s	34
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.811s	22
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.834s	29
7	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.982s	29
8	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.240s	32
9	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.418s	35
10	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.565s	34
11	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.665s	34
12	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.997s	32
13	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.059s	31
14	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+2.217s	30
15	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.311s	24
16	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.538s	33
17	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+2.797s	21
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+2.957s	27
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+3.140s	23
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.229s	18
21	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.886s	25
22	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+6.040s	21

Schumacher’s first lap on Saturday ended with an excursion at the Ostkurve, disrupting his preparations after the change of car. Olivier Panis also spun and failed to record a time. McLaren again set the pace, while Ferrari faced the prospect of recovering lost running before qualifying.

An engine failure added to Schumacher’s difficulties in final practice, restricting him to six laps. David Coulthard and Häkkinen remained ahead, with Jacques Villeneuve showing encouraging speed for Williams. Tyrrell‘s morning was much more costly: Ricardo Rosset‘s accident brought his weekend to an end, reducing the field for qualifying to twenty-one cars.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 German Grand Prix Saturday practice, 1 August 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:43.006	20
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.169s	21
3	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.438s	22
4	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.740s	26
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.078s	26
6	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.108s	29
7	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.123s	29
8	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.393s	23
9	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.649s	25
10	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+2.032s	6
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.147s	18
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.337s	31
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+2.527s	29
14	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+2.529s	24
15	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.531s	21
16	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+3.537s	18
17	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.671s	13
18	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.360s	22
19	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+5.122s	7
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+5.293s	16
21	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+5.646s	23
22	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	No time	3

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen claimed pole with a 1:41.838. David Coulthard recovered from an electrical problem and a switch to the spare car to take second, just ahead of Jacques Villeneuve. A lock-up on David Coulthard‘s final attempt helped leave Häkkinen more than half a second clear.

Jordan filled fourth and fifth with Ralf Schumacher and Damon Hill, ahead of Eddie Irvine. Michael Schumacher could manage only ninth, behind both Benettons, after Ferrari‘s difficult morning. Ricardo Rosset did not take part following his practice accident.

Qualifying Classification

1998 German Grand Prix Qualifying, 1 August 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:41.838	12
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:42.347	9
3	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:42.365	12
4	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:42.994	12
5	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:43.183	12
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:43.270	11
7	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:43.341	11
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:43.369	12
9	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:43.459	12
10	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:43.467	11
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:43.663	12
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:44.599	11
13	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:44.776	12
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:44.844	12
15	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	1:44.961	11
16	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:45.197	12
17	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	1:45.276	12
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:45.588	12
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	1:45.623	11
20	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	1:46.713	12
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	1:47.265	12
DNQ	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	No time	—

Ricardo Rosset was withdrawn from qualifying by Tyrrell after crashing during free practice.

Sunday warm-up

David Coulthard headed warm-up, with Ralf Schumacher splitting the McLarens. After his disrupted Saturday, Michael Schumacher used both his race car and the spare as Ferrari assessed its settings. Jacques Villeneuve remained near the front, reinforcing Williams‘ hopes of converting its qualifying performance into a strong race result.

Warm-up Classification

1998 German Grand Prix Warm-up, 2 August 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:44.812	10
2	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.459s	15
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.879s	11
4	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.929s	11
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.190s	12
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.223s	14
7	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.648s	11
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.701s	13
9	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.124s	13
10	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.176s	12
11	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.191s	12
12	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+2.376s	13
13	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.467s	10
14	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+2.649s	11
15	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.776s	11
16	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.066s	9
17	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.321s	14
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.684s	11
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+3.760s	10
20	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+4.149s	11
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.189s	10

What happened in the 1998 German Grand Prix?

Häkkinen led away and McLaren controlled the race from the front. Ralf Schumacher‘s lighter fuel load initially helped him challenge the leaders, but his two-stop strategy eventually dropped him behind the principal one-stoppers.

Jacques Villeneuve kept Williams in the fight for a podium while Damon Hill delivered a strong run for Jordan. Michael Schumacher recovered places but could not challenge the McLarens. Both Stewarts retired with gearbox trouble, ending their afternoon without a finish.

Häkkinen conserved fuel towards the end, allowing the gap behind to shrink, but secured victory ahead of David Coulthard. Jacques Villeneuve finished third, Damon Hill scored his first points of the year in fourth, and the Schumacher brothers completed the top six, Michael ahead of Ralf.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 76 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 60. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 118, with Ferrari on 92.

1998 German Grand Prix race results

The 1998 German Grand Prix was held on 2 August 1998, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	45	1:20:47.984	10
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	45	+0.426	6
3	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	45	+2.577	4
4	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	45	+7.185	3
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	45	+12.613	2
6	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	45	+29.738	1
7	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	45	+31.026	0
8	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	45	+31.649	0
9	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	45	+32.784	0
10	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	45	+48.371	0
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	45	+57.994	0
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	44	+1 lap	0
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	44	+1 lap	0
14	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	44	+1 lap	0
15	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	44	+1 lap	0
16	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	43	+2 laps	0
Ret	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	37	Gearbox	0
Ret	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	36	Gearbox	0
Ret	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	27	Gearbox	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	24	Gearbox	0
Ret	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	2	Throttle	0

1998 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	17	1:46.116	231.471
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	17	1:46.252	231.174
3	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	35	1:46.274	231.127
4	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	37	1:46.317	231.033
5	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	7	1:46.350	230.961
6	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	37	1:46.381	230.894
7	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	36	1:46.459	230.725
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	15	1:46.831	229.922
9	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	16	1:46.880	229.816
10	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	32	1:46.890	229.795
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	43	1:46.964	229.636
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	15	1:47.345	228.821
13	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	17	1:47.544	228.397
14	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	41	1:47.775	227.908
15	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	27	1:48.446	226.497
16	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	22	1:48.608	226.160
17	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	34	1:48.899	225.555
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	5	1:49.147	225.043
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	17	1:49.424	224.473
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	12	1:50.314	222.662
21	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	2	1:51.259	220.771

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 German Grand Prix.

1998 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	76
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	60
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	42
4	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	32
5	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	17
6	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	16
7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	15
8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	8
9	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	4
10	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	4
11	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	3
12	Mika Salo	Finnish	Arrows	3
13	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	3
14	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	1
15	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	1
16	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	1
–	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Minardi	0
–	Ricardo Rosset	Brazilian	Tyrrell	0
–	Esteban Tuero	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	0
–	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	0
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Stewart	0

1998 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	118
2	Ferrari	92
3	Benetton	32
4	Williams	24
5	Jordan	7
6	Stewart	5
7	Arrows	4
8	Sauber	4
–	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