1998 Italian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher led Eddie Irvine home in a Ferrari one-two at the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Ralf Schumacher finished third for Jordan, while Mika Häkkinen’s brake trouble left the title rivals level on points with two races remaining.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:25.289
Fastest lap	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:25.139 on lap 45
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari
Third	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 September 1998	Practice 1	11:00
11 September 1998	Practice 2	13:00
12 September 1998	Practice 3	09:00
12 September 1998	Practice 4	10:15
12 September 1998	Qualifying	13:00
13 September 1998	Warm-up	09:30
13 September 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 14 leading the 1998 F1 World Championship on 77 points, with Michael Schumacher on 70. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 125 points.

Race entries

The teams retained their driver line-ups for Monza. Ferrari celebrated its six-hundredth World Championship start as a team, while Jordan arrived fresh from its first victory. The fast circuit also brought revised wings and demanding braking work into the teams’ practice programmes.

Free Practice

Schumacher led Eddie Irvine in opening practice despite stopping after seven laps for brake work. Eddie Irvine compared rear wings, and Ferrari tried a revised front wing. McLaren worked with new Bridgestone rear tyres on a low-grip surface. Damon Hill stopped with an electrical failure, while Jean Alesi failed to run because of electrical problems.

Eddie Irvine set the fastest time before rain spoiled the final forty minutes. Schumacher’s brake difficulties continued, and Häkkinen could not properly evaluate his setup changes before conditions deteriorated. David Coulthard survived two incidents at the chicanes, while Jean Alesi again recorded no laps as Sauber searched for its electrical fault.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Italian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 11 September 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:24.987	23
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.259s	12
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.703s	26
4	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.066s	26
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.172s	16
6	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.541s	26
7	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.761s	25
8	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.851s	25
9	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.898s	17
10	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.899s	18
11	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+2.092s	29
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.554s	29
13	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.689s	12
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+3.079s	19
15	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+3.111s	18
16	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+3.148s	29
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+3.619s	14
18	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+3.860s	30
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+3.862s	27
20	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+4.616s	11
21	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+28.684s	7
22	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1015.645s	2

Rain returned on Saturday, preventing the teams from continuing their dry-weather work. Heinz-Harald Frentzen set the morning’s best time early, before the rain intensified. Schumacher largely sat out the opening session, and the running that did take place focused on wet tyres and settings in case qualifying remained wet.

Standing water and spray made final practice difficult. Jacques Villeneuve lost running while Williams changed a brake master cylinder, and Eddie Irvine completed only a short programme rather than take unnecessary risks. McLaren found the conditions particularly awkward, while Jean Alesi limited his running despite having missed Friday’s sessions altogether.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Italian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 12 September 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:39.479	14
2	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.476s	12
3	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.782s	11
4	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.816s	15
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.842s	16
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.885s	11
7	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.029s	9
8	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.109s	11
9	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.134s	17
10	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.177s	4
11	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+1.218s	12
12	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.348s	9
13	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.828s	6
14	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.893s	11
15	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+1.956s	13
16	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.958s	17
17	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+2.923s	10
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+4.036s	10
19	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+4.085s	12
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.800s	14
21	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+5.341s	12
22	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+9.506s	6

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

Qualifying

A drying track produced a late rush for quick laps. Schumacher claimed his first pole of the season, with Jacques Villeneuve alongside him after a strong performance for Williams. Häkkinen and David Coulthard shared the second row, both frustrated by traffic as conditions improved.

Eddie Irvine qualified fifth and Ralf Schumacher sixth. Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli gave Prost both places on the fifth row, while Damon Hill could manage only fourteenth after being delayed on his final attempt. Johnny Herbert hit the barrier but returned to qualify in Sauber‘s spare car.

Qualifying Classification

1998 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 September 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:25.289	9
2	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:25.561	12
3	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:25.679	10
4	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:25.987	11
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:26.159	11
6	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:26.309	11
7	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:26.567	10
8	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:26.637	12
9	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:26.681	11
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:26.794	12
11	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:26.817	10
12	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:26.836	10
13	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:27.247	10
14	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:27.362	12
15	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:27.510	9
16	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	1:27.744	9
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	1:28.212	11
18	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	1:28.286	12
19	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	1:28.346	8
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:28.387	9
21	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	1:29.101	9
22	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	1:29.417	12

Sunday warm-up

Sunshine returned for warm-up, but electrical problems struck both Häkkinen and Schumacher. David Coulthard set the fastest time, while Toranosuke Takagi impressed with fourth for Tyrrell. The title contenders switched to spare cars for the race, adding an unwelcome complication after the limited dry running earlier in the weekend.

Warm-up Classification

1998 Italian Grand Prix Warm-up, 13 September 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:25.632	14
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.333s	12
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.292s	17
4	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+1.389s	13
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.409s	16
6	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.420s	13
7	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.422s	16
8	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.606s	12
9	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.849s	14
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.853s	11
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.939s	12
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.035s	13
13	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.080s	15
14	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.213s	14
15	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.342s	13
16	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.343s	13
17	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+2.587s	14
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+2.891s	15
19	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+2.950s	11
20	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+3.641s	13
21	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+3.707s	14
22	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+4.285s	10

What happened in the 1998 Italian Grand Prix?

Häkkinen made an excellent start to take the lead, while Schumacher slipped back before recovering past Jacques Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine. David Coulthard passed his team-mate and pulled away, but an engine failure ended his race. Schumacher then overtook Häkkinen as the Finn ran wide in the smoke.

Häkkinen closed on the Ferrari again before worsening brake trouble caused a late spin. He continued, but Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher both passed him. Jacques Villeneuve also spun out, while a tool left in Johnny Herbert‘s cockpit interfered with the pedals and caused the Sauber driver’s retirement.

Schumacher took victory ahead of Eddie Irvine and his brother, with Häkkinen salvaging fourth. Jean Alesi and Damon Hill completed the points. Schumacher and Häkkinen now had eighty points apiece; Häkkinen retained the championship lead on countback. The result also became Goodyear’s final Formula 1 victory.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 80 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 80. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 128, with Ferrari on 118.

1998 Italian Grand Prix race results

The 1998 Italian Grand Prix was held on 13 September 1998, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	53	1:17:09.672	10
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	53	+37.977	6
3	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	53	+41.152	4
4	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	53	+55.671	3
5	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	53	+1:01.872	2
6	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	53	+1:06.688	1
7	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	52	+1 Lap	0
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	52	+1 Lap	0
9	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	52	+1 Lap	0
10	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	52	+1 Lap	0
11	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	51	+2 Laps	0
12	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	51	+2 Laps	0
13	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	50	+3 Laps	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	39	Gearbox	0
Ret	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	37	Spun off	0
Ret	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	32	Throttle	0
Ret	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	24	Gearbox	0
Ret	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	16	Engine	0
Ret	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	15	Vibrations	0
Ret	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	13	Engine	0
Ret	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	12	Spun off	0
Ret	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	10	Spun off	0

1998 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	45	1:25.139	243.977
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	26	1:25.483	242.995
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	14	1:25.959	241.650
4	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	49	1:26.194	240.991
5	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	50	1:26.285	240.737
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	48	1:26.359	240.530
7	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	29	1:26.479	240.197
8	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	40	1:26.656	239.706
9	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	41	1:26.659	239.698
10	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	52	1:26.730	239.501
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	52	1:26.840	239.198
12	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	24	1:27.620	237.069
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	46	1:27.726	236.782
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	46	1:27.770	236.664
15	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	25	1:27.866	236.405
16	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	10	1:28.395	234.990
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	32	1:28.583	234.491
18	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	10	1:29.092	233.152
19	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	51	1:29.093	233.149
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	9	1:29.124	233.068
21	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	50	1:29.393	232.367
22	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	13	1:29.853	231.177

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 Italian Grand Prix.

1998 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	80
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	80
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	48
4	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	38
5	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	20
6	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	17
7	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	17
8	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	15
9	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	14
10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	13
11	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	9
12	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	4
13	Mika Salo	Finnish	Arrows	3
14	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	3
15	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	1
16	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	1
17	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	1
–	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Minardi	0
–	Esteban Tuero	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Ricardo Rosset	Brazilian	Tyrrell	0
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Stewart	0

1998 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	128
2	Ferrari	118
3	Williams	33
4	Benetton	32
5	Jordan	31
6	Sauber	10
7	Arrows	6
8	Stewart	5
9	Prost	1
–	Minardi	0
–	Tyrrell	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