1998 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mika Häkkinen won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka International Racing Course to clinch his first world championship. Eddie Irvine finished second and David Coulthard third, securing McLaren the constructors’ title as well, after Michael Schumacher‘s challenge ended with a puncture.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:36.293
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:40.190 on lap 19
First	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Second	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
30 October 1998	Practice 1	11:00
30 October 1998	Practice 2	13:00
31 October 1998	Practice 3	09:00
31 October 1998	Practice 4	10:15
31 October 1998	Qualifying	13:00
1 November 1998	Warm-up	08:30
1 November 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 16 leading the 1998 F1 World Championship on 90 points, with Michael Schumacher on 86. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 142 points.

Race entries

The regular field assembled for the season finale and Tyrrell‘s final Grand Prix. Goodyear also prepared to leave Formula 1. Several teams still brought developments, including revised Williams suspension and a development Prost that Jarno Trulli would try on Saturday.

Free Practice

Häkkinen headed opening practice, while David Coulthard struggled with balance and front-brake locking. Ferrari initially avoided chasing setup changes as the track gained grip. Williams assessed its revised suspension and diffuser, but Jacques Villeneuve lost valuable running and a set of tyres to a right-rear puncture.

Schumacher evaluated both Goodyear tyre options and altered Ferrari‘s mechanical and aerodynamic settings to finish fastest. Eddie Irvine worked on tyre wear with a heavy fuel load before a brake-balance problem sent him into the gravel. Ralf Schumacher impressed in second, while Häkkinen’s final attempt was delayed by traffic.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Japanese Grand Prix opening-day practice, 30 October 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:39.823	23
2	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.513s	34
3	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.566s	30
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.792s	30
5	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.821s	28
6	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.022s	28
7	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.275s	30
8	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.429s	26
9	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+2.368s	23
10	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.401s	32
11	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.805s	33
12	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+3.010s	26
13	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.298s	38
14	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.670s	25
15	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.811s	40
16	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+3.965s	25
17	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+4.031s	20
18	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+4.071s	22
19	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+4.645s	36
20	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.809s	29
21	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+5.231s	27
22	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+6.573s	30

A hydraulic leak delayed Schumacher on Saturday, and an exhaust problem cost Eddie Irvine running. Ferrari fitted qualifying engines, but the lost track time left both drivers with work to do. Jarno Trulli switched to Prost‘s development car, which used a different gearbox and engine specification and still needed considerable setup work.

Schumacher set the morning’s best time despite brake-locking excursions. David Coulthard‘s improved balance helped him take second, while Häkkinen spoiled a promising final lap at the chicane. Ralf Schumacher also went off there while avoiding slower traffic, ending his running with the Jordan stranded.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Japanese Grand Prix Saturday practice, 31 October 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:38.429	17
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.244s	27
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.323s	18
4	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.445s	25
5	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.454s	21
6	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.574s	21
7	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.717s	24
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.836s	21
9	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+2.123s	15
10	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.428s	18
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.496s	22
12	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.573s	22
13	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+2.676s	18
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.743s	25
15	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+3.114s	25
16	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.394s	22
17	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.460s	13
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+3.495s	20
19	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+4.357s	25
20	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.584s	20
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.619s	26

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

Qualifying

Schumacher took his third consecutive pole with a 1:36.293, just ahead of Häkkinen. The McLaren driver’s final attempt ended with an excursion, leaving the title rivals together on the front row. David Coulthard qualified third and Eddie Irvine fourth.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen recovered from a trip through the gravel to secure fifth, alongside Jacques Villeneuve. The Jordans shared the next row. Ricardo Rosset went off early and failed to qualify, bringing a disappointing end to his final weekend with Tyrrell.

Qualifying Classification

1998 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, 31 October 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:36.293	8
2	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:36.471	11
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:37.496	10
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:38.197	8
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:38.272	11
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:38.448	12
7	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:38.461	12
8	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:38.603	12
9	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:38.959	12
10	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:39.080	11
11	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:39.234	12
12	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:39.448	12
13	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:40.037	12
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:40.111	12
15	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	1:40.387	12
16	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:40.502	12
17	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	1:40.619	11
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:40.687	12
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	1:40.943	11
20	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	1:41.315	12
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	1:42.358	12
DNQ	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	1:43.259	9

Sunday warm-up

Jarno Trulli‘s warm-up was particularly difficult: a small fire was extinguished in the pit lane before he crashed heavily and damaged the development Prost. He reverted to the standard spare car for the race. Esteban Tuero also stopped after locking his brakes and sliding across the chicane, adding to the final preparations in the garages.

Warm-up Classification

1998 Japanese Grand Prix Warm-up, 1 November 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:40.431	13
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.279s	13
3	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.625s	12
4	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.688s	15
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.815s	10
6	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.021s	13
7	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+1.079s	13
8	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.471s	13
9	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.180s	14
10	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+2.219s	12
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.269s	7
12	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.296s	12
13	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.406s	14
14	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.450s	12
15	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+3.162s	12
16	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+3.345s	12
17	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.403s	8
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	+3.504s	10
19	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+3.774s	12
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.842s	9
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+5.302s	10

What happened in the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix?

Jarno Trulli stalled before the first attempt to start. Schumacher then stalled before the next attempt and had to start from the back, transforming the title contest before racing began. Häkkinen led away, with Eddie Irvine moving ahead of David Coulthard into second.

Schumacher charged through the field and reached third during the pit-stop sequence. His recovery ended when a rear tyre failed after the collision between Esteban Tuero and Toranosuke Takagi had left debris on the circuit. Häkkinen was now certain of the title, but continued to victory.

Eddie Irvine held second ahead of David Coulthard. Damon Hill passed Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the final corner for fourth, helping Jordan secure fourth in the constructors’ standings; Jacques Villeneuve took the last point. Häkkinen finished the season with eight wins and one hundred points, while McLaren completed its championship double.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 100 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 86. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 156, with Ferrari on 133.

1998 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 1998 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 1 November 1998, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	51	1:27:22.535	10
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	51	+6.491	6
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	51	+27.662	4
4	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	51	+1:13.491	3
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	51	+1:13.857	2
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	51	+1:15.867	1
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	51	+1:36.053	0
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	51	+1:41.302	0
9	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	50	+1 Lap	0
10	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	50	+1 Lap	0
11	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	50	+1 Lap	0
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	48	Engine	0
Ret	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	40	Throttle	0
Ret	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	31	Tyre	0
Ret	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	28	Collision damage	0
Ret	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	28	Collision	0
Ret	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	25	Hydraulics	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	21	Gearbox	0
Ret	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	14	Hydraulics	0
Ret	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	13	Engine	0
Ret	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	2	Spun off	0
DNQ	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell		107% Rule	0

1998 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	19	1:40.190	210.703
2	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	35	1:40.426	210.208
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	36	1:40.870	209.283
4	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	42	1:40.905	209.210
5	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	40	1:42.273	206.412
6	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	38	1:42.275	206.408
7	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	36	1:42.331	206.295
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	20	1:42.335	206.287
9	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	31	1:42.357	206.242
10	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	38	1:42.858	205.238
11	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	4	1:42.965	205.025
12	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	49	1:43.073	204.810
13	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	42	1:43.164	204.629
14	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	18	1:43.447	204.069
15	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	37	1:44.158	202.676
16	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	8	1:44.947	201.152
17	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	14	1:45.304	200.471
18	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	23	1:45.673	199.770
19	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	21	1:45.792	199.546
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart	19	1:45.840	199.455
21	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	2	1:46.099	198.968

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 Japanese Grand Prix.

1998 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	100
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	86
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	56
4	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	47
5	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	21
6	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	20
7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	17
8	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	17
9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	16
10	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	14
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	156
2	Ferrari	133
3	Williams	38
4	Jordan	34
5	Benetton	33
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