1998 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mika Häkkinen won the Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco, extending his championship lead with a polished drive through the streets. Giancarlo Fisichella finished second for Benetton, while Eddie Irvine completed the podium after an incident-filled race.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:19.798
Fastest lap	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:22.948 on lap 30
First	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Second	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton
Third	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

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

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 6 leading the 1998 F1 World Championship on 36 points, with David Coulthard on 29. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 65 points.

Race entries

The regular field returned for Monaco’s distinctive Thursday-to-Sunday weekend. With overtaking so difficult, the teams concentrated on traction and maximum downforce. For Jordan, still without a point, the race offered another chance to turn a frustrating start to the season around.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher led Thursday’s opening session, giving Ferrari an encouraging start. Damon Hill damaged his front wing and nose in a crash and lost much of the running. Johnny Herbert also lost time with a cut tyre; Sauber tried settings from the previous year’s car but found they did not suit the new, narrower chassis.

Häkkinen moved ahead in the afternoon, with Giancarlo Fisichella splitting the McLarens. Schumacher hit the barriers and could not improve, while Jarno Trulli crashed at Tabac and Ricardo Rosset collided with Jacques Villeneuve. Damon Hill‘s gearbox failed, compounding his lost morning. The interrupted running left several teams facing repairs and little opportunity to refine their cars.

Thursday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Monaco Grand Prix opening-day practice, 21 May 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:21.937	31
2	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.268s	36
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.820s	29
4	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.719s	42
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.748s	24
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.828s	43
7	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.977s	43
8	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.009s	40
9	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+2.144s	38
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.254s	32
11	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+2.798s	43
12	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.964s	35
13	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.182s	29
14	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+3.463s	41
15	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.899s	33
16	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+3.926s	26
17	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+4.010s	22
18	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+4.688s	47
19	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+4.824s	43
20	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+5.223s	24
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+5.907s	22
22	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+6.715s	16

Schumacher’s Saturday preparations unravelled when a driveshaft failed in the opening session. He would complete no timed running all morning, leaving Ferrari to prepare the spare car for qualifying. The lost track time was particularly costly after Thursday’s accident had already interrupted his work.

Giancarlo Fisichella emerged fastest from Saturday practice as several leading drivers encountered trouble. During the morning Häkkinen struck the barrier at Rascasse, David Coulthard went off at the Swimming Pool and Jacques Villeneuve spun at Sainte Devote. Benetton‘s pace made Giancarlo Fisichella a genuine threat to McLaren in qualifying, while Ferrari remained short of preparation.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1998 Monaco Grand Prix Saturday practice, 23 May 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:21.145	29
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.946s	19
3	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+1.026s	22
4	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.078s	31
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.169s	36
6	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.538s	29
7	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.557s	21
8	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.685s	29
9	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.955s	21
10	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+2.434s	28
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.632s	20
12	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+2.678s	30
13	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+3.105s	23
14	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+3.167s	32
15	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+3.311s	34
16	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+3.553s	37
17	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.614s	21
18	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+3.965s	17
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+4.367s	30
20	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	+4.470s	32
21	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+7.865s	5

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen won a lively fight for pole with a 1:19.798. David Coulthard and Giancarlo Fisichella had also challenged for the top spot, but finished second and third. Schumacher took fourth in the spare Ferrari after missing the morning’s running, narrowly ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

Mika Salo qualified an impressive eighth despite gearbox trouble that forced him into the spare Arrows. Eddie Irvine and Rubens Barrichello both crashed, while Ricardo Rosset endured another difficult session and failed to qualify within 107 per cent of pole. Jacques Villeneuve could manage only thirteenth.

Qualifying Classification

1998 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, 23 May 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:19.798	12
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:20.137	11
3	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:20.368	12
4	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:20.702	11
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:20.729	12
6	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:20.955	12
7	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:21.712	11
8	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	1:22.144	11
9	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:22.157	11
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:22.238	12
11	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:22.257	12
12	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:22.355	12
13	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:22.468	12
14	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:22.540	11
15	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:23.151	12
16	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:23.263	12
17	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:23.411	12
18	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:23.536	11
19	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	1:23.957	12
20	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	1:24.024	12
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	1:24.031	12
DNQ	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell	1:25.737	9

Sunday warm-up

Häkkinen headed warm-up, but the barriers continued to catch drivers out. Eddie Irvine, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli all made contact, and the session was interrupted. Schumacher tried both Ferraris. Johnny Herbert, meanwhile, found that the balance he had enjoyed in qualifying had disappeared, a problem that would persist into the race.

Warm-up Classification

1998 Monaco Grand Prix Warm-up, 24 May 1998

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:23.878	11
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.229s	12
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.321s	13
4	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+0.615s	14
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.733s	16
6	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	+1.018s	14
7	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.273s	12
8	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.810s	16
9	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	+1.983s	14
10	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.009s	15
11	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+2.042s	16
12	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+2.470s	15
13	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	+2.555s	12
14	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+2.772s	12
15	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+2.776s	12
16	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.134s	13
17	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+3.240s	13
18	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+3.295s	12
19	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	+3.724s	13
20	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.908s	6
21	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	+4.409s	15

What happened in the 1998 Monaco Grand Prix?

Häkkinen led David Coulthard away and the McLarens began to escape, but David Coulthard‘s engine failed on lap eighteen. Giancarlo Fisichella inherited second. Behind him, Eddie Irvine‘s move on Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the hairpin ended the Williams driver’s race, although the Ferrari continued.

Schumacher gained ground through the stops before meeting Alexander Wurz. Their fierce battle included contact at the hairpin, damaging the Ferrari and forcing a lengthy repair stop. Alexander Wurz later suffered a heavy crash at the tunnel exit, with damage from their earlier clash implicated.

Häkkinen stayed clear of the trouble to win from Giancarlo Fisichella and Eddie Irvine. Arrows enjoyed a memorable afternoon with Mika Salo fourth and Pedro Diniz sixth, either side of Jacques Villeneuve. Jean Alesi lost a likely points finish to gearbox trouble, while Schumacher finished tenth after another incident while trying to pass Pedro Diniz.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 46 points, followed by David Coulthard on 29. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 75, with Ferrari on 39.

1998 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 1998 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 24 May 1998, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	78	1:51:23.595	10
2	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	78	+ 11.475	6
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	78	+ 41.378	4
4	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	78	+ 1:00.363	3
5	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	77	+ 1 lap	2
6	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	77	+ 1 lap	1
7	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	77	+ 1 lap	0
8	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	76	+ 2 laps	0
9	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	76	+ 2 laps	0
10	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	76	+ 2 laps	0
11	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	76	+ 2 laps	0
12	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	72	Gearbox	0
Ret	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	56	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	49	Wheel	0
Ret	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	44	Suspension	0
Ret	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	42	Accident damage	0
Ret	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	30	Suspension	0
Ret	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	17	Engine	0
Ret	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	11	Suspension	0
Ret	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	9	Collision	0
Ret	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi	0	Spun off	0
DNQ	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell		107% rule	0

1998 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	8	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	30	1:22.948	146.130
2	7	David Coulthard	McLaren	18	1:22.955	146.117
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	64	1:23.189	145.706
4	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	26	1:23.594	145.000
5	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	41	1:23.970	144.351
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	70	1:24.381	143.648
7	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	40	1:24.456	143.520
8	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	29	1:24.457	143.519
9	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber	51	1:24.539	143.379
10	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	39	1:24.582	143.307
11	11	Olivier Panis	Prost	33	1:24.874	142.814
12	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	66	1:25.053	142.513
13	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi	70	1:26.054	140.855
14	9	Damon Hill	Jordan	69	1:26.091	140.795
15	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	24	1:26.228	140.571
16	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost	26	1:26.501	140.127
17	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell	59	1:26.506	140.119
18	19	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	25	1:26.637	139.907
19	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	6	1:26.777	139.682
20	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	10	1:27.719	138.182

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 Monaco Grand Prix.

1998 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	46
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	29
3	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	24
4	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	15
5	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	9
6	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	8
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	8
8	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	7
9	Mika Salo	Finnish	Arrows	3
10	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	3
11	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	2
12	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	1
13	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	1
–	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	0
–	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	0
–	Esteban Tuero	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	0
–	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Minardi	0
–	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	0
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Tyrrell	0
–	Ricardo Rosset	Brazilian	Tyrrell	0

1998 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	75
2	Ferrari	39
3	Benetton	16
4	Williams	16
5	Arrows	4
6	Sauber	4
7	Stewart	2
–	Jordan	0
–	Minardi	0
–	Prost	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