1999 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mika Häkkinen overcame an early transmission scare to win the Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace. Michael Schumacher finished second, while local favourite Rubens Barrichello led before retiring and Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed another podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:16.568
Fastest lap	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:18.448 on lap 70
First	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Second	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Third	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
9 April 1999	Practice 1	11:00
9 April 1999	Practice 2	13:00
10 April 1999	Practice 3	09:00
10 April 1999	Practice 4	10:15
10 April 1999	Qualifying	13:00
11 April 1999	Warm-up	09:30
11 April 1999	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Eddie Irvine arrived at round 2 leading the 1999 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen on 6. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 10 points.

Race entries

Stéphane Stephane Sarrazin made his Formula 1 debut for Minardi, replacing Luca Badoer after a testing injury to his hand. Ricardo Zonta was then ruled out of his home race following a heavy Saturday practice accident, leaving Jacques Villeneuve as BAR‘s only starter.

Free Practice

Rain disrupted Friday’s opening practice and limited useful dry setup work. Ralf Schumacher made the most of the improving conditions to finish fastest, while the McLarens had shown their pace when the circuit was wetter. The shifting grip made the session an uncertain guide to the weekend’s likely order.

Häkkinen led David Coulthard in the afternoon, with the Ferraris following. Giancarlo Fisichella and Rubens Barrichello also showed promising pace as teams used the more productive running to prepare for qualifying. The contrast with the wet opening session made this hour especially valuable.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 Brazilian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 9 April 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:18.881	26
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.471s	24
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.740s	28
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.891s	24
5	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.428s	32
6	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.457s	28
7	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.478s	36
8	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.550s	32
9	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.681s	34
10	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.790s	38
11	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.898s	37
12	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.943s	25
13	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+2.053s	24
14	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.128s	28
15	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.235s	39
16	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+2.892s	19
17	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.016s	29
18	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.474s	36
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.613s	26
20	20	Stephane Sarrazin	Minardi	+3.697s	38
21	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+13.348s	17
22	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+17.687s	11

McLaren continued to set the pace in Saturday’s first practice. With Friday’s rain having restricted preparation, teams still had work to do on their dry setups. Häkkinen and David Coulthard again established themselves as the drivers to beat before the final morning session.

Ricardo Zonta crashed heavily early in final practice and suffered injuries that prevented him from continuing the weekend. Damage to the barrier caused the session to be abandoned, sharply reducing the field’s remaining preparation. Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Rubens Barrichello had shown competitive speed behind the McLarens before running ended.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 Brazilian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 10 April 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:17.035	15
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.211s	14
3	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.927s	25
4	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.944s	18
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.075s	22
6	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.348s	22
7	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.380s	26
8	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.445s	20
9	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.570s	15
10	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.600s	18
11	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.647s	23
12	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.703s	23
13	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.861s	25
14	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.895s	23
15	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.002s	24
16	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.424s	18
17	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.543s	21
18	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.627s	13
19	20	Stephane Sarrazin	Minardi	+2.949s	21
20	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+2.973s	22
21	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.260s	22
22	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.998s	12

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen secured pole ahead of David Coulthard, while Rubens Barrichello delighted the home crowd by qualifying third in the Stewart. Michael Schumacher was fourth, unable to match the McLarens’ pace. Threatening clouds encouraged early running, but the expected heavy rain did not arrive.

Giancarlo Fisichella qualified fifth ahead of Eddie Irvine and the Jordans. Jacques Villeneuve lost his qualifying times because of a fuel infringement and was sent to the back, while De la Pedro de la Rosa lost a lap for a yellow-flag infringement. Ricardo Zonta‘s absence reduced the field after his practice accident.

Qualifying Classification

1999 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 10 April 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:16.568	12
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:16.715	12
3	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:17.305	11
4	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:17.578	11
5	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:17.810	12
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:17.843	11
7	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:17.884	11
8	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:17.902	11
9	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:18.334	12
10	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	1:18.374	12
11	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:18.506	12
12	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:18.636	12
13	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:18.684	12
14	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:18.716	12
15	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:19.194	11
16	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:19.377	12
17	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	1:19.452	10
18	20	Stéphane Sarrazin	Minardi	1:20.016	12
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:20.075	11
20	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	1:20.096	12
21	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:20.710	11
DNQ	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	—	—

Sunday warm-up

McLaren remained first and second in warm-up, but Michael Schumacher reduced the deficit compared with qualifying. The closer times offered Ferrari some encouragement for the race after a difficult Saturday. With the earlier practice interruptions, these final laps were a useful check of the cars in race trim.

Warm-up Classification

1999 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 11 April 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:17.709	13
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.040s	13
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.586s	16
4	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+0.788s	15
5	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.302s	16
6	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.399s	19
7	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.403s	17
8	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.462s	12
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.507s	12
10	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.680s	19
11	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.832s	14
12	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.856s	15
13	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.896s	13
14	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.903s	18
15	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.001s	18
16	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.006s	13
17	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.285s	15
18	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.709s	17
19	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+2.884s	10
20	20	Stephane Sarrazin	Minardi	+3.055s	18
21	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.565s	16

What happened in the 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix?

David Coulthard failed to get away properly and lost several laps before rejoining. Häkkinen initially led, but a temporary transmission problem allowed Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher through. Rubens Barrichello built an advantage to the delight of the crowd before his earlier fuel stop handed Schumacher the lead.

Häkkinen stayed close to Schumacher and used the laps after the Ferrari‘s stop to take control. McLaren‘s quick service returned him to the track ahead. Rubens Barrichello later retired with engine failure, while Stephane Sarrazin‘s debut ended in a spectacular spinning accident from which he escaped injury.

Häkkinen won from Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who ran out of fuel on the final lap but retained third in the classification. Ralf Schumacher took fourth ahead of Eddie Irvine, whose extra stop to clear his radiators cost him places. Olivier Panis collected the final point, while Eddie Irvine retained the championship lead.

After the race, Eddie Irvine headed the drivers’ standings with 12 points, followed by Mika Häkkinen on 10. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 18, with McLaren on 10.

1999 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 11 April 1999, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	72	1:36:03.785	10
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	72	+4.925	6
3	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	71	Out of fuel	4
4	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	71	+1 Lap	3
5	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	71	+1 Lap	2
6	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	71	+1 Lap	1
7	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	70	+2 Laps	0
8	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	69	+3 Laps	0
9	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	69	+3 Laps	0
Ret	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	52	Hydraulics	0
Ret	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	49	Hydraulics	0
Ret	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	43	Gearbox	0
Ret	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	42	Engine	0
Ret	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	42	Collision	0
Ret	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	38	Clutch	0
Ret	20	Stéphane Sarrazin	Minardi	31	Throttle/Accident	0
Ret	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	27	Gearbox	0
Ret	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	22	Gearbox	0
Ret	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	21	Gearbox	0
Ret	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	15	Hydraulics	0
Ret	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	10	Collision damage	0
DNQ	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR		Injured in Practice	0

1999 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	70	1:18.448	196.961
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	65	1:18.616	196.540
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	63	1:18.816	196.041
4	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	25	1:18.897	195.840
5	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	61	1:19.009	195.562
6	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	3	1:19.310	194.820
7	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	29	1:19.386	194.633
8	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	67	1:19.395	194.611
9	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	25	1:19.477	194.410
10	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	65	1:20.145	192.790
11	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	14	1:20.324	192.360
12	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	35	1:20.484	191.978
13	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	39	1:20.727	191.400
14	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	30	1:20.833	191.149
15	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	15	1:20.969	190.828
16	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	9	1:21.140	190.426
17	20	Stephane Sarrazin	Minardi	20	1:21.225	190.227
18	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	8	1:21.473	189.648
19	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	37	1:21.598	189.357
20	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	36	1:21.698	189.125
21	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	60	1:21.731	189.049

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1999 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix.

1999 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	12
2	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	10
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	10
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	7
5	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	6
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	3
7	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	2
8	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Arrows	1
9	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	1
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Arrows	0
–	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	0
–	Marc Gené	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	BAR	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Sauber	0
–	Alessandro Zanardi	Italian	Williams	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	0
–	Stéphane Sarrazin	French	Minardi	0
–	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	0
–	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	0
–	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	0
–	Johnny Herbert	British	Stewart	0

1999 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	18
2	McLaren	10
3	Jordan	10
4	Williams	7
5	Benetton	3
6	Stewart	2
7	Arrows	1
8	Prost	1
–	Minardi	0
–	BAR	0
–	Sauber	0

1999 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1999 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	7 March
2	1999 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 April
3	1999 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	2 May
4	1999 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	16 May
5	1999 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	30 May
6	1999 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	13 June
7	1999 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	27 June
8	1999 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	11 July
9	1999 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	25 July
10	1999 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	1 August
11	1999 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	15 August
12	1999 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	29 August
13	1999 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	12 September
14	1999 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	26 September
15	1999 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	17 October
16	1999 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	31 October