1999 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

David Coulthard won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit, ahead of Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher. The race also brought a major blow to Ferrari as Michael Schumacher suffered a broken leg in a heavy first-lap accident.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:24.804
Fastest lap	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:28.309 on lap 28
First	David Coulthard	McLaren
Second	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari
Third	Ralf Schumacher	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
9 July 1999	Practice 1	11:00
9 July 1999	Practice 2	13:00
10 July 1999	Practice 3	09:00
10 July 1999	Practice 4	10:15
10 July 1999	Qualifying	13:00
11 July 1999	Warm-up	08:30
11 July 1999	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 8 leading the 1999 F1 World Championship on 40 points, with Michael Schumacher on 32. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 58 points.

Race entries

The eleven teams retained their drivers, with attention focused on Damon Hill‘s future as he arrived at his home race. Jordan brought a revised gearbox and aerodynamic updates, while Williams introduced new bodywork to improve the balance of its car.

Free Practice

Häkkinen led opening practice, while David Coulthard survived a fast spin without damaging his McLaren. Ralf Schumacher was encouraged by Williams‘ aerodynamic changes. Jarno Trulli suffered a suspension failure at Abbey and crashed heavily, prompting Prost to stop Olivier Panis as well while the team investigated.

Häkkinen remained fastest in the afternoon, with Ralf Schumacher moving into second. Prost kept both cars in the garage and sent the suspension components for inspection. Johnny Herbert made up running lost to an engine problem, while Alexander Wurz stopped with a broken driveshaft and the Ferraris concentrated on setup work.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 British Grand Prix opening-day practice, 9 July 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:26.981	26
2	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.023s	32
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.080s	27
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.174s	28
5	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.177s	35
6	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.346s	24
7	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.400s	31
8	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+0.950s	40
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.000s	38
10	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.181s	32
11	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+1.257s	34
12	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.491s	20
13	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.565s	26
14	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.614s	29
15	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.759s	17
16	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.902s	7
17	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+2.149s	36
18	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+2.220s	28
19	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+2.435s	36
20	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.458s	29
21	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+2.649s	27
22	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.391s	6

Heinz-Harald Frentzen set an early quick lap on fresh tyres during Saturday’s running, and Damon Hill also showed improved speed. Alessandro Zanardi received the revised Williams bodywork but struggled with a spin and an engine misfire. Prost returned after its suspension checks, although both drivers reported a lack of grip.

Häkkinen finished the morning comfortably fastest ahead of David Coulthard. Michael Schumacher struggled to adapt to the cooler surface, while Eddie Irvine spun into the gravel and lost the final part of the session. Jacques Villeneuve damaged his undertray at Copse as drivers pushed towards qualifying pace.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 British Grand Prix Saturday practice, 10 July 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:24.489	22
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.662s	28
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.812s	29
4	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.917s	24
5	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.111s	30
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.253s	19
7	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.457s	25
8	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.761s	30
9	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.822s	35
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.042s	18
11	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.075s	36
12	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.187s	28
13	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.668s	29
14	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.704s	35
15	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+2.761s	26
16	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.765s	28
17	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.820s	26
18	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.293s	26
19	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.375s	29
20	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.488s	27
21	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.887s	29
22	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.932s	29

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen took pole with a 1:24.804, but Michael Schumacher split the McLarens to secure second. David Coulthard qualified third ahead of Eddie Irvine. The Ferraris had improved relative to the morning, although Häkkinen still held a clear advantage.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Damon Hill filled the third row for Jordan, followed by Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. Jacques Villeneuve and Jean Alesi completed the top ten. Damon Hill‘s sixth place offered encouragement at a weekend surrounded by questions about whether he would continue racing.

Qualifying Classification

1999 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 10 July 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:24.804	9
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:25.223	11
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:25.594	12
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:25.677	12
5	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:25.991	11
6	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:26.099	12
7	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:26.194	12
8	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:26.438	12
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:26.719	11
10	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:26.761	11
11	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	1:26.873	12
12	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:27.196	12
13	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	1:27.223	12
14	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:27.227	10
15	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:27.543	11
16	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	1:27.699	11
17	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:27.857	12
18	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:28.010	12
19	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	1:28.037	11
20	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:28.148	12
21	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:28.695	11
22	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:28.772	12

Sunday warm-up

Häkkinen led another McLaren one-two in warm-up, with Michael Schumacher the closest challenger. Damon Hill completed fifteen laps and finished fourth in the session, an encouraging final run before his home race. Both Prost drivers also took part after the suspension problems that had interrupted the team’s Friday programme.

Warm-up Classification

1999 British Grand Prix Warm-up, 11 July 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:26.788	14
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.498s	12
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.709s	13
4	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.317s	15
5	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.477s	14
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.507s	12
7	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.593s	12
8	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.594s	15
9	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.643s	13
10	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.945s	12
11	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.997s	17
12	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+2.250s	11
13	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.472s	17
14	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.692s	16
15	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.749s	12
16	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.857s	9
17	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.040s	11
18	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+3.057s	16
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.230s	10
20	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.340s	15
21	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.429s	11
22	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.593s	14

What happened in the 1999 British Grand Prix?

The opening start was stopped after cars were left stranded on the grid. During that opening lap, Michael Schumacher suffered brake failure at Stowe and crashed into the barrier, breaking his right leg. He was taken to hospital, and the race later restarted without him.

Häkkinen led the restarted race, but trouble with a rear wheel during and after his pit stop eventually forced his retirement. Eddie Irvine also lost time at his stop, allowing David Coulthard to take control. The remaining McLaren then held the lead through the closing stages.

David Coulthard secured his first victory of the season, with Eddie Irvine second and Ralf Schumacher third. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Damon Hill and Pedro Diniz completed the points scorers. Eddie Irvine closed to within eight points of Häkkinen, while Schumacher’s injury removed him from the next phase of the championship fight.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 40 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 32. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 64, with McLaren on 62.

1999 British Grand Prix race results

The 1999 British Grand Prix was held on 11 July 1999, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	60	1:32:30.144	10
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	60	+1.829	6
3	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	60	+27.411	4
4	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	60	+27.789	3
5	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	60	+38.606	2
6	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	60	+53.643	1
7	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	60	+54.614	0
8	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	60	+1:08.590	0
9	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	60	+1:12.045	0
10	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	60	+1:12.123	0
11	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	60	+1:17.124	0
12	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	60	+1:17.709	0
13	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	60	+1:20.492	0
14	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	59	+1 lap	0
15	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	58	+2 laps	0
16	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	58	+2 laps	0
Ret	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	41	Suspension	0
Ret	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	35	Wheel	0
Ret	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	29	Halfshaft	0
Ret	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	6	Gearbox	0
Ret	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	0	Gearbox	0
DNS	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	0	Accident/injury	0

Michael Schumacher was not present at the race restart. His place on the grid was left vacant.

1999 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	28	1:28.309	209.536
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	54	1:28.782	208.420
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	47	1:28.846	208.270
4	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	48	1:29.252	207.323
5	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	47	1:29.330	207.142
6	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	26	1:29.414	206.947
7	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	49	1:29.493	206.764
8	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	27	1:29.819	206.014
9	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	53	1:30.103	205.364
10	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	54	1:30.296	204.926
11	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	37	1:30.334	204.839
12	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	41	1:30.522	204.414
13	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	27	1:30.611	204.213
14	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	40	1:30.625	204.182
15	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	41	1:30.793	203.804
16	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	52	1:30.964	203.421
17	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	18	1:31.342	202.579
18	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	44	1:31.612	201.982
19	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	3	1:32.409	200.240
20	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	22	1:32.442	200.168

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 British Grand Prix.

1999 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	40
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	32
3	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	32
4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	26
5	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	22
6	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	19
7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	13
8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	10
9	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	5
10	Johnny Herbert	British	Stewart	2
11	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Sauber	2
12	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	1
13	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	1
14	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	1
15	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Arrows	1
16	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	1
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Arrows	0
–	Mika Salo	Finnish	BAR	0
–	Marc Gené	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Alessandro Zanardi	Italian	Williams	0
–	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	BAR	0
–	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	0
–	Stéphane Sarrazin	French	Minardi	0

1999 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	64
2	McLaren	62
3	Jordan	31
4	Williams	19
5	Benetton	14
6	Stewart	12
7	Sauber	3
8	Prost	2
9	Arrows	1
–	BAR	0
–	Minardi	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