1999 European Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Johnny Herbert gave Stewart its first Grand Prix victory in an extraordinary European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Changing weather and a succession of setbacks for the leaders produced an unexpected podium, with Jarno Trulli second and Rubens Barrichello third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan
Pole time	1:19.910
Fastest lap	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:21.282 on lap 64
First	Johnny Herbert	Stewart
Second	Jarno Trulli	Prost
Third	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 September 1999	Practice 1	11:00
24 September 1999	Practice 2	13:00
25 September 1999	Practice 3	09:00
25 September 1999	Practice 4	10:15
25 September 1999	Qualifying	13:00
26 September 1999	Warm-up	09:30
26 September 1999	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 1999 F1 World Championship on 60 points, with Eddie Irvine on 60. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 108 points.

Race entries

The eleven teams retained their drivers, with Mika Salo again standing in for Michael Schumacher. Ferrari brought revised aerodynamic details after testing, while Prost continued with its updated Peugeot engine and exhaust arrangement.

Free Practice

Häkkinen led opening practice as McLaren compared tyres after waiting for the surface to improve. Rubens Barrichello recovered from a puncture caused by debris to take second. Jordan had a poor start: gearbox trouble prevented Heinz-Harald Frentzen setting a flying lap, while Damon Hill crashed after a puncture that he attributed to a loose drain grating.

Jordan repaired Damon Hill‘s car and Heinz-Harald Frentzen began catching up on setup work in the afternoon. McLaren stayed on one set of tyres throughout the day, while Olivier Panis used fresh rubber to move into third after earlier mechanical delays. Stewart found its balance less convincing as the day progressed, particularly when attacking the kerbs.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 European Grand Prix opening-day practice, 24 September 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:20.758	27
2	3	Mika Salo	Ferrari	+0.162s	38
3	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+0.376s	28
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.580s	30
5	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.627s	29
6	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.703s	33
7	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.747s	34
8	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.878s	41
9	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+0.992s	43
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.092s	41
11	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.126s	27
12	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.175s	22
13	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.224s	39
14	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.449s	28
15	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+1.553s	36
16	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.563s	45
17	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.669s	46
18	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.704s	32
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.095s	21
20	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+2.114s	38
21	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.846s	34
22	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.524s	32

Heinz-Harald Frentzen‘s problems continued on Saturday morning when his engine lost air pressure. Jordan began an engine change, only to discover a broken oil tank when the replacement was started. The extra work left the team racing to return its driver to the track before practice finished.

Jordan finally sent Heinz-Harald Frentzen out too late to complete a full timed lap, but his quick sectors before returning to the pits showed the car’s potential. Häkkinen remained the practice benchmark. Rain arrived after the morning running, changing the conditions the teams would face in qualifying.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 European Grand Prix Saturday practice, 25 September 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:18.945	24
2	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.456s	26
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.721s	33
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.722s	31
5	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.867s	31
6	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.974s	35
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.034s	31
8	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.067s	35
9	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.164s	34
10	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.178s	26
11	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.206s	38
12	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.266s	38
13	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.368s	34
14	3	Mika Salo	Ferrari	+1.440s	28
15	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.444s	33
16	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.465s	35
17	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.698s	14
18	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+2.218s	28
19	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.279s	29
20	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+2.866s	36
21	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.081s	19
22	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.246s	27

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

Qualifying

Heinz-Harald Frentzen judged a drying track superbly to take pole with a 1:19.910. A late change to fresh dry-weather tyres helped Jordan make the most of the improving conditions. David Coulthard qualified second, ahead of Häkkinen and Ralf Schumacher.

Olivier Panis took fifth and Giancarlo Fisichella sixth. Eddie Irvine went off during his final attempt and qualified ninth, while Stewart‘s fortunes were worse: Johnny Herbert had to switch to the spare car and finished fourteenth, one place ahead of Rubens Barrichello. Traffic and timing proved crucial as the circuit dried.

Qualifying Classification

1999 European Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 September 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:19.910	9
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:20.176	12
3	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:20.376	12
4	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:20.444	12
5	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:20.638	12
6	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:20.781	11
7	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:20.818	11
8	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:20.825	10
9	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:20.842	11
10	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:20.965	12
11	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:21.144	12
12	3	Mika Salo	Ferrari	1:21.314	12
13	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:21.345	11
14	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	1:21.379	11
15	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:21.490	12
16	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:21.634	11
17	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	1:22.267	10
18	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	1:22.284	12
19	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:22.631	11
20	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:22.760	12
21	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	1:23.401	11
22	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:23.698	10

Sunday warm-up

Warm-up took place on a wet circuit that gradually dried. The fastest time changed hands repeatedly as grip improved, with Giancarlo Fisichella eventually leading the session. The mixed conditions reinforced how difficult tyre decisions could become in the race, with further showers possible.

Warm-up Classification

1999 European Grand Prix Warm-up, 26 September 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:26.935	13
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.370s	12
3	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.669s	18
4	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.051s	13
5	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.233s	14
6	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.362s	14
7	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.382s	14
8	3	Mika Salo	Ferrari	+1.623s	16
9	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.705s	12
10	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.793s	14
11	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.825s	15
12	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.006s	15
13	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.034s	11
14	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+2.086s	16
15	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.441s	10
16	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+2.490s	13
17	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+2.708s	13
18	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+2.768s	16
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.356s	12
20	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.676s	12
21	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+3.691s	15
22	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.917s	12

What happened in the 1999 European Grand Prix?

After an aborted start, Heinz-Harald Frentzen led away. Behind him, Damon Hill slowed with a loss of power, Alexander Wurz took avoiding action and collided with Pedro Diniz, whose Sauber overturned. Pedro Diniz escaped serious injury, and the safety car controlled the field while the accident was cleared.

Intermittent rain soon made tyre choices difficult. Häkkinen switched to wets too early and had to stop again, while Eddie Irvine lost valuable time when Ferrari was not ready with all four tyres. Heinz-Harald Frentzen looked well placed until his engine shut down after a pit stop; later accounts from Jordan explained that the anti-stall system had not been cancelled.

David Coulthard then slid out of the lead, Giancarlo Fisichella also spun off and Ralf Schumacher suffered a puncture. Johnny Herbert had timed his switch to wet tyres well and emerged in front. Jarno Trulli held off Rubens Barrichello for second, denying Stewart a one-two but still leaving the team celebrating a remarkable result.

Ralf recovered to fourth and Häkkinen salvaged fifth ahead of Gené, who earned Minardi‘s first point since 1995. Luca Badoer had been running fourth before gearbox failure ended his hopes. Eddie Irvine finished seventh, allowing Häkkinen to leave with a two-point championship lead.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 62 points, followed by Eddie Irvine on 60. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 110, with Ferrari on 102.

1999 European Grand Prix race results

The 1999 European Grand Prix was held on 26 September 1999, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	66	1:41:54.314	10
2	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	66	+ 22.619	6
3	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	66	+ 22.866	4
4	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	66	+ 39.508	3
5	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	66	+ 1:02.950	2
6	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	66	+ 1:05.154	1
7	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	66	+ 1:06.683	0
8	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	65	+ 1 lap	0
9	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	65	+ 1 lap	0
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	61	Clutch	0
Ret	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	53	Gearbox	0
Ret	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	52	Gearbox	0
Ret	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	48	Spun off	0
Ret	3	Mika Salo	Ferrari	44	Brakes	0
Ret	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	42	Accident	0
Ret	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	37	Spun off	0
Ret	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	35	Halfshaft	0
Ret	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	32	Electrical	0
Ret	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	10	Collision	0
Ret	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	0	Electrical	0
Ret	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	0	Collision	0
Ret	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	0	Collision	0

1999 European Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	64	1:21.282	201.786
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	29	1:21.835	200.422
3	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	29	1:22.082	199.819
4	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	64	1:22.237	199.443
5	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	31	1:22.244	199.426
6	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	65	1:22.332	199.212
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	32	1:22.564	198.653
8	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	32	1:22.960	197.704
9	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	32	1:23.010	197.585
10	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	64	1:23.067	197.450
11	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	15	1:23.097	197.378
12	3	Mika Salo	Ferrari	31	1:23.404	196.652
13	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	30	1:23.657	196.057
14	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	30	1:23.742	195.858
15	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	33	1:23.745	195.851
16	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	16	1:23.905	195.478
17	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	9	1:24.300	194.562
18	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	30	1:24.848	193.305
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	8	1:24.857	193.285

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 European Grand Prix.

1999 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	62
2	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	60
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	50
4	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	48
5	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	33
6	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	32
7	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	19
8	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	13
9	Johnny Herbert	British	Stewart	12
10	Mika Salo	Finnish	BAR / Ferrari	10
11	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Prost	7
12	Damon Hill	British	Jordan	7
13	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	3
14	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Sauber	3
15	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	2
16	Marc Gené	Spanish	Minardi	1
17	Jean Alesi	French	Sauber	1
18	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Arrows	1
–	Alessandro Zanardi	Italian	Williams	0
–	Toranosuke Takagi	Japanese	Arrows	0
–	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	BAR	0
–	Luca Badoer	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	0
–	Stéphane Sarrazin	French	Minardi	0

1999 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	110
2	Ferrari	102
3	Jordan	57
4	Williams	33
5	Stewart	31
6	Benetton	16
7	Prost	9
8	Sauber	4
9	Arrows	1
10	Minardi	1
–	BAR	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