1999 San Marino Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher gave Ferrari a celebrated home victory at the San Marino Grand Prix after Mika Häkkinen crashed out of the lead. A bold two-stop strategy defeated David Coulthard at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, with Rubens Barrichello taking third for Stewart.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:26.362
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:28.547 on lap 45
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	David Coulthard	McLaren
Third	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
30 April 1999	Practice 1	11:00
30 April 1999	Practice 2	13:00
1 May 1999	Practice 3	09:00
1 May 1999	Practice 4	10:15
1 May 1999	Qualifying	13:00
2 May 1999	Warm-up	09:30
2 May 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 3 leading the 1999 F1 World Championship on 12 points, with Mika Häkkinen on 10. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 18 points.

Race entries

Luca Badoer returned to Minardi after recovering from his hand injury. Mika Salo joined BAR in place of Ricardo Zonta, who remained sidelined following his Brazilian practice accident, while Jacques Villeneuve continued in the other car.

Free Practice

McLaren set the early pace, but Eddie Irvine was encouraged by a return to a setup similar to the one he had used in Australia. He finished third in opening practice ahead of Michael Schumacher. Jacques Villeneuve also showed promising speed as BAR looked to improve on its difficult opening races.

Eddie Irvine remained third in the afternoon, while Damon Hill improved and Alessandro Zanardi began to find a more comfortable Williams setup. Michael Schumacher did not complete his planned programme but felt Ferrari was closer than in Brazil. The session suggested that McLaren might face a more sustained challenge than at the opening two rounds.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 San Marino Grand Prix opening-day practice, 30 April 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:28.467	34
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.138s	27
3	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.579s	33
4	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.985s	48
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.067s	27
6	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.147s	42
7	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.163s	34
8	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.298s	24
9	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.325s	28
10	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.341s	42
11	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.715s	36
12	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.941s	29
13	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.015s	32
14	23	Mika Salo	BAR	+2.102s	23
15	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.363s	38
16	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.387s	20
17	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+2.524s	26
18	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+2.579s	21
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.790s	35
20	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.080s	30
21	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+3.090s	15
22	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+5.062s	14

Saturday’s running brought a closer contest as Ferrari worked on its qualifying balance and tyre choice. Eddie Irvine tried a new front wing and spun while adapting the setup. Stewart also improved following overnight changes, with Rubens Barrichello finding a more consistent car and Johnny Herbert happier with its handling.

David Coulthard finished the morning ahead of Häkkinen, who ran off while trying to respond. Ralf Schumacher concentrated on race setup after setting an early quick lap, while hydraulic trouble delayed Alessandro Zanardi. BAR had further fuel-pressure problems with Jacques Villeneuve, and both Benettons continued to struggle with their balance.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1999 San Marino Grand Prix Saturday practice, 1 May 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:26.509	32
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.241s	26
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.325s	33
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.684s	26
5	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.920s	27
6	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+1.225s	28
7	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.477s	28
8	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.687s	36
9	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+1.700s	39
10	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+1.855s	28
11	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.896s	31
12	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.938s	34
13	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.959s	29
14	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.056s	36
15	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.060s	25
16	23	Mika Salo	BAR	+2.087s	27
17	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.193s	19
18	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+2.447s	27
19	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+2.791s	26
20	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+3.253s	31
21	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.988s	23
22	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+4.838s	18

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen took pole ahead of David Coulthard, but Michael Schumacher was much closer than at the first two rounds. Eddie Irvine qualified fourth, and Jacques Villeneuve delivered fifth for BAR. Rubens Barrichello completed the third row, reinforcing Stewart‘s strong practice form.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Damon Hill and the Williams pair completed the top ten, with Alessandro Zanardi showing progress in tenth. Olivier Panis recovered from an engine problem to qualify eleventh. Both Benettons struggled further back, leaving Giancarlo Fisichella and Alexander Wurz with difficult starting positions.

Qualifying Classification

1999 San Marino Grand Prix Qualifying, 1 May 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:26.362	11
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:26.384	10
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:26.538	12
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:26.993	11
5	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:27.313	12
6	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:27.409	11
7	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:27.613	10
8	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	1:27.708	11
9	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:27.770	12
10	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	1:28.142	11
11	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:28.205	12
12	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	1:28.246	11
13	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	1:28.253	12
14	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:28.403	6
15	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:28.599	12
16	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:28.750	12
17	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:28.765	11
18	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:29.293	11
19	23	Mika Salo	BAR	1:29.451	7
20	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	1:29.656	12
21	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:30.035	12
22	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	1:30.945	12

Sunday warm-up

David Coulthard led warm-up, but Eddie Irvine was close enough to suggest Ferrari could challenge McLaren over the race distance. Mika Salo completed another session with BAR after hydraulic trouble had disrupted his qualifying, while Johnny Herbert finished as the quickest driver outside the two leading teams. The race would turn that close contest at the front into a battle of pit-stop strategies.

Warm-up Classification

1999 San Marino Grand Prix Warm-up, 2 May 1999

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:28.642	13
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.107s	15
3	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.196s	12
4	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.442s	14
5	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	+0.931s	14
6	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	+0.954s	16
7	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+0.973s	10
8	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.041s	18
9	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.061s	14
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.137s	9
11	23	Mika Salo	BAR	+1.372s	10
12	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.381s	15
13	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.394s	13
14	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	+1.503s	15
15	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.549s	12
16	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.661s	15
17	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.768s	11
18	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.164s	11
19	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	+2.262s	12
20	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	+2.325s	15
21	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.454s	16
22	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	+3.903s	14

What happened in the 1999 San Marino Grand Prix?

Häkkinen made a strong start and rapidly opened a lead, while Jacques Villeneuve was stranded on the grid with a clutch problem. The race changed when Häkkinen lost control at the final chicane and hit the wall. David Coulthard inherited the lead, with Michael Schumacher now able to attack.

Ferrari opted for two stops and a short first refuelling visit. Schumacher used the lighter car to lap quickly, taking the lead when David Coulthard stopped and building enough of a margin to stay ahead after his second visit. David Coulthard‘s progress was also disrupted by traffic, weakening his response.

Schumacher won from David Coulthard and took the championship lead. Eddie Irvine‘s engine failure and Heinz-Harald Frentzen‘s subsequent spin helped Rubens Barrichello secure third, ahead of Damon Hill. Johnny Herbert lost a likely points finish to late engine trouble, and Alessandro Zanardi spun on the resulting fluid, allowing Giancarlo Fisichella and Jean Alesi to complete the top six.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 16 points, followed by Eddie Irvine on 12. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 28, with McLaren on 16.

1999 San Marino Grand Prix race results

The 1999 San Marino Grand Prix was held on 2 May 1999, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	62	1:33:44.792	10
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	62	+ 4.265	6
3	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	61	+ 1 lap	4
4	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	61	+ 1 lap	3
5	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	61	+ 1 lap	2
6	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	61	+ 1 lap	1
7	23	Mika Salo	BAR	59	Electrical	0
8	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	59	+ 3 laps	0
9	21	Marc Gené	Minardi	59	+ 3 laps	0
10	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	58	Engine	0
11	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	58	Spun off	0
Ret	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	49	Spun off	0
Ret	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	48	Throttle	0
Ret	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	46	Engine	0
Ret	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	46	Engine/Spun off	0
Ret	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	29	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	28	Electrical	0
Ret	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	17	Accident	0
Ret	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	5	Collision	0
Ret	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	5	Collision	0
Ret	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	0	Gearbox	0
Ret	19	Jarno Trulli	Prost	0	Spun off	0

1999 San Marino Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	45	1:28.547	200.435
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	15	1:29.145	199.091
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	52	1:29.199	198.970
4	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	45	1:29.726	197.802
5	18	Olivier Panis	Prost	28	1:30.081	197.022
6	7	Damon Hill	Jordan	37	1:30.140	196.893
7	8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	46	1:30.229	196.699
8	5	Alessandro Zanardi	Williams	55	1:30.254	196.645
9	11	Jean Alesi	Sauber	39	1:30.442	196.236
10	16	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	21	1:30.564	195.971
11	6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	22	1:30.737	195.598
12	12	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	24	1:30.908	195.230
13	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	33	1:30.977	195.082
14	23	Mika Salo	BAR	44	1:31.007	195.017
15	17	Johnny Herbert	Stewart	24	1:31.238	194.524
16	15	Toranosuke Takagi	Arrows	29	1:31.587	193.782
17	20	Luca Badoer	Minardi	35	1:32.851	191.144
18	21	Marc Gene	Minardi	38	1:33.175	190.480
19	14	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	3	1:33.328	190.168
20	10	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	3	1:33.337	190.149

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 San Marino Grand Prix.

1999 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

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

1999 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	28
2	McLaren	16
3	Jordan	13
4	Williams	7
5	Stewart	6
6	Benetton	5
7	Arrows	1
8	Sauber	1
9	Prost	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