The 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship featured 16 Grand Prix, beginning on 8 March and concluding on 1 November, with teams and drivers competing throughout the year for the sport’s two major titles.
Season
The 1998 season saw a significant shift in the competitive order within Formula One. McLaren emerged as the dominant force on the grid, benefiting from a combination of technical innovation and strong driver performances. At the same time, the defending champions from Williams struggled to maintain their previous level of success. Following Renault’s factory withdrawal as an engine supplier and the departure of influential designer Adrian Newey to McLaren, Williams lost much of the advantage that had helped secure their titles the previous season. As a result, both Jacques Villeneuve, the reigning World Drivers’ Champion, and the Williams team were unable to defend their championships. The team endured a difficult campaign that ended without a single race victory, marking Williams’ first winless season since 1988.
At the front of the championship, Mika Häkkinen delivered a breakthrough year for McLaren. The Finnish driver secured his first World Drivers’ Championship, establishing himself as one of the era’s leading competitors. His success helped propel McLaren to the Constructors’ Championship, marking the team’s first title in the category since 1991.
Although McLaren’s triumph in 1998 restored the team to the top of Formula One, it would prove to be the beginning of a long wait for their next Constructors’ Championship. The team would not win another constructors’ title for twenty-six years, until 2024. Similarly, McLaren’s achievement of winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in the same season in 1998 would remain unmatched for the team until 2025, highlighting the historical significance of their dominant campaign that year.
1998 F1 Entries Drivers and Teams
| Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Tyre | No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winfield Williams | Williams-Mecachrome | FW20 | Mecachrome GC37-01 | G | 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | All |
| 2 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | All | |||||
| Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari | F300 | Ferrari 047 | G | 3 | Michael Schumacher | All |
| 4 | Eddie Irvine | All | |||||
| Mild Seven Benetton Playlife | Benetton-Playlife | B198 | Playlife GC37-01 | B | 5 | Giancarlo Fisichella | All |
| 6 | Alexander Wurz | All | |||||
| West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren-Mercedes | MP4/13 | Mercedes FO110G | B | 7 | David Coulthard | All |
| 8 | Mika Häkkinen | All | |||||
| Benson & Hedges Jordan | Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 198 | Mugen-Honda MF-301HC | G | 9 | Damon Hill | All |
| 10 | Ralf Schumacher | All | |||||
| Gauloises Prost Peugeot | Prost-Peugeot | AP01 | Peugeot A16 | B | 11 | Olivier Panis | All |
| 12 | Jarno Trulli | All | |||||
| Red Bull Sauber Petronas | Sauber-Petronas | C17 | Petronas SPE-01D | G | 14 | Jean Alesi | All |
| 15 | Johnny Herbert | All | |||||
| Danka Zepter Arrows | Arrows | A19 | Arrows T2-F1 | B | 16 | Pedro Diniz | All |
| 17 | Mika Salo | All | |||||
| HSBC Stewart Ford | Stewart-Ford | SF02 | Ford VJ Zetec-R | B | 18 | Rubens Barrichello | All |
| 19 | Jan Magnussen | 1–7 | |||||
| Jos Verstappen | 8–16 | ||||||
| PIAA Tyrrell | Tyrrell-Ford | 026 | Ford JD Zetec-R | G | 20 | Ricardo Rosset | All |
| 21 | Toranosuke Takagi | All | |||||
| Fondmetal Minardi Team | Minardi-Ford | M198 | Ford JD Zetec-R | B | 22 | Shinji Nakano | All |
| 23 | Esteban Tuero | All |
1998 Formula 1 Race Calendar
1998 Formula 1 Race Results
Grands Prix
1998 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mika Hakkinen | FIN | McLaren Mercedes | 100 |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | GER | Ferrari | 86 |
| 3 | David Coulthard | GBR | McLaren Mercedes | 56 |
| 4 | Eddie Irvine | GBR | Ferrari | 47 |
| 5 | Jacques Villeneuve | CAN | Williams Mecachrome | 21 |
| 6 | Damon Hill | GBR | Jordan Mugen Honda | 20 |
| 7 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | GER | Williams Mecachrome | 17 |
| 8 | Alexander Wurz | AUT | Benetton Playlife | 17 |
| 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella | ITA | Benetton Playlife | 16 |
| 10 | Ralf Schumacher | GER | Jordan Mugen Honda | 14 |
| 11 | Jean Alesi | FRA | Sauber Petronas | 9 |
| 12 | Rubens Barrichello | BRA | Stewart Ford | 4 |
| 13 | Mika Salo | FIN | Arrows | 3 |
| 14 | Pedro Diniz | BRA | Arrows | 3 |
| 15 | Johnny Herbert | GBR | Sauber Petronas | 1 |
| 16 | Jan Magnussen | DEN | Stewart Ford | 1 |
| 17 | Jarno Trulli | ITA | Prost Peugeot | 1 |
| 18 | Ricardo Rosset | BRA | Tyrrell Ford | 0 |
| 19 | Olivier Panis | FRA | Prost Peugeot | 0 |
| 20 | Toranosuke Takagi | JPN | Tyrrell Ford | 0 |
| 21 | Shinji Nakano | JPN | Minardi Ford | 0 |
| 22 | Esteban Tuero | ARG | Minardi Ford | 0 |
| 23 | Jos Verstappen | NED | Stewart Ford | 0 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren Mercedes | 156 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 133 |
| 3 | Williams Mecachrome | 38 |
| 4 | Jordan Mugen Honda | 34 |
| 5 | Benetton Playlife | 33 |
| 6 | Sauber Petronas | 10 |
| 7 | Arrows | 6 |
| 8 | Stewart Ford | 5 |
| 9 | Prost Peugeot | 1 |
