1998 Japanese Grand Prix

  1998 Japanese Grand Prix

Race details
Race 16 of 16 in the 1998 Formula One season
Date	November 1, 1998
Official name	XXIV Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix
Location	Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Mie, Japan
Course	Permanent racing facility 5.864 km (3.644 mi)
Distance	51 laps, 299.064 km (185.830 mi)
Scheduled Distance	53 laps, 310.792 km (193.117 mi)
Weather	Fine
Pole position
Driver	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Time	1:36.293
Fastest lap
Driver	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Time	1:40.190
Podium
First	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes
Second	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes

The 1998 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Suzuka on November 1, 1998.

Classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	51	1:27:22.535	2	10
2	4	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	51	+6.491	4	6
3	7	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	51	+27.662	3	4
4	9	Damon Hill	Jordan-Mugen-Honda	51	+1:13.491	8	3
5	2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams-Mecachrome	51	+1:13.857	5	2
6	1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Mecachrome	51	+1:15.867	6	1
7	14	Jean Alesi	Sauber-Petronas	51	+1:36.053	12
8	5	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton-Playlife	51	+1:41.302	10
9	6	Alexander Wurz	Benetton-Playlife	50	+1 Lap	9
10	15	Johnny Herbert	Sauber-Petronas	50	+1 Lap	11
11	11	Olivier Panis	Prost-Peugeot	50	+1 Lap	13
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Prost-Peugeot	48	Engine	14
Ret	22	Shinji Nakano	Minardi-Ford	40	Throttle	20
Ret	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	31	Tyre	1
Ret	21	Toranosuke Takagi	Tyrrell-Ford	28	Collision	17
Ret	23	Esteban Tuero	Minardi-Ford	28	Collision	21
Ret	18	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart-Ford	25	Hydraulics	16
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Stewart-Ford	21	Gearbox	19
Ret	17	Mika Salo	Arrows	14	Hydraulics	15
Ret	10	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan-Mugen-Honda	13	Engine	7
Ret	16	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	2	Spun off	18
DNQ	20	Ricardo Rosset	Tyrrell-Ford

Standings after Grand Prix

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Mika Häkkinen 100 2 Michael Schumacher 86 3 David Coulthard 56 4 Eddie Irvine 47 5 Jacques Villeneuve 21

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 McLaren-Mercedes 156 2 Ferrari 133 3 Williams-Mecachrome 38 4 Jordan-Mugen-Honda 34 5 Benetton-Playlife 33

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes

• Lap leaders: Mika Häkkinen 51 (1-51)
• Mika Häkkinen won his first driver's world championship with this victory.
• McLaren team won their first world constructor's title since 1991.
• Last race: Ricardo Rosset, Shinji Nakano, Esteban Tuero, Tyrrell, Goodyear.
• Michael Schumacher was due to start on pole but stalled and was put to the back of the grid. He fought back to 3rd but his tyre exploded. Schumacher had been due to make a pit stop whilst many suggest that he ran over debris. Schumacher was first past the chicane after Takagi and Tuero suffered a heavy collision.
• This was the last grand prix to be held in November until the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.