1998 Australian Grand Prix
{{short description|First round of the 1998 Formula One World Championship}}
{{use Australian English|date=June 2012}}
{{use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox Grand Prix race report
|Type = F1
|Previous_round = 1997 European Grand Prix
|Next_round = 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix
|Country = Australia
|Grand Prix = Australian
|Image = Albert_Lake_Park_Street_Circuit_in_Melbourne,_Australia.svg
|Date = 8 March
|Year = 1998
|Official name = 1998 Qantas Australian Grand Prix
|Race_No = 1
|Season_No = 16
|Location = Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia
|Course = Albert Park Circuit
|Course_mi = 3.295
|Course_km = 5.303
|Distance_laps = 58
|Distance_mi = 191.118
|Distance_km = 307.574
|Weather = Clear with maximum temperatures reaching 24 degrees at the start, increasing to 30 degrees by the end of the race.
|Pole_Driver = Mika Häkkinen
|Pole_Time = 1:30.010
|Pole_Country = FIN
|Fast_Driver = Mika Häkkinen
|Fast_Time = 1:31.649
|Fast_Lap = 39
|Fast_Country = FIN
|First_Driver = Mika Häkkinen
|First_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
|First_Country = FIN
|Second_Driver = David Coulthard
|Second_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
|Second_Country= GBR
|Third_Driver = Heinz-Harald Frentzen
|Third_Team = Williams-Mecachrome
|Third_Country = GER
|Lapchart = {{F1Laps1998|AUS}}
}}
The 1998 Australian Grand Prix (formally the 1998 Qantas Australian Grand Prix){{cite web |date=1998 |title=Australia |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1998/races/671/australia/race-result.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729222454/https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1998/races/671/australia/race-result.html |archive-date=29 July 2023 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Formula 1}} was a Formula One motor race held at the Albert Park street circuit in inner Melbourne on 8 March 1998 at 14:00 AEDT (UTC+10). It was the 63rd race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928. It was the first of the sixteen races of the 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship and held over 58 laps of the 5.3 kilometre street circuit and the sixth to be held on the Albert Park venue first used in 1953, or the third since the new circuit first hosted the race in 1996.
The race was dominated by the McLaren-Mercedes team and won by Mika Häkkinen over his teammate David Coulthard in controversial circumstances due to team orders. Williams driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third, his only podium finish this season. The race also represented the first win for Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone in Formula One and the first race since the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix not won by Goodyear. Johnny Herbert scored his only point of the season.
Race summary
The McLarens of Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard made good starts from the front row of the grid. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, starting third, also had a good start and tried to overtake second place Coulthard. The Ferrari driver stayed with the McLarens but retired on lap 6 when his engine failed. This handed third place to the Williams of Jacques Villeneuve, who was being chased by Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella. After the first round of pitstops, Villeneuve found himself behind teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Ferrari's Eddie Irvine, and Fisichella. Fisichella was able to pass Frentzen for third but then retired with mechanical failure, leaving Frentzen to finish just ahead of Irvine's Ferrari, which had gambled on a one-stop strategy. Villeneuve was lapped soon after this by the McLarens but still managed to finish in fifth place. All cars except the two McLarens were lapped down.{{cite web |date=23 March 2023 |title=Rewind: McLaren's 1998 switch sparks controversy |url=https://www.grandprix.com.au/fan-zone/news/rewind-mclarens-1998-switch-sparks-controversy |url-status=live|access-date=8 February 2024 |website=GrandPrix.com.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110152125/https://www.grandprix.com.au/fan-zone/news/rewind-mclarens-1998-switch-sparks-controversy|archive-date=10 November 2023}}
On lap 36, Häkkinen came into the pits unexpectedly, apparently having misheard a call over the radio. He drove straight through the pitlane and rejoined the race without stopping but lost first place to teammate Coulthard. In 2007, McLaren boss Ron Dennis claimed that someone had tapped into the team's radio system: "We do not and have not manipulated Grands Prix, unless there were some exceptional circumstances, which occurred in Australia [1998], when someone had tapped into our radio and instructed Mika Häkkinen to enter the pits."{{cite news |last=Garside |first=Kevin |date=29 May 2007 |title=FIA inquiry into McLaren order |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/kevingarside/2314285/FIA-inquiry-into-McLaren-order.html |url-status=live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014113435/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/kevingarside/2314285/FIA-inquiry-into-McLaren-order.html |archive-date=14 October 2010 |access-date=8 February 2024}} In 2023, Hakkinen recalled: "The team said something on the radio, I was confused, I thought they asked me to come to change tyres and that was not the case. They were just giving me some different information. So I just drove through the pit lane and I of course lost the lead of the race, David got the lead."
With 16 laps to go, Coulthard had a 12-second lead; by lap 55 of 58, Coulthard's lead was reduced to two seconds. A few laps before the end of the race, Coulthard let Häkkinen past on the front straight. From the pre-season test, it was clear that McLaren had the fastest car but was unreliable.{{refn|In 2020, Coulthard recalled: "At that time, team orders were not a common part of Formula One – it's accepted today, but back then it wasn't part of it. We as a team did it for good reason – we had a fast car that had been unreliable in winter testing, so we knew if we pushed at 100 per cent, the chances of finishing were very slim. So to get both cars to the end – even if it was in the wrong order for my liking – was a big success for the team."|group=nb}} Due to those reliability concerns, Hakkinen and Coulthard had made a pre-race agreement that between the two of them, the driver who led at the first corner would go on to win the race, should he be in the position to do so.{{cite news |date=9 March 1998 |title=Hakkinen wins Australian Grand Prix decided by pre-race agreement |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-19803342.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604100050/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-19803342.html |archive-date=4 June 2011 |access-date=8 February 2024 |agency=Associated Press}}{{refn|In 2023, Hakkinen recalled: "We were sitting on the front row, me and David – and we just made a deal. The driver who was first at the first corner when the race starts, that driver is going to win the Grand Prix. There's not going to be any fight. We had a deal, so David had to let me past – brilliant!"|group=nb}} Coulthard and the McLaren team were criticised heavily,{{cite magazine |last=Gebbie |first=Mark |date=March 1998 |title=The Team or the Individual |url=http://www.atlasf1.com/98/aus/gebbie.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208053643/http://www.atlasf1.com/98/aus/gebbie.html |archive-date=8 February 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |magazine=Atlas F1}}{{cite web |last=Carluccio |first=Carlo |date=8 March 2014 |title=On This Day in #F1: 8th March |url=https://thejudge13.com/2014/03/08/on-this-day-in-f1-8th-march/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328050214/https://thejudge13.com/2014/03/08/on-this-day-in-f1-8th-march/ |archive-date=28 March 2023 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=TheJudge13}} leading to discussion about team orders.{{cite magazine |last=Ewan |first=Ewan M. |date=August 1998 |title=Do Champions Need Team Orders? |url=http://www.atlasf1.com/98/hun/preview/tytler.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205092202/http://www.atlasf1.com/98/hun/preview/tytler.html |archive-date=5 February 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |magazine=Atlas F1}} The situation surrounding Coulthard allowing Häkkinen through would eventually go to the World Motorsport Council. The verdict was that "any future act prejudicial to the interests of competition should be severely punished in accordance with article 151c of International Sporting Code."{{cite magazine |date=18 March 1998 |title=FIA warns teams; French GP gets go-ahead; Tests: F1 Coverage in Florida |url=http://www.atlasf1.com/news/1998/649.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208020535/http://www.atlasf1.com/news/1998/649.htm |archive-date=8 February 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |magazine=Atlas F1}}{{cite magazine |last=O'Keefe |first=Thomas |date=13 February 2002 |title=The FIA's International Court of Appeal: Final Answer? (Part III) |url=https://atlasf1.autosport.com/2002/feb13/okeefe.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208020348/https://atlasf1.autosport.com/2002/feb13/okeefe.html |archive-date=8 February 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |magazine=Atlas F1 |volume=8 |issue=7}}{{cite web |last=Masefield |first=Fraser |date=14 October 2013 |title=Top 10 Team Orders Controversies in Formula One |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1810291-top-10-team-orders-controversies-in-formula-one |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017011733/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1810291-top-10-team-orders-controversies-in-formula-one |archive-date=17 October 2013 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Bleacher Report}} Team orders continued to be controversial in Formula One and were banned following the events of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix but were reallowed following the 2010 German Grand Prix.{{cite web |date=14 March 2020 |title=A Mysterious Order: Inside the Controversial 1998 Australian GP |url=https://automobilist.com/en-us/blogs/stories/a-mysterious-order-inside-the-controversial-1998-australian-gp|url-status=live |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Automobilist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205203138/https://automobilist.com/en-us/blogs/stories/a-mysterious-order-inside-the-controversial-1998-australian-gp|archive-date=5 February 2024}} Frentzen took third place for Williams.{{cite news |date=8 March 1998 |title=Hakkinen wins Grand Prix |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5r4fAAAAIBAJ&pg=6404,1025559&dq=mika+hakkinen&hl=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208015906/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5r4fAAAAIBAJ&pg=6404,1025559&dq=mika+hakkinen&hl=en |archive-date=8 February 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |newspaper=Gadsden Times |page=D6 |via=Google News}} The race was the first win for the tyre manufacturer Bridgestone after they entered Formula One a year earlier.{{cite news |last=Tremayne |first=David |date=9 March 1998 |title=Coulthard's selfless act of honour |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-coulthards-selfless-act-of-honour-1149181.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-coulthards-selfless-act-of-honour-1149181.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |access-date=8 February 2024 |newspaper=The Independent |location=London}}{{cbignore}}
After the race concluded, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker lodged an official complaint to the FIA into how the actions of the McLaren team decided the race for Häkkinen.{{cite news |date=9 March 1998 |title=Protest lodged over Hakkinen win |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/formula_1/63737.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030302045554/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/formula_1/63737.stm |archive-date=2 March 2003 |access-date=8 February 2024 |work=BBC News}}
Classification
= Qualifying =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%;" | |||||
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Lap Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
| 8 | {{flagicon|FIN}} Mika Häkkinen | 1:30.010 | | |||||
| 2
| 7 | {{flagicon|GBR}} David Coulthard | 1:30.053 | +0.043 | |||||
| 3
| 3 | {{flagicon|GER}} Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:30.767 | +0.757 | |||||
| 4
| 1 | {{flagicon|CAN}} Jacques Villeneuve | 1:30.919 | +0.909 | |||||
| 5
| 15 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Johnny Herbert | 1:31.384 | +1.374 | |||||
| 6
| 2 | {{flagicon|GER}} Heinz-Harald Frentzen | 1:31.397 | +1.387 | |||||
| 7
| 5 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Giancarlo Fisichella | 1:31.733 | +1.723 | |||||
| 8
| 4 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 1:31.767 | +1.757 | |||||
| 9
| 10 | {{flagicon|GER}} Ralf Schumacher | 1:32.392 | +2.382 | |||||
| 10
| 9 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Damon Hill | 1:32.399 | +2.389 | |||||
| 11
| 6 | {{flagicon|AUT}} Alexander Wurz | 1:32.726 | +2.716 | |||||
| 12
| 14 | {{flagicon|FRA}} Jean Alesi | 1:33.240 | +3.230 | |||||
| 13
| 21 | {{flagicon|JPN|1947}} Toranosuke Takagi | 1:33.291 | +3.281 | |||||
| 14
| 18 | {{flagicon|BRA}} Rubens Barrichello | 1:33.383 | +3.373 | |||||
| 15
| 12 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Jarno Trulli | 1:33.739 | +3.729 | |||||
| 16
| 17 | {{flagicon|FIN}} Mika Salo | Arrows | 1:33.927 | +3.917 | |||||
| 17
| 23 | {{flagicon|ARG}} Esteban Tuero | 1:34.646 | +4.636 | |||||
| 18
| 19 | {{flagicon|DEN}} Jan Magnussen | 1:34.906 | +4.896 | |||||
| 19
| 20 | {{flagicon|BRA}} Ricardo Rosset | 1:35.119 | +5.109 | |||||
| 20
| 16 | {{flagicon|BRA}} Pedro Diniz | Arrows | 1:35.140 | +5.130 | |||||
| 21
| 11 | {{flagicon|FRA}} Olivier Panis | 1:35.215 | +5.205 | |||||
| 22
| 22 | {{flagicon|JPN|1947}} Shinji Nakano | 1:35.301 | +5.291 | |||||
| colspan="6" |107% time: 1:36.311 | |||||
| colspan="6" |Source:{{cite web|url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1998/australie/qualification.aspx|url-status=live|title=Australia 1998 – Qualifications|website=Stats F1|date=1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109151112/https://www.statsf1.com/en/1998/australie/qualification.aspx|archive-date=9 January 2024|access-date=15 October 2018}} |
= Race =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" | |||||||
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
| 8 | {{flagicon|FIN}} Mika Häkkinen | 58 | 1:31:45.996 | 1 | 10 | |||||||
| 2
| 7 | {{flagicon|GBR}} David Coulthard | 58 | +0.702 | 2 | 6 | |||||||
| 3
| 2 | {{flagicon|GER}} Heinz-Harald Frentzen | 57 | +1 Lap | 6 | 4 | |||||||
| 4
| 4 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 57 | +1 Lap | 8 | 3 | |||||||
| 5
| 1 | {{flagicon|CAN}} Jacques Villeneuve | 57 | +1 Lap | 4 | 2 | |||||||
| 6
| 15 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Johnny Herbert | 57 | +1 Lap | 5 | 1 | |||||||
| 7
| 6 | {{flagicon|AUT}} Alexander Wurz | 57 | +1 Lap | 11 | | |||||||
| 8
| 9 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Damon Hill | 57 | +1 Lap | 10 | | |||||||
| 9
| 11 | {{flagicon|FRA}} Olivier Panis | 57 | +1 Lap | 21 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 5 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Giancarlo Fisichella | 43 | Broken Wing | 7 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 14 | {{flagicon|FRA}} Jean Alesi | 41 | Engine | 12 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 12 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Jarno Trulli | 26 | Gearbox | 15 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 20 | {{flagicon|BRA}} Ricardo Rosset | 25 | Gearbox | 19 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 17 | {{flagicon|FIN}} Mika Salo | Arrows | 23 | Gearbox | 16 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 23 | {{flagicon|ARG}} Esteban Tuero | 22 | Engine | 17 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 22 | {{flagicon|JPN|1947}} Shinji Nakano | 8 | Halfshaft | 22 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 3 | {{flagicon|GER}} Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 5 | Engine | 3 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 16 | {{flagicon|BRA}} Pedro Diniz | Arrows | 2 | Gearbox | 20 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 10 | {{flagicon|GER}} Ralf Schumacher | 1 | Collision | 9 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 19 | {{flagicon|DEN}} Jan Magnussen | 1 | Collision | 18 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 21 | {{flagicon|JPN|1947}} Toranosuke Takagi | 1 | Spun off | 13 | | |||||||
| Ret
| 18 | {{flagicon|BRA}} Rubens Barrichello | 0 | Gearbox | 14 | | |||||||
| colspan="8"|{{center|Source:{{cite web|url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1998/164/|title=1998 Australian Grand Prix|website=Formula 1|date=1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205004456/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1998/164/|archive-date=5 December 2014|access-date=8 February 2024}}}} |
- Pedro Diniz's car caught fire on the way to the grid.
Championship standings after the race
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}
; Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
| Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| 1
| {{flagicon|FIN}} Mika Häkkinen |align="right"| 10 |
| 2
| {{flagicon|GBR}} David Coulthard |align="right"| 6 |
| 3
| {{flagicon|GER}} Heinz-Harald Frentzen |align="right"| 4 |
| 4
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Eddie Irvine |align="right"| 3 |
| 5
| {{flagicon|CAN}} Jacques Villeneuve |align="right"| 2 |
| colspan=3|Source:{{cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1998/australie/championnat.aspx|url-status=live|title=Australia 1998 – Championship|website=Stats F1|date=1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428223851/https://www.statsf1.com/en/1998/australie/championnat.aspx|archive-date=28 April 2023|access-date=8 February 2024}} |
{{col-2}}
;Constructors' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
| Pos
! Constructor ! Points |
|---|
| 1
| {{flagicon|GBR}} McLaren-Mercedes |align="right"| 16 |
| 2
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Williams-Mecachrome |align="right"| 6 |
| 3
| {{flagicon|ITA}} Ferrari |align="right"| 3 |
| 4
| {{flagicon|CHE}} Sauber-Petronas |align="right"| 1 |
| colspan=3|Source: |
{{col-end}}
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
{{reflist|group=nb}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{F1 race report
| Name_of_race = Australian Grand Prix
| Year_of_race = 1998
| Previous_race_in_season = 1997 European Grand Prix
| Next_race_in_season = 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix
| Previous_year's_race = 1997 Australian Grand Prix
| Next_year's_race = 1999 Australian Grand Prix
}}
{{F1GP 90-99}}