1998 Australian Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = F1
Country = Australia
Grand Prix = Australian

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Date = March 8
Year = 1998
Official name = XIII Qantas Australian Grand Prix
Race_No = 1
Season_No = 16
Location = Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia
Course = Parkland street circuit
Course_mi = 3.33
Course_km = 5.30
Distance_laps = 58
Distance_mi = 187.822
Distance_km = 302.271
Weather = Fine
Pole_Driver = Mika Häkkinen
Pole_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
Pole_Time = 1:30.010
Pole_Country = Finland
Fast_Driver = Mika Häkkinen
Fast_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
Fast_Time = 1:31.649
Fast_L

Fast_Country = Finland
First_Driver = Mika Häkkinen
First_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
First_Country = Finland
Second_Driver = David Coulthard
Second_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
Second_Country= United Kingdom
Third_Driver = Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Third_Team = Williams-Mecachrome
Third_Country = Germany

The 1998 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Melbourne on March 8. The race was dominated by the McLaren-Mercedes team and won by Mika Häkkinen in controversial circumstances. The race also represented the first win for Bridgestone in Formula One.

Race Summary

The two McLarens made the best start, while Michael Schumacher tried to overtake David Coulthard. The Ferrari driver stayed with the McLarens, but retired on lap 6, when his engine expired. This handed third place to Jacques Villeneuve, being chased by Giancarlo Fisichella. After the first round of pits Villeneuve found himself behind team mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Eddie Irvine and Giancarlo Fisichella who would later be out of the race due to a rear wing failure. Villeneuve was then lapped in the next couple of laps by the McLarens, however he managed to finish in fifth place. On lap 36 Mika Häkkinen came into the pits unexpectedly, apparently having misheard a call over the radio (in May 2007, Ron Dennis said that someone had tapped into the team's radio system). He drove straight out, and lost first place to David Coulthard. A few laps before the end of the race David Coulthard let Mika Häkkinen past on the front straight. The two 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. David Coulthard and the McLaren team were criticized heavily. The situation surrounding Coulthard allowing Häkkinen through would eventually go to the World Motorsport Council. At this meeting, the public were made aware of the fact that an outsider had actually hacked into the radio frequency of McLaren, and told the Finn to pit. 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." "Team orders" continued to be controversial in Formula One and were banned during the 2004 season.

Classification

Qualifying

Race

tandings after Grand Prix

Drivers
*1. Mika Häkkinen - McLaren-Mercedes - 10
*2. David Coulthard - McLaren-Mercedes - 6
*3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - Williams-Mecachrome - 4
*4. Eddie Irvine - Ferrari - 3
*5. Jacques Villeneuve - Williams-Mecachrome - 2
*6. Johnny Herbert - Sauber-Petronas - 1

Constructors
*1. McLaren-Mercedes - 16
*2. Williams-Mecachrome - 6
*3. Ferrari - 3
*4. Sauber-Petronas - 1

Notes

*Weather: Sunny, 30 Degrees
*Lap Leaders: Lap 1-23 Mika Häkkinen, Lap 24 David Coulthard, Lap 25-35 Mika Häkkinen, lap 36-55 David Coulthard, Lap 56-58 Mika Häkkinen.
*First win for Bridgestone in Formula One; first race since the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix not won by Goodyear.

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