Date 2 August 1998 | Course length 6.823 km (4.240 mi) | |
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Official name Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland Location Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany Course Permanent racing facility Distance 45 laps, 307.035 km (190.783 mi) | ||
The 1998 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 2 August 1998. Mika Häkkinen won the race for McLaren Mercedes.
Contents
Qualifying
Mika Häkkinen took pole position ahead of team-mate David Coulthard. Jacques Villeneuve qualified in third, in a new long-wheelbase Williams. Ralf Schumacher was fourth.
Michael Schumacher, Häkkinen's main championship rival, qualified ninth after a series of problems throughout practice. Ferrari's long-wheelbase chassis, making its Grand Prix debut, was dismissed by Schumacher after he tried it during the Friday practice sessions. Back in his old car, he spun off on his first lap during first practice on Saturday, and then suffered an engine failure early in second practice.
There were also various mutterings that the Ferraris were off the pace as McLaren had threatened to protest about the Italian team's new braking system, and some were sure it had been removed to the team's obvious detriment.
Race summary
Come the race, the McLarens were dominant, running first and second throughout and only stopping once each. Ralf Schumacher, running on a light fuel load due to his two-stop strategy, looked to be the only driver capable of troubling them in the first part of the race. He managed to stay with the McLarens but he could not pass them.
Villeneuve took over third place when Schumacher made the first of his stops, and this was where he stayed to the finish. By the end, Villeneuve was catching the McLarens because Häkkinen had not taken on enough fuel at his stop, and the Finn had to slow down to reduce his fuel consumption.
Damon Hill, who also one stopped came through to take his first points of the year, finishing ahead of Michael and Ralf Schumacher in fifth and sixth places respectively.
Qualifying
Ricardo Rosset was withdrawn for qualification by his team, due to a crash in a free practice session.