Date 30 May 1999 Course length 4.728 km (2.938 mi) | Location Barcelona, Spain | |
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Official name XLI Gran Premio Marlboro de España Course Permanent racing facility Distance 65 laps, 307.196 km (190.833 mi) | ||
The 1999 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 30 May 1999 at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain. It was the fifth race of the 1999 Formula One season. The 65-lap race was won by McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen after he started from pole position. His teammate David Coulthard finished second and Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher took third place.
Contents
Race
Mika Häkkinen, starting on pole for the fifth time in 1999, got off the line quickly and began building a gap between him and second place. David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve, starting third and sixth respectively, had great starts and were able to take second and third place by the first corner. Eddie Irvine, starting second, had a poor start and fell to fifth place after being passed by Coulthard, Villeneuve, and then in the second corner, his teammate Michael Schumacher. Olivier Panis and Marc Gené failed to start, with Gené retiring and Panis able to continue on in last place.
The McLaren duo of Häkkinen and Coulthard began building up a substantial gap, with the Ferraris being held up by Villeneuve. Eddie Irvine, on lap 23, became the first of the front runners to pit. Mika Häkkinen came in the next lap, and had built up such a lead that he only fell to second place. Villeneuve and Schumacher both stopped simultaneously, but Villeneuve’s stop was longer and Schumacher was able to pass Villeneuve in the pits. Irvine was also able to capitalize on Villeneuve’s slow stop to pass him.
After pitting, Michael Schumacher was initially caught behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen, but once past, he began the task of chasing down David Coulthard, fourteen seconds ahead. Schumacher closed to within a second of Coulthard on lap 41, but he pitted the next lap without making an attempt to pass. Mika Häkkinen pitted the lap after Schumacher, and Coulthard pitted on lap 45. Coulthard’s stop was slightly faster that Schumacher’s, and came out just ahead of Schumacher. Schumacher was able to close up behind Coulthard on cold tires, but was unable to pass Coulthard. Once Coulthard’s tires warmed up, he was able to pull away from Schumacher.
Jacques Villeneuve pitted on lap 40, suffering from a broken rear wing element. The mechanics pulled the broken element off the wing, but first gear broke when Villeneuve tried to leave his pit box, and he retired.
Michael Schumacher made another late charge on David Coulthard as the two battled through the lap traffic of Damon Hill, Rubens Barrichello, and Toranosuke Takagi. Schumacher ran out of time, however, and finished the race in third place behind Coulthard. Mika Häkkinen won the race by over six seconds, marking the first time that both McLarens finished a race in 1999.