1999 Formula One World Championship: Hakkinen's Second Title and a Ferrari Constructors' Win

The 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 53rd season of the sport and ran over 16 races from 7 March to 31 October. Mika Hakkinen won his second Drivers' title, while Ferrari took the Constructors' crown by four points from McLaren after Michael Schumacher's leg injury forced Eddie Irvine into the role of team leader.

What changed for 1999?

There were only minor technical changes for 1999. The grooved tyres introduced in 1998 now had four grooves on every tyre, where the fronts had carried three. The front tyres were made narrower, with a maximum width of 355 mm (14.0 in) in place of 380 mm (15 in), while the rear tyre width stayed at 380 mm (15 in).

Wheels were also required to be tethered to the chassis, so that they could not fly off in a crash. Frontal crash tests were conducted at 13 m/s (43 ft/s), up from 12 m/s (39 ft/s), which made the safety demands on the chassis more stringent.

The calendar added the Malaysian Grand Prix at a newly built circuit in Sepang. A Chinese race had been proposed for Zhuhai and placed on the provisional calendar, but it was removed on 20 December 1998 for unspecified reasons.

An Argentine race was added as a replacement, then cancelled because of a dispute between the organiser and the commercial rights holder. The result was a five-week gap between the first two rounds, and the Nurburgring hosted a race under the European Grand Prix title once more.

A broken leg at Stowe, a two-point title margin and BAR's scoreless debut defined 1999.

Which drivers moved and debuted in 1999?

Williams entered the season with an all-new pairing of Ralf Schumacher and Alessandro Zanardi. Zanardi had won the 1997 and 1998 CART championships for Chip Ganassi Racing, and Ralf had driven for Jordan in 1998.

Frentzen completed a straight swap with Ralf Schumacher and moved to Jordan, partnering Damon Hill. Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 champion, moved to the newly founded British American Racing team and was partnered by the McLaren test driver Ricardo Zonta, one of three rookies on the grid.

Tyrrell was sold to British American Tobacco and its entry was used by BAR, with Supertec engines replacing the Ford units. Toranosuke Takagi moved from Tyrrell to Arrows, while Pedro de la Rosa made his Grand Prix debut at the team. Herbert joined Rubens Barrichello at Stewart, and Jan Magnussen left for the American Le Mans Series.

Minardi fielded a new pairing of Luca Badoer and Marc Gene, while Stephane Sarrazin made a single Grand Prix appearance at Brazil. Mika Salo replaced Michael Schumacher for six races after the German broke his leg at Silverstone, and the Finn scored one second place and one third for Ferrari.

How did the early rounds set up the title race?

Irvine won the Australian opener, his first Grand Prix win, with Frentzen second and Ralf Schumacher third. Coulthard and Hakkinen broke down from the front row, which handed the race to the Ferrari driver.

In Brazil Hakkinen won, with Schumacher second and Frentzen third, after Barrichello's engine blew up. At San Marino Schumacher won, with Coulthard second and Barrichello third, after Hakkinen crashed out on lap 18.

Monaco went to Schumacher by half a minute, with Irvine second and Hakkinen third. Spain brought Hakkinen his next win, with Coulthard second and Schumacher third. Canada saw Hakkinen win again, with Fisichella second and Irvine third, in the first race ever to finish behind the safety car.

By the halfway point Hakkinen led the title race with 40 points, Schumacher and Irvine each had 32, and Frentzen was fourth with 26. Ferrari led the constructors' table with 64 points, ahead of McLaren on 62 and Jordan on 31.

How did the summer races shape the title?

Frentzen won in France, in a wet race, ahead of Hakkinen and Barrichello. Coulthard then won at Silverstone, but Schumacher's race ended at Stowe, where a heavy accident broke his leg. Irvine finished second, and the championship changed direction.

Irvine won in Austria, ahead of Coulthard, with Hakkinen third. In Germany Irvine won again, his second straight win, with Salo second and Frentzen third. Irvine was now the team leader, and with Schumacher out he had a serious chance at the title.

Hakkinen won in Hungary, with Coulthard second. Coulthard then won in Belgium, with Hakkinen second and Frentzen third. After Belgium Hakkinen led on 60 points, Irvine was on 59 and Coulthard was third on 46. McLaren led the constructors with 106 points, ahead of Ferrari on 97 and Jordan on 47.

What happened when Schumacher was injured?

Schumacher's injury at Silverstone meant that Irvine took over the role of Ferrari's leading driver. Salo replaced Schumacher for six races, scoring a second and a third place, and Ferrari stayed in the constructors' fight with the help of its drivers' points.

Schumacher's leg injury was the turning point in the title race. At halfway Irvine had been level with Schumacher on points, behind Hakkinen, and the injury left Irvine as Ferrari's only realistic challenger for the title.

Williams could not match the front-runners in the second half of the year. Frentzen won in France and Italy, Ralf Schumacher was second in Italy, and Jordan finished third in the constructors' table.

How did the championship end in Japan?

Hakkinen went into the final round at Suzuka with a clear lead over Irvine, who had crashed in qualifying and started fifth. Hakkinen took the lead at the start and won, with Schumacher second and within five seconds of the lead.

Irvine got past Panis at the first round of stops but was delayed behind Coulthard, who slowed to help Hakkinen increase the gap. Coulthard then spun off, and Irvine was released but finished more than a minute behind the leader.

Hakkinen's 76 points gave him the title, two ahead of Irvine. Frentzen was third with 54 points, Coulthard fourth on 48 and Schumacher fifth on 44. Ferrari beat McLaren to the constructors' title by four points, with Jordan third.

The season in more detail

At Monaco Schumacher beat Hakkinen to the first corner and pulled away. Coulthard, running third, retired with a mechanical failure, and Hakkinen went up an escape road at Mirabeau, which let Irvine and Coulthard gain places.

In Spain both Ferraris got away poorly. Villeneuve's BAR passed Irvine and Coulthard, and the McLarens then cruised to a one-two, with Hakkinen ahead of Coulthard. Schumacher finished third after the pit stops.

Canada broke Hakkinen's run of pole positions, as Schumacher took it and pushed him back to second. Later Schumacher hit the Wall of Champions and retired, a safety car period followed, and Coulthard's attempt on Irvine ended in a collision. Frentzen crashed heavily with a brake failure four laps from home.

France was a wet race. Barrichello led early, but Coulthard passed him and then retired with a gearbox failure. Hakkinen charged to second before spinning, and Schumacher's electrical problem gave the lead back to Barrichello. Frentzen took the win after a late fuel stop, ahead of Hakkinen and Barrichello.

At Silverstone Hakkinen led until one of his rear wheels came off, which handed the lead to Coulthard. Coulthard won at home, ahead of Irvine and Ralf Schumacher, and Schumacher's injury at Stowe had already cut short his title challenge.

In Austria Coulthard tipped Hakkinen into a spin at the second corner, which dropped him to last place before he charged back to third. Coulthard led most of the race, but Irvine jumped him in the second round of stops and won.

Mika Salo made his Ferrari debut in Germany, starting fourth in place of Schumacher. Coulthard hit the Ferrari's tyre and damaged his front wing, Hakkinen's refuelling equipment malfunctioned, and he later crashed after a puncture. Irvine won the race, with Salo second and Frentzen third.

Hakkinen won in Hungary, and Coulthard completed the McLaren one-two after passing Fisichella and Frentzen. At Spa the McLarens touched at the start, and Coulthard won again, with Hakkinen second and Frentzen third.

At Monza Hakkinen spun at the first corner on lap 30, which handed the lead to Frentzen. Frentzen won ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Salo, while Zanardi had briefly climbed to second and then held up his rivals.

At the Nurburgring Frentzen took his second and last career pole, but Herbert won, ahead of Trulli and Barrichello. Frentzen's car failed electrically after his first stop, and Coulthard spun out when the rain returned.

At Sepang Schumacher handed the lead to Irvine and then kept Hakkinen behind to complete a Ferrari one-two. The Ferraris were disqualified after the race, but Ferrari won its appeal and the results were reinstated.

Irvine crashed in qualifying in Japan and started fifth, while Hakkinen held off Schumacher to win the race and the title.

Race winners and standings

Hakkinen won five races, Irvine four, Schumacher, Coulthard and Frentzen two each, and Herbert one.

BAR scored no points all season, and Villeneuve was the only one of the eleven teams entered not to score.

Why does 1999 still matter?

The 1999 season was the final year for Damon Hill, the 1996 champion. It was also the last Drivers' title for a McLaren driver until Lewis Hamilton won in 2008, which made Hakkinen's second title a landmark for McLaren.

Ferrari's constructors' title was its first since 1983, and it was the first of six successive titles that the team would win up to 2004.

The season also saw Goodyear leave Formula One after 34 years, which left Bridgestone as the sole tyre supplier for the rest of the era. BAR's first season ended without a point.