1998 F1 Season
16 races · McLaren MP4/13
The 1998 season marked McLaren's return to the summit thanks to Adrian Newey's genius. The MP4/13, with its tight aerodynamic concept adapted to the new narrower-car, grooved-tyre rules, was the car to beat from the first race.
Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard locked out the front row for most of the year, but Michael Schumacher fought back with an ever-improving Ferrari, forcing an epic duel that ran all the way to Japan. The rivalry had memorable moments, like the Spa crash in the rain when Schumacher, leading, rammed the back of the lapped Coulthard.
Häkkinen was more consistent down the stretch and sealed his first world championship at Suzuka, launching the duel with Schumacher that would define the turn of the century.
Drivers' Champion
Mika Häkkinen
McLaren MP4/13
Constructors' Champion
McLaren
16 races
Key moment
"Häkkinen breaks down in tears in the pit after a puncture at Silverstone — then comes back to win the title."
What if 1998 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 1998 grid — every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating — and re-ran the full 16-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mika Häkkinenreal championMcLaren | P1.4 | 65% |
| Michael SchumacherFerrari | P1.8 | 34% |
| David CoulthardMcLaren | P2.9 | 1% |
| Eddie IrvineFerrari | P4 | 0% |
| Jacques VilleneuveWilliams | P5.2 | 0% |
| Heinz-Harald FrentzenWilliams | P6.9 | 0% |
Mika Häkkinen takes the title 65% of the time: one in every 3 simulated championships goes to somebody else, almost always Michael Schumacher. It was not a dominated year, it was a won one.
Tags
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 1998 championship-winning car?