Formula 1

About the season

The FIA introduced sweeping new rules to rein in 1997's rising cornering speeds: narrower car bodies and grooved tyres replacing slicks, fundamentally changing how the cars behaved. McLaren adapted best to the new regulations - Hakkinen won the first two races comfortably - and the team claimed its first constructors' title in seven years. The title was decided at the Suzuka finale: Schumacher, on pole, stalled on the formation lap and had to start from the back of the grid, fought his way up to third with a storming drive, then retired with a tyre puncture, handing Hakkinen his first world championship. Mika Häkkinen won the 1998 Drivers' Championship with 100 points (McLaren), 14 points ahead of the runner-up. McLaren won the Constructors' Championship with 156 points, 23 points ahead of the runner-up. Across 16 completed races this season, there were 151 retirements. 4 different drivers won a race this season. Mika Häkkinen took the most race wins, 8 in total. Häkkinen won the season-opening race, the Australian Grand Prix. Schumacher made the biggest gain of the season at the British Grand Prix, from grid position 21 to finishing 6 (up 15 places). The closest finish of the season came at the German Grand Prix, with a gap of just 0.426 seconds. The Belgian Grand Prix saw the most retirements of the season, with 14 drivers failing to finish. The most dominant win of the season came at the Italian Grand Prix, with a margin of 38.0 seconds. Häkkinen won the Japanese Grand Prix, the final race of the season.