Race
Häkkinen took back the lead of the Drivers' Championship by one point from Eddie Irvine , who finished fourth in his Ferrari , while McLaren moved into the lead of the Constructors' Championship, nine points ahead of Ferrari. Following the Hungarian Grand Prix on 15 August, the teams conducted testing sessions at the Silverstone circuit on 17–19 August. Häkkinen set the fastest time on the first, second and final days of testing. Ferrari traveled to their testing circuit at Mugello on 18–20 August, running Schumacher on the final day after being cleared by doctors to test. After completing 20 laps, Schumacher suffered from ankle pain preventing him completing a physical training programme. Ferrari later announc... Several teams announced changes to their driver line-ups for the following season. Benetton confirmed that the team was retaining their driver line-up of Giancarlo Fisichella and Alexander Wurz , with an option for 2001. Sauber announced that it would sign up Salo on a two-year contract and retain Pedro Diniz . Jordan confirmed that it was signing Prost driver Jarno Trulli on a two-year contract, replacing Damon Hill . Coulthard took the lead from Häkkinen at the start by going around the outside of La Source, the McLaren team-mates making light contact. After emerging ahead, Coulthard led every lap of the race to claim his second victory of the season, ten seconds ahead of his team-mate. Häkkinen refused to shake Coulthard's hand after the race. Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third, with the rest of the top six completed by Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher and Damon Hill. This would prove to be Hill's final points scoring finish in Formula 1. Jacques Villeneuve managed to see the chequered flag for the first time of the season.
Background
The Grand Prix was contested by 22 drivers, in eleven teams of two. The teams, also known as Constructors , were McLaren , Ferrari , Williams , Jordan , Benetton , Sauber , Arrows , Stewart , Prost , Minardi and BAR .
Qualifying
BAR drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta both suffered massive, high-speed accidents at the fast Eau Rouge sweep during the qualifying session. Both accidents caused the session to be suspended.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Lap | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:50.329 | |
| 2 | 2 | David Coulthard | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:50.484 | +0.155 |
| 3 | 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 1:51.332 | +1.003 |
| 4 | 7 | Damon Hill | Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 1:51.372 | +1.043 |
| 5 | 6 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams-Supertec | 1:51.414 | +1.085 |
| 6 | 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 1:51.895 | +1.566 |
| 7 | 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart-Ford | 1:51.974 | +1.645 |
| 8 | 5 | Alessandro Zanardi | Williams-Supertec | 1:52.014 | +1.685 |
| 9 | 3 | Mika Salo | Ferrari | 1:52.124 | +1.795 |
| 10 | 17 | Johnny Herbert | Stewart-Ford | 1:52.164 | +1.835 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The Spa sun beat down on a circuit still recovering from the torrential rain of Friday; a McLaren-Mercedes, Coulthard's MP4-13, now dominated, its 1. 5-liter V10 producing a sustained 810 horsepower – a testament to Mercedes' burgeoning engineering prowess. Häkkinen, from pole, maintained a measured 830-horsepower advantage, a crucial margin considering the evolving tire compounds. Frentzen's Jordan, running a Mugen-Honda engine, struggled for grip, showcasing the inherent disparity in performance between the frontrunners and the midfield. Irvine's Ferrari, however, demonstrated a remarkable ability to manage tire degradation, securing a valuable fourth place.
Coulthard's victory, securing his first Grand Prix win, arrives with a curious statistic: McLaren now holds the pole position record for the 1999 season with seven outright captures – a number that, considering the inherent volatility of weather and track conditions, suggests a dominance perhaps exceeding the raw speed of the machinery itself. Häkkinen, momentarily relegated, retains a precarious one-point advantage in the championship, a margin that echoes the 1988 season's infamous "Point of Difference," a reminder of how delicately balanced the sport's fortunes can be. The Jordan team, exhibiting flashes of brilliance, secured a podium finish, a result that, considering their limited resources, represents a significant anomaly in the competitive landscape.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
There! Coulthard explodes from turn one, a breathtaking surge of blue and orange seizing the lead. A familiar dance, this assertion of pace, echoing the audacious maneuvers of Fangio and Ascari. The tension here, mirroring the anxieties gripping Europe regarding the looming shadow of the Euro currency, is palpable; a nation's sporting hopes pinned on this single, decisive moment. Häkkinen, predictably, is immediately at his shoulder, a relentless blue pursuit. Irvine, in the scarlet Ferrari, is a distant third, a reminder of the strategic battles that define this sport, much like the political maneuvering of the late 1990s. This race, like so many before it, will be remembered not just for the victory, but for the sparks of brilliance – and the occasional, agonizing near-miss – that separate the contenders.
The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood within the McLaren garage. A victory snatched from the jaws of pole, a testament to instinct and calculated aggression. The championship, once a distant shimmer, now burned with a dangerous heat, fuelled by this single, decisive corner. Irvine, in the scarlet Ferrari, watched with a focused gaze, acutely aware that a single misstep could alter the entire trajectory. The Spa legend, soaked but resolute, delivered a race for the ages.