The 1999 British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LII RAC British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on the 11 July 1999.[1] The race would see David Coulthard claim victory on home soil for McLaren-Mercedes, as title pretender Michael Schumacher broke his leg in a heavy accident.[1]
Qualifying had seen Mika Häkkinen return to form by sweeping to pole position, with Schumacher squeezing his Ferrari in between the two McLarens to secure second.[1] Coulthard therefore would start from third alongside Eddie Irvine, while 1996 World Champion Damon Hill shared the third row with his Jordan-Mugen-Honda teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen.[1]
The start would see Schumacher make a poor getaway, allowing Häkkinen to storm into an early lead, dragging Coulthard with him.[1] Irvine also got the jump on his teammate to secure third, with Schumacher slotting into fourth, while, further down the field, Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Zanardi stalled on the grid.[1]
They would be thrown a life-line, however, with red flags being thrown moments after Schumacher went straight on at Stowe as a result of a brake failure.[1] The #3 Ferrari flew into the barriers having skipped across the gravel, leaving Schumacher with a broken leg and a shattered Ferrari chassis.[1]
Ferrari would, however, prepare the spare car for their lead driver before the restart, not knowing the extent of the German ace's injuries until the German was taken to the medical centre.[1] Regardless, the rest of the field lined up on the grid in the original starting order, with a full standing start carried out.[1]
Once again Häkkinen would sprint away from the grid unopposed, leaving Coulthard to try, and fail, to keep Irvine at bay for second.[1] The order quickly stabilised with Häkkinen eeking out a lead, while Irvine found himself hounded by Coulthard.[1]
Yet, the Scot would never seriously threaten the Ulsterman, with the order remaining unchanged through to the pitstops.[1] Häkkinen was the first to stop, only for a rushed stop from McLaren to leave the Finn with a loose wheel, which the reigning Champion felt immediately.[1] Yet, having brought the car back in the McLaren crew sent the Finn straight back out, only for the left-rear wheel to fly off the car and leave Häkkinen limping back to the pits.[1]
Häkkinen's brief visit would also upset Irvine's stop, costing him time as he had to take an unusual line into his pitbox.[1] That hence gifted the advantage to Coulthard, with a flawless stop for the Scot a few laps earlier ensuring that Irvine's Ferrari emerged behind the #2 McLaren.[1]
With that the fight for the race win was over, with Coulthard able to keep Irvine at arm's length.[1] Häkkinen, meanwhile, would ultimately give-up on a charge through the field after feeling another issue with his rear wheels, the sign of a hub issue, leaving Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher to fight for third.[1]
The all-German duel would last through to the chequered flag, with Schumacher ultimately emerging ahead by 0.378s.[1] Up ahead, meanwhile, Coulthard would cruise across the line almost two seconds clear of Irvine to claim victory, the first for McLaren on home soil since 1989.[1]
Background[]
Mika Häkkinen extended his Championship lead over Michael Schumacher after his podium finish, leaving France with an eight point advantage. The German himself had reduced the damage by limping across the line in fifth, with teammate Eddie Irvine losing more ground in third. Behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen had moved onto the Brit's tail after his second win, while Ralf Schumacher completed the top five.
In the Constructors Championship Ferrari had just held onto their lead, leaving France on 58 points and with a six point lead. McLaren-Mercedes were their closest challengers, having chipped away at the Scuderia's lead, with those two both holding double the points of Jordan-Mugen-Honda in third. The Irish squad themselves were in a lonely third after claiming victory, as Williams-Supertec moved ahead of Benetton-Playlife in the latest round of leap-frog between the two former Champions.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 1999 British Grand Prix is outlined below:
Practice Overview[]
Free Practice 1[]
Free Practice 2[]
Warm-Up[]
Practice Results[]
The full practice results for the 1999 British Grand Prix are outlined below:
| No. | Driver | Constructor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Pos. | Time | Pos. | Time | Pos. | |||
| 1 |  Mika Häkkinen
|
 McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:26.981 | 1 | 1:24.489 | 1 | 1:26.788 | 1 |
| 2 | David Coulthard
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:27.155 | 4 | 1:25.151 | 2 | 1:27.286 | 2 |
| 3 |  Michael Schumacher
|
 Ferrari
|
1:27.327 | 6 | 1:25.301 | 3 | 1:27.497 | 3 |
| 4 | Eddie Irvine
|
Ferrari
|
1:27.061 | 3 | 1:25.742 | 6 | 1:28.295 | 6 |
| 5 | Alex Zanardi
|
Williams-Supertec
|
1:28.162 | 10 | 1:27.250 | 15 | 1:29.038 | 12 |
| 6 | Ralf Schumacher
|
Williams-Supertec
|
1:27.004 | 2 | 1:26.250 | 8 | 1:28.382 | 8 |
| 7 | Damon Hill
|
 Jordan-Mugen-Honda
|
1:27.381 | 7 | 1:25.600 | 5 | 1:28.105 | 4 |
| 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen
|
Jordan-Mugen-Honda
|
1:28.595 | 14 | 1:25.406 | 4 | 1:28.381 | 7 |
| 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella
|
Benetton-Playlife
|
1:28.546 | 13 | 1:27.254 | 16 | 1:29.480 | 14 |
| 10 |  Alexander Wurz
|
Benetton-Playlife
|
1:28.740 | 15 | 1:27.193 | 14 | 1:29.260 | 13 |
| 11 |  Jean Alesi
|
 Sauber-Petronas
|
1:28.472 | 12 | 1:26.676 | 12 | 1:28.431 | 9 |
| 12 |  Pedro Diniz
|
Sauber-Petronas
|
1:27.931 | 8 | 1:26.564 | 11 | 1:29.845 | 18 |
| 14 |  Pedro de la Rosa
|
Arrows
|
1:29.439 | 20 | 1:27.977 | 20 | 1:30.018 | 19 |
| 15 |  Tora Takagi
|
Arrows
|
1:29.630 | 21 | 1:27.782 | 18 | 1:29.828 | 17 |
| 16 | Rubens Barrichello
|
Stewart-Ford Cosworth
|
1:27.158 | 5 | 1:25.946 | 7 | 1:28.265 | 5 |
| 17 | Johnny Herbert
|
Stewart-Ford Cosworth
|
1:29.201 | 18 | 1:26.311 | 9 | 1:28.785 | 11 |
| 18 | Olivier Panis
|
Prost-Peugeot
|
1:30.372 | 22 | 1:27.864 | 19 | 1:30.217 | 21 |
| 19 | Jarno Trulli
|
Prost-Peugeot
|
1:28.883 | 16 | 1:28.785 | 17 | 1:28.733 | 10 |
| 20 | Luca Badoer
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:29.130 | 17 | 1:28.376 | 21 | 1:30.128 | 20 |
| 21 | Marc Gené
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:29.416 | 19 | 1:28.421 | 22 | 1:30.381 | 22 |
| 22 |  Jacques Villeneuve
|
BAR-Supertec
|
1:27.981 | 9 | 1:26.531 | 10 | 1:29.537 | 15 |
| 23 | Ricardo Zonta
|
BAR-Supertec
|
1:28.238 | 11 | 1:27.157 | 13 | 1:29.645 | 16 |
Qualifying[]
Report[]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 1999 British Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap | Ave. Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mika Häkkinen
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:24.804 | — | 218.197 km/h |
| 2 | 3 | Michael Schumacher
|
Ferrari
|
1:25.223 | +0.419s | 217.124 km/h |
| 3 | 2 | David Coulthard
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:25.594 | +0.790s | 216.183 km/h |
| 4 | 4 | Eddie Irvine
|
Ferrari
|
1:25.677 | +0.873s | 215.974 km/h |
| 5 | 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen
|
Jordan-Mugen-Honda
|
1:25.991 | +1.187s | 215.185 km/h |
| 6 | 7 | Damon Hill
|
Jordan-Mugen-Honda
|
1:26.099 | +1.295s | 214.915 km/h |
| 7 | 16 | Rubens Barrichello
|
Stewart-Ford Cosworth
|
1:26.194 | +1.390s | 214.679 km/h |
| 8 | 6 | Ralf Schumacher
|
Williams-Supertec
|
1:26.438 | +1.634s | 214.072 km/h |
| 9 | 22 | Jacques Villeneuve
|
BAR-Supertec
|
1:26.719 | +1.915s | 213.379 km/h |
| 10 | 11 | Jean Alesi
|
Sauber-Petronas
|
1:26.761 | +1.957s | 213.276 km/h |
| 11 | 17 | Johnny Herbert
|
Stewart-Ford Cosworth
|
1:26.873 | +2.069s | 213.001 km/h |
| 12 | 12 | Pedro Diniz
|
Sauber-Petronas
|
1:27.196 | +2.392s | 212.212 km/h |
| 13 | 5 | Alex Zanardi
|
Williams-Supertec
|
1:27.223 | +2.419s | 212.146 km/h |
| 14 | 19 | Jarno Trulli
|
Prost-Peugeot
|
1:27.227 | +2.423s | 212.136 km/h |
| 15 | 18 | Olivier Panis
|
Prost-Peugeot
|
1:27.543 | +2.739s | 211.370 km/h |
| 16 | 23 | Ricardo Zonta
|
BAR-Supertec
|
1:27.699 | +2.895s | 210.994 km/h |
| 17 | 9 | Giancarlo Fisichella
|
Benetton-Playlife
|
1:27.857 | +3.053s | 210.615 km/h |
| 18 | 10 | Alexander Wurz
|
Benetton-Playlife
|
1:28.010 | +3.206s | 210.249 km/h |
| 19 | 15 | Tora Takagi
|
Arrows
|
1:28.037 | +3.233s | 210.184 km/h |
| 20 | 14 | Pedro de la Rosa
|
Arrows
|
1:28.148 | +3.344s | 209.920 km/h |
| 21 | 20 | Luca Badoer
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:28.695 | +3.891s | 208.625 km/h |
| 22 | 21 | Marc Gené
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:28.772 | +3.968s | 208.444 km/h |
| 107% Time: 1:30.740[3] | ||||||
| Source:[4][3] | ||||||
- T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
- Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | 1 | ______________ |
| Mika Häkkinen | 2 | |
| ______________ | Michael Schumacher | |
| Row 2 | 3 | ______________ |
| David Coulthard | 4 | |
| ______________ | Eddie Irvine | |
| Row 3 | 5 | ______________ |
| Heinz-Harald Frentzen | 6 | |
| ______________ | Damon Hill | |
| Row 4 | 7 | ______________ |
| Rubens Barrichello | 8 | |
| ______________ | Ralf Schumacher | |
| Row 5 | 9 | ______________ |
| Jacques Villeneuve | 10 | |
| ______________ | Jean Alesi | |
| Row 6 | 11 | ______________ |
| Johnny Herbert | 12 | |
| ______________ | Pedro Diniz | |
| Row 7 | 13 | ______________ |
| Alex Zanardi | 14 | |
| ______________ | Jarno Trulli | |
| Row 8 | 15 | ______________ |
| Olivier Panis | 16 | |
| ______________ | Ricardo Zonta | |
| Row 9 | 17 | ______________ |
| Giancarlo Fisichella | 18 | |
| ______________ | Alexander Wurz | |
| Row 10 | 19 | ______________ |
| Tora Takagi | 20 | |
| ______________ | Pedro de la Rosa | |
| Row 11 | 21 | ______________ |
| Luca Badoer | 22 | |
| ______________ | Marc Gené |
Race[]
Report[]
Results[]
The full results for the 1999 British Grand Prix are outlined below:
- T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
- * Alesi was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.[5]
- † Michael Schumacher was unable to take the restart after breaking his leg in an accident during the original start.[5]
Milestones[]
- 500th race entry for a car using Bridgestone tyres.[6]
- Fifth victory for David Coulthard.[7]
- McLaren claimed their 120th win as a constructor.[7]
- Mika Häkkinen recorded his tenth fastest lap.[7]
Standings[]
It was status quo at the head of the Championship as a result of the British Grand Prix, for neither Mika Häkkinen nor Michael Schumacher had scored. That meant that the Finn held an eight point lead, although with Schumacher set to miss most of the season the German ace was no longer the Finn's biggest threat. Instead, it was Eddie Irvine who left Silverstone as the main pretender to Häkkinen's throne, sitting eight behind the Finn at the halfway point in the season.
In the Constructors Championship, however, there had been some changes, for McLaren-Mercedes had managed to all but eliminate Ferrari's lead at the halfway point. Indeed, the Anglo-German alliance ended the weekend just two behind the Scuderia, with those two the only realistic contenders for the title. Indeed, third placed Jordan-Mugen-Honda had lost ground, holding half the points of McLaren, while Williams-Supertec and Benetton-Playlife completed the top five.
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Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 'British GP, 1999', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr638.html, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
- ↑ 'Britain 1999: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'Britain 1999: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
- ↑ '1999 RAC British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1999/races/694/great-britain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 'Britain 1999: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
- ↑ '1999 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1999&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 '8. Britain 1999', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019)
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