Lap Ledger1950–2027 · every championship race

Race · Round 16 of 16 ·

1998 Japanese Grand Prix

Mika Hakkinen won for McLaren from 2nd on the grid at Suzuka Circuit. 9 of the starters were not classified. This round settled the drivers' title for Mika Hakkinen.

Dry · High of 21 °C, no rain on the day (modelled, Open-Meteo)

How it is modelled

ERA5's reanalysis, through Open-Meteo, of the circuit's whole local day and not the race's hours, for the grid cell the circuit sits in and not the track, so a shower can be missing from it. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.

Circuit
Suzuka CircuitSuzuka, Japan
Winner
Mika HakkinenMcLaren
Entries
2212 classified

Classification

Classification
PosDriverConstructorChassisGridLapsOutPointsFL
1Mika HakkinenMcLarenMP4/13251Finished10
2Eddie IrvineFerrariF300451Finished6
3David CoulthardMcLarenMP4/13351Finished4
4Damon HillJordan198851Finished3
5Heinz-Harald FrentzenWilliamsFW20551Finished2
6Jacques VilleneuveWilliamsFW20651Finished1
7Jean AlesiSauberC171251Finished0
8Giancarlo FisichellaBenettonB1981051Finished0
9Alexander WurzBenettonB198950Finished0
10Johnny HerbertSauberC171150Finished0
11Olivier PanisProst Grand PrixAP011350Finished0
12Jarno TrulliProst Grand PrixAP011448Engine0
DNFShinji NakanoMinardiM1982040Throttle0
DNFMichael SchumacherFerrariF300131Tyre0fastest lap
DNFToranosuke TakagiTyrrell221728Collision damage0
DNFEsteban TueroMinardiM1982128Collision0
DNFRubens BarrichelloStewart Grand PrixSF021625Hydraulics0
DNFJos VerstappenStewart Grand PrixSF021921Gearbox0
DNFMika SaloArrowsA191514Hydraulics0
DNFRalf SchumacherJordan198713Engine0
DNFPedro DinizArrowsA19182Spun off0
DNQRicardo RossetTyrrell22——DNQ0
F1DB layout suzuka-1 · 5.86 km · 18 turns, F1DB’s figures
F1DB, CC BY 4.0 · drawn by Jules Roy
The outline is F1DB’s, for every layout; the trace is OpenStreetMap’s, where it exists.

Grid to flag

05101520253035404550Laps completedGridResult21Mika Hakkinen42Eddie Irvine33David Coulthard84Damon Hill55Heinz-Harald Frentzen66Jacques Villeneuve127Jean Alesi108Giancarlo Fisichella99Alexander Wurz1110Johnny Herbert1311Olivier Panis1412Jarno Trulli20DNFShinji Nakano1DNFMichael Schumacher17DNFToranosuke Takagi21DNFEsteban Tuero16DNFRubens Barrichello19DNFJos Verstappen15DNFMika Salo7DNFRalf Schumacher18DNFPedro Diniz

Lines run from grid slot to result, ending at the last lap completed. A dashed line ending in a cross is a driver not classified. Nothing between is recorded, so a crossing is not an overtake at that lap.

Grid to flag
DriverGridResultLaps
Mika Hakkinen2151
Eddie Irvine4251
David Coulthard3351
Damon Hill8451
Heinz-Harald Frentzen5551
Jacques Villeneuve6651
Jean Alesi12751
Giancarlo Fisichella10851
Alexander Wurz9950
Johnny Herbert111050
Olivier Panis131150
Jarno Trulli141248
Shinji Nakano20DNF40
Michael Schumacher1DNF31
Toranosuke Takagi17DNF28
Esteban Tuero21DNF28
Rubens Barrichello16DNF25
Jos Verstappen19DNF21
Mika Salo15DNF14
Ralf Schumacher7DNF13
Pedro Diniz18DNF2

Qualifying

Qualifying
PosDriverConstructorNo.TimeGap≈ DistanceInterval
1Michael SchumacherFerrari31:36.293—0 m—
2Mika HakkinenMcLaren81:36.471+0.17811 m+0.178
3David CoulthardMcLaren71:37.496+1.20373 m+1.025
4Eddie IrvineFerrari41:38.197+1.904116 m+0.701
5Heinz-Harald FrentzenWilliams21:38.272+1.979120 m+0.075
6Jacques VilleneuveWilliams11:38.448+2.155131 m+0.176
7Ralf SchumacherJordan101:38.461+2.168132 m+0.013
8Damon HillJordan91:38.603+2.310141 m+0.142
9Alexander WurzBenetton61:38.959+2.666162 m+0.356
10Giancarlo FisichellaBenetton51:39.080+2.787170 m+0.121
11Johnny HerbertSauber151:39.234+2.941179 m+0.154
12Jean AlesiSauber141:39.448+3.155192 m+0.214
13Olivier PanisProst Grand Prix111:40.037+3.744228 m+0.589
14Jarno TrulliProst Grand Prix121:40.111+3.818232 m+0.074
15Mika SaloArrows171:40.387+4.094249 m+0.276
16Rubens BarrichelloStewart Grand Prix181:40.502+4.209256 m+0.115
17Toranosuke TakagiTyrrell211:40.619+4.326263 m+0.117
18Pedro DinizArrows161:40.687+4.394267 m+0.068
19Jos VerstappenStewart Grand Prix191:40.943+4.650283 m+0.256
20Shinji NakanoMinardi221:41.315+5.022306 m+0.372
21Esteban TueroMinardi231:42.358+6.065369 m+1.043
22Ricardo RossetTyrrell201:43.259+6.966424 m+0.901
Before knock-out qualifying arrived in 2006 there is one time per driver; from 2006, the best lap of each of the three sessions.
How it is derived: distance, Qualifying

Distance at the session-best lap’s average speed, on the layout raced that year.

Pit stops

05101520253035404550LapStops on each lap (up to 4)1Mika HakkinenLap 18: pit lane 30.8 sLap 32: pit lane 31.5 s2Eddie IrvineLap 15: pit lane 30.7 sLap 28: pit lane 29.7 sLap 39: pit lane 29.5 s3David CoulthardLap 21: pit lane 31.0 sLap 38: pit lane 31.6 s4Damon HillLap 14: pit lane 33.0 sLap 33: pit lane 31.6 s5Heinz-Harald FrentzenLap 19: pit lane 32.3 sLap 34: pit lane 29.7 s6Jacques VilleneuveLap 18: pit lane 31.7 sLap 33: pit lane 31.2 s7Jean AlesiLap 19: pit lane 31.5 sLap 35: pit lane 30.2 s8Giancarlo FisichellaLap 15: pit lane 30.4 sLap 29: pit lane 33.2 s9Alexander WurzLap 14: pit lane 31.5 sLap 30: pit lane 34.0 s10Johnny HerbertLap 20: pit lane 31.1 sLap 36: pit lane 30.9 s11Olivier PanisLap 17: pit lane 34.0 sLap 30: pit lane 32.6 s12Jarno TrulliLap 18: pit lane 33.0 sLap 35: pit lane 31.5 sDNFShinji NakanoLap 16: pit lane 32.7 sLap 31: pit lane 32.8 sDNFMichael SchumacherLap 16: pit lane 29.4 sDNFToranosuke TakagiLap 17: pit lane 32.6 sLap 28: pit lane 32.2 sDNFEsteban TueroLap 18: pit lane 33.1 sDNFRubens BarrichelloLap 9: pit lane 31.7 sLap 22: pit lane 33.2 sDNFJos VerstappenLap 16: pit lane 33.1 sDNFMika SaloDNFRalf SchumacherDNFPedro Diniz

Bars run in finishing order, ticked at each stop. An unticked bar may hide a stop: F1DB’s record has gaps. A cross is a driver not classified. Ticks and strip mark the lap, not cause, tyres or gain; the table gives times.

Pit stops
DriverResultLapsStops recordedStopped on lapPit-lane time (s)
Mika Hakkinen151218, 3230.8, 31.5
Eddie Irvine251315, 28, 3930.7, 29.7, 29.5
David Coulthard351221, 3831.0, 31.6
Damon Hill451214, 3333.0, 31.6
Heinz-Harald Frentzen551219, 3432.3, 29.7
Jacques Villeneuve651218, 3331.7, 31.2
Jean Alesi751219, 3531.5, 30.2
Giancarlo Fisichella851215, 2930.4, 33.2
Alexander Wurz950214, 3031.5, 34.0
Johnny Herbert1050220, 3631.1, 30.9
Olivier Panis1150217, 3034.0, 32.6
Jarno Trulli1248218, 3533.0, 31.5
Shinji NakanoDNF40216, 3132.7, 32.8
Michael SchumacherDNF3111629.4
Toranosuke TakagiDNF28217, 2832.6, 32.2
Esteban TueroDNF2811833.1
Rubens BarrichelloDNF2529, 2231.7, 33.2
Jos VerstappenDNF2111633.1
Mika SaloDNF140None recorded—
Ralf SchumacherDNF130None recorded—
Pedro DinizDNF20None recorded—
A pit-lane time is all of a stop’s time in the pit lane, any wait or repair there included.

Who stopped first, between neighbours

Who stopped first, between neighbours
Drivers, in grid orderGridResultFirst recorded stop, lapStopped firstGrid to flag
Mika Hakkinen · Eddie Irvine2 · 41 · 218 · 15Eddie IrvineKept their order
Mika Hakkinen · David Coulthard2 · 31 · 318 · 21Mika HakkinenKept their order
David Coulthard · Eddie Irvine3 · 43 · 221 · 15Eddie IrvineSwapped places
Eddie Irvine · Heinz-Harald Frentzen4 · 52 · 515 · 19Eddie IrvineKept their order
David Coulthard · Damon Hill3 · 83 · 421 · 14Damon HillKept their order
Heinz-Harald Frentzen · Damon Hill5 · 85 · 419 · 14Damon HillSwapped places
Damon Hill · Alexander Wurz8 · 94 · 914 · 14Same lapKept their order
Heinz-Harald Frentzen · Jacques Villeneuve5 · 65 · 619 · 18Jacques VilleneuveKept their order
Jacques Villeneuve · Jean Alesi6 · 126 · 718 · 19Jacques VilleneuveKept their order
Giancarlo Fisichella · Jean Alesi10 · 128 · 715 · 19Giancarlo FisichellaSwapped places
Johnny Herbert · Jean Alesi11 · 1210 · 720 · 19Jean AlesiSwapped places
Jean Alesi · Olivier Panis12 · 137 · 1119 · 17Olivier PanisKept their order
Alexander Wurz · Giancarlo Fisichella9 · 109 · 814 · 15Alexander WurzSwapped places
Giancarlo Fisichella · Johnny Herbert10 · 118 · 1015 · 20Giancarlo FisichellaKept their order
Alexander Wurz · Johnny Herbert9 · 119 · 1014 · 20Alexander WurzKept their order
Johnny Herbert · Olivier Panis11 · 1310 · 1120 · 17Olivier PanisKept their order
Olivier Panis · Jarno Trulli13 · 1411 · 1217 · 18Olivier PanisKept their order
Pairs of classified drivers who started or finished next to each other, each with a stop recorded; the two names in a row are in grid order. Both are read from the stops F1DB records, which has gaps. It is the order things happened in and no more: with no lap times, the record cannot say whether stopping first won or lost a place.
Practice sessions Practice 1 · Practice 2 · Warm-up

Practice 1

Practice 1
PosDriverConstructorNo.Best lapGap≈ DistanceIntervalLaps
1Michael SchumacherFerrari31:39.823—0 m—23
2Ralf SchumacherJordan101:40.336+0.51330 m+0.51334
3Heinz-Harald FrentzenWilliams21:40.389+0.56633 m+0.05330
4Eddie IrvineFerrari41:40.615+0.79246 m+0.22630
5Mika HakkinenMcLaren81:40.644+0.82148 m+0.02928
6David CoulthardMcLaren71:40.845+1.02260 m+0.20128
7Damon HillJordan91:41.098+1.27575 m+0.25330
8Jacques VilleneuveWilliams11:41.252+1.42984 m+0.15426
9Jos VerstappenStewart Grand Prix191:42.191+2.368139 m+0.93923
10Giancarlo FisichellaBenetton51:42.224+2.401141 m+0.03332
11Alexander WurzBenetton61:42.628+2.805165 m+0.40433
12Toranosuke TakagiTyrrell211:42.833+3.010177 m+0.20526
13Jarno TrulliProst Grand Prix121:43.121+3.298194 m+0.28838
14Olivier PanisProst Grand Prix111:43.493+3.670215 m+0.37225
15Mika SaloArrows171:43.634+3.811224 m+0.14140
16Jean AlesiSauber141:43.788+3.965233 m+0.15425
17Rubens BarrichelloStewart Grand Prix181:43.854+4.031237 m+0.06620
18Johnny HerbertSauber151:43.894+4.071239 m+0.04022
19Pedro DinizArrows161:44.468+4.645273 m+0.57436
20Shinji NakanoMinardi221:44.632+4.809282 m+0.16429
21Ricardo RossetTyrrell201:45.054+5.231307 m+0.42227
22Esteban TueroMinardi231:46.396+6.573386 m+1.34230
Each driver’s best lap of the session and the laps they ran: a classification, not lap timing.
How it is derived: distance, Practice 1

Distance at the session-best lap’s average speed, on the layout raced that year.

Practice 2

Practice 2
PosDriverConstructorNo.Best lapGap≈ DistanceIntervalLaps
1Michael SchumacherFerrari31:38.429—0 m—17
2David CoulthardMcLaren71:38.673+0.24415 m+0.24427
3Mika HakkinenMcLaren81:38.752+0.32319 m+0.07918
4Heinz-Harald FrentzenWilliams21:38.874+0.44526 m+0.12225
5Jacques VilleneuveWilliams11:39.883+1.45487 m+1.00921
6Ralf SchumacherJordan101:40.003+1.57494 m+0.12021
7Damon HillJordan91:40.146+1.717102 m+0.14324
8Giancarlo FisichellaBenetton51:40.265+1.836109 m+0.11921
9Eddie IrvineFerrari41:40.552+2.123126 m+0.28715
10Olivier PanisProst Grand Prix111:40.857+2.428145 m+0.30518
11Jean AlesiSauber141:40.925+2.496149 m+0.06822
12Alexander WurzBenetton61:41.002+2.573153 m+0.07722
13Toranosuke TakagiTyrrell211:41.105+2.676159 m+0.10318
14Rubens BarrichelloStewart Grand Prix181:41.172+2.743163 m+0.06725
15Johnny HerbertSauber151:41.543+3.114185 m+0.37125
16Mika SaloArrows171:41.823+3.394202 m+0.28022
17Pedro DinizArrows161:41.889+3.460206 m+0.06613
18Jos VerstappenStewart Grand Prix191:41.924+3.495208 m+0.03520
19Jarno TrulliProst Grand Prix121:42.786+4.357259 m+0.86225
20Shinji NakanoMinardi221:43.013+4.584273 m+0.22720
21Esteban TueroMinardi231:43.048+4.619275 m+0.03526
Each driver’s best lap of the session and the laps they ran: a classification, not lap timing.
How it is derived: distance, Practice 2

Distance at the session-best lap’s average speed, on the layout raced that year.

Warm-up

Warm-up
PosDriverConstructorNo.Best lapGap≈ DistanceIntervalLaps
1Michael SchumacherFerrari31:40.431—0 m—13
2David CoulthardMcLaren71:40.710+0.27916 m+0.27913
3Mika HakkinenMcLaren81:41.056+0.62536 m+0.34612
4Ralf SchumacherJordan101:41.119+0.68840 m+0.06315
5Eddie IrvineFerrari41:41.246+0.81548 m+0.12710
6Heinz-Harald FrentzenWilliams21:41.452+1.02160 m+0.20613
7Jacques VilleneuveWilliams11:41.510+1.07963 m+0.05813
8Damon HillJordan91:41.902+1.47186 m+0.39213
9Giancarlo FisichellaBenetton51:42.611+2.180127 m+0.70914
10Mika SaloArrows171:42.650+2.219129 m+0.03912
11Jean AlesiSauber141:42.700+2.269132 m+0.0507
12Olivier PanisProst Grand Prix111:42.727+2.296134 m+0.02712
13Johnny HerbertSauber151:42.837+2.406140 m+0.11014
14Alexander WurzBenetton61:42.881+2.450143 m+0.04412
15Shinji NakanoMinardi221:43.593+3.162184 m+0.71212
16Toranosuke TakagiTyrrell211:43.776+3.345195 m+0.18312
17Jarno TrulliProst Grand Prix121:43.834+3.403199 m+0.0588
18Jos VerstappenStewart Grand Prix191:43.935+3.504204 m+0.10110
19Rubens BarrichelloStewart Grand Prix181:44.205+3.774220 m+0.27012
20Pedro DinizArrows161:44.273+3.842224 m+0.0689
21Esteban TueroMinardi231:45.733+5.302309 m+1.46010
Each driver’s best lap of the session and the laps they ran: a classification, not lap timing.
How it is derived: distance, Warm-up

Distance at the session-best lap’s average speed, on the layout raced that year.

The cars in this race

The photograph each car's Wikipedia article leads with, from Wikimedia Commons: taken wherever and whenever that was, not necessarily at this race.

McLaren MP4/13
McLaren MP4/13
Mercedes-Benz, Techno-Classica 2018, Essen (IMG 9896) · Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0 · unchecked
Ferrari F300
Ferrari F300
Ferrari F300 front-right1 2019 Michael Schumacher Private Collection · Morio · CC BY-SA 4.0
Jordan 198
Jordan 198
Jordan 198 front-left Donington Grand Prix Collection · Morio · CC BY-SA 3.0
Williams FW20
Williams FW20
Williams FW20 front-right 2017 Williams Conference Centre 2 · Morio · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sauber C17
Sauber C17
Sauber C17 · Raoul van Wijk · CC BY-SA 2.0
Benetton B198
Benetton B198
Benetton B198 schraeg vorne · Lukas Raich · CC BY-SA 4.0

A photograph marked unchecked has a file name that does not name the car it is shown for. Most are still the right car, filed under the driver rather than the machine — but nobody has confirmed these one by one.

5 more photographs
Prost AP01
Prost AP01
Prost AP01 2 · xavier romero · CC BY-SA 3.0
Arrows A19
Arrows A19
Mika Salo Arrows A19 Sinsheim Baden-Württemberg · danishevskiy · CC BY-SA 2.0
Minardi M198
Minardi M198
Minardi M198 2025-09-06 Italian Grand Prix mod · Quelle: Eustace Bagge / Bildbearbeitung & Retusche von Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0
Stewart SF02
Stewart SF02
Stewart SF02 4 · Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
Tyrrell 026
Tyrrell 026
Takagi 1998 Spanish GP · Formulanone · CC BY-SA 3.0 · unchecked

Where this comes from

Round
16 of 1998
Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix
Dates
Layout raced
—
Format
Standard weekend
Constructor
McLaren
Entrant
McLaren-Mercedes
Confidence
reference

No layout is recorded for this round: this register has no layout timeline for the circuit, and a blank here is better than a guess.