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GP summaries not available for last 6 Grands Prix.


1998 11. Olivier Panis 12. Jarno Trulli
Date GP Circuit Fri. Qual. Result Remarks Fri. Qual. Result Remarks
3/8 AUS Melbourne 14 21* 9 -1 lap 9 15 R23/58 gearbox
3/29 BR Interlagos 4 9 R63/72 engine 12 15 R17/72 fuel-pressure
4/12 RA Buenos Aires 13 15 R65/72 engine 14 16 11 -2 laps
4/26 RSM Imola 8 13 R56/62 17 16 R
5/10 ESP Barcelona 10 12 R61/65 mechanical 15 16 9 -2 laps
5/24 MC Monte Carlo 13 18 R49/78 suspension 10 10 R66/78 suspension
6/7 CAN Montreal 10 15 R39/69 spin 13 14 R01/69 accident
6/28 F Magny-Cours 13 16 11 -2 laps 11 12 R55/71 accident
7/12 GBR Silverstone 17 21** R40/60 spun 15 14** R37/60 spun
7/26 AUT Zeltweg 12 10 R01/71 clutch 11 16 10 -1 lap
8/2 D Hockenheim 16 16 15 -1 lap 11 14 12 -1 lap
8/16 H Hungaroring 16 20 12 -3 laps 22 16 R28/77
8/30 B Spa-Francorchamps 15 15 DNS No spare 14 13 6 -2 laps
9/13 I Monza 13 9 R15/53 mechanical 7 10 13 -3 laps
9/27 LUX Nurburgring 10 15 12 -2 laps 13 14 R06/61 gearbox
11/1 J Suzuka 14 13 11 -1 lap 13 14# 12 -3 laps
* Panis was 16th but was penalised because he didn't leave his car in neutral after spinning off.
** Trulli and Panis were 15th and 16th, but Panis and Ralf Schumacher's cars violated some regulations and had to start from the back of the grid.
# Trulli drove AP01B, which used AP01 chassis slightly modified for the new Peugeot A18 engine and the new gearbox.
Drivers Championship table
Hakkinen (McLaren)100
M.Schumacher (Ferrari)86
Coulthard (McLaren)56
Irvine (Ferrari)47
Villeneuve (Williams)21
Hill (Jordan)20
Wurz (Benetton)17
Frentzen (Williams)17
Fisichella (Benetton)16
R.Schumacher (Jordan)14
Alesi (Sauber)9
Barrichello (Stewart)4
Salo (Arrows)3
Diniz (Arrows)3
Herbert (Sauber)1
Magnussen (Stewart)1
Trulli (Prost)1
Constructors Championship table
McLaren-Mercedes156
Ferrari133
Williams-Mecachrome38
Jordan-Mugen34
Benetton-Playlife33
Sauber-Petronas10
Arrows6
Stewart-Ford5
Prost1

Australian GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Jarno Trulli was 9th with 1:36.231. Olivier Panis was 14th with 1:37.102, which was the same as Damon Hill's time. Damon was classified 13th because he made that time first. M.Schumacher was fastest with 1:33.826 followed by Hakkinen, Villeneuve, Wurz, R.Schumacher, Herbert, Coulthard and Alesi. Prost only passed the lateral impact test the day before in UK.

Saturday Qualifying
Not a good day for Prost. Panis' car broke down in morning practice and he spun in qualifying. He had his two fastest qualifying times disallowed because he did not leave the car in neutral (or the clutch disengaged?) after the spin, making it difficult for marshals to move his car. He was moved from 16th (1:33.851) to 21st (1:35.215). Trulli's position was 15th with 1:33.739. A full 3.729 seconds behind poleman Mika Hakkinen. Both McLarens would be on the front row. M.Schumacher was third followed by Villeneuve, Herbert and Frentzen.

The Race
Not a good day, again. Panis could not start for the formation lap but he did manage to finish 9th. Trulli retired on lap 23 with gearbox problem. The McLarens were in a class of their own. They lapped the entire field. Hakkinen was leading but suffered a slow pitstop. He still won the race after Coulthard let him pass. Third to eighth were Frentzen, Irvine, Villeneuve, Herbert, Wurz and Hill. Panis was the last one to finish the race.


Brazilian GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Olivier Panis was 4th with 1:19.786 behind Mika Hakkinen (1:18.373), David Coulthard (1:18.799) and Ralf Schumacher (1:19.721). Jarno Trulli was 15th with 1:20.919.

Saturday Qualifying
Both Prost drivers had good performance but not without problems. Panis ran strong in morning practice but was hit by gearbox problem while Trulli span and damaged his car. In qualifying Panis once led the grid but was beaten to 9th place. His time was 1:18.753, 0.018s behind Ralf Schumacher. Trulli was 12th with 1:19.069 behind the other Jordan (Hill, 1:18.999). First three are Hakkinen (1:17.092), Coulthard (1:17.757) and Frentzen (1:18.109) which is the same as Australian GP. The McLarens were uncatchable even though they were banned from using the rear directional brakes.

The Race
Panis had a big crash in morning practice and his car was seriously damanged. Very luckily he walked away unhurt. The McLarens again dominated the race. Trulli retired on lap 17 with fuel pressure problem. Panis was running 10th when his engine blew. Hakkinen won 3 races in a row, but it was the first Coulthard did not need to "give way" to him. Jordan, like Prost, were yet to score a point this season. Hill was disqualified from 10th place because his car was underweight.


San Marino GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Olivier Panis was 8th with 1:29.175, 1.558 seconds slower than fastest man Mika Hakkinen. Trulli was 17th with 1:30.804. The McLarens were again the fastest, followed closely by Michael Schumacher. World Champion Jacques Villeneuve was 4th.

Saturday Qualifying
Disappointing results again for Prost. Panis was 13th with 1:28.270. Trulli was 16th with 1:29.584. As far as qualifying is concerned it seems that the Jordans are really going far better. McLaren again occupied the front role with Coulthard on pole (1:25.973). The Ferraris were in the second row, followed by Wurz, Villeneuve, Hill and Frentzen.

The Race
Panis was close to scoring Prost's first championship point this season. But engine failure 6 laps to finish ended his hope. He was at 7th place. Trulli spun on lap 34. David Coulthard led from start to finish. His engine started to smoke towards the end and had his lead over M.Schumacher cut from 25 to 4 seconds. Hakkinen who was in 2nd place retired early in the race. Irvine was 3rd followed by the Williams' and Alesi's Sauber. Again, both Prost and Jordan failed to score a point.


Spanish GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Olivier Panis spun in the morning and in the afternoon. He was 10th after both practice sessions with 1:24.272. Jarno Trulli was 15th with 1:24.897. McLaren continued to dominate. Mika Hakkinen was first with 1:22.147 followed by David Coulthard's 1:22.965. Johnny Herbert got a happy third in front of Ferrari's Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher.

Saturday Qualifying
Prost continued to struggle. Panis was 12th with 1:22.963, 2.699 seconds off the pace of poleman Hakkinen. Trulli was 15th with 1:23.748. Coulthard was 0.734 seconds slower than Hakkinen. M.Schumacher was again third followed by the two Benettons of Fisichella and Wurz.

The Race
Panis retired 4 laps from finish. His 8th place was inherited by teammate Trulli. McLaren got another one-two finish with Hakkinen's third win this season. Michael Schumacher was third followed by Wurz, Barrichello and Villeneuve. Once again Prost and Jordan failed to score a championship point.


Monaco GP Highlights

Thursday Practice
There were many spins. Grooved and narrower tyres were again to be blamed. Jarno Trulli was 10th with 1:24.735. 1996 winner Olivier Panis was 13th with 1:25.400. Hakkinen was again fastest with 1:22.205. Fisichella split the McLarens with 1:22.757. Coulthard was third with 1:23.656.

Saturday Qualifying
Trulli was again 10th with 1:22.257. Panis improved too little and was only 18th with 1:23.957. Fisichella again fought strongly with the McLarens and was third on the grid with 1:20.702 behind Hakkinen (1:20.137) and Coulthard (1:20.368).

The Race
Both Prosts were said to retire with rear suspension problems. While Arrows got their first point with both cars finishing the race, Prost and Jordan were yet to score a point. Coulthard retired early and Fisichella continued his good performance by finishing second behind Hakkinen who won his fourth race this season totally unchallenged. Further back found Eddie Irvine who overtook Frentzen at the hairpin resulting in the latter's retirement. M.Schumacher touched Wurz a few times trying to overtake him but damaged his rear suspension. He visited the pit and dropped back a few laps. But he still had to retire with a spin when he tried to overtake Diniz. Diniz was sixth behind teammate Salo and Williams' Villeneuve.


Canadian GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Olivier Panis was 10th with 1:21.191. Jarno Trulli was 13th with 1:21.282. McLaren's Mika Hakkinen was again the fastest with 1:19.613 but his teammate David Coulthard was only fourth behind Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi.

Saturday Qualifying
The McLarens again dominated the qualifying session but this time Coulthard was faster than Hakkinen. Their times were 1:18.213 and 1:18.282. Schumacher was 3rd on the grid the fourth time this season followed by a Fisichella. The Prosts again failed to impress. Trulli was 14th with 1:20.188 and Panis was 15th with 1:20.303.

The Race
Can anybody tell me what has happened to Formula One? You call this racing?! The Canadian GP is a show of blind bulls running here and there completely out of control!

Wurz's Benetton turned over and over after hitting Jean Alesi. The incident also took out Trulli and Johnny Herbert. The race had to restart.

Alesi restarted in the spare Sauber while his teammate Herbert had to start from the pitlane after his car was repaired. Fisichella passed Michael Schumacher into third place. Soon Hakkinen slowed down with gearbox problem and was out of the race. Behind the leaders came trouble again. Salo, Wurz and Trulli got involved in Ralf Schumacher's spin. Trulli's Prost ended up riding on the rear of Wurz's Benetton. Safety car came out the first time.

The safety car appeared soon when Diniz spun. Coulthard was out with accelerator problem. Herbert and Salo spun and the safety car was out the third time! I really don't understand why F1 would copy the safety car concept. Stupid!

M.Schumacher visited the pit at this time. When he came out, Frentzen was coming up to the pitlane exit. Schumacher forced Frentzen out to the gravel as if he didn't see Frentzen at all. After the race resumed, Villeneuve tried to overtake Fisichella for the lead but he cut acrossed the track and, like his teammate, ended up in the gravel.

Schumacher got a 10-second stop-go penalty for forcing Frentzen out, but got the lead again when Fisichella pitted. Schumacher needed one more pitstop but the pitcrew did the job fast enough to put him in front after the stop. He beat Fisichella by 16 seconds and won the Canadian GP. Stewart, like Ferrari and Benetton, had two car scoring points, while Prost and Jordan again failed to enter the top six. Panis was as high as third but he spun on lap 39, reportedly with accelerator problem.

I bet 10 dollars that some would even say this was a good race...


French GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Jarno Trulli was 11th with 1:18.036. Olivier Panis was 13th with 1:18.367. Mika Hakkinen again topped the practice with 1:16.515. Eddie Irvine managed to clock a faster time than David Coulthard and was 2nd with 1:16.597.

Saturday Qualifying
Trulli was 12th with 1:16.892. Panis was only 16th with 1:17.671. It was a major disappointment given that Panis had lapped this "home" track more than any other competitors. Mika Hakkinen was again on pole with 1:14.929. Yet McLaren's domination was now seriously challenged by Ferrari. Michael Schumacher was 2nd on grid with 1:15.159 followed by Coulthard and Irvine.

The Race
Hakkinen made a good start and led into the first corner, only to find the race red-flagged thanks to Verstappen's stalled Stewart. Hakkinen blew the second start and was stuck behind Irvine while Michael Schumacher extended his lead. Hakkinen spun trying to overtake Irvine but could continue and finished third behind the Ferraris. Coulthard needed an additional pitstop; the refuel hose didn't function in his first stop. Not a good day for McLaren. Panis finished the race but was only 11th, and 2 laps behind. Trulli retired probably with mechanical problems. After 8 GP, Prost and Jordan still haven't made it to the scoreboard!


British GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Jarno Trulli was 15th with 1:28.685. Olivier Panis was 17th with 1:29.193. David Coulthard was the fastest with 1:25.640, 0.124 second faster than teammate Mika Hakkinen. Williams' Frentzen and Villeneuve were 3rd and 4th.

Saturday Qualifying
Mika Hakkinen took his six pole of the year with 1:23.271. Second fastest was Michael Schumacher followed by Jacques Villeneuve and David Coulthard. Jarno Trulli and Olivier Panis were 15th and 16th with 1:26.808 and 1:26.847 respectively. Yet the cars of Panis and 10th-placed Ralf Schumacher failed to meet some regulation requirements and had to start from the back of the grid. That gave Trulli and Panis 14th and 21st grid positions

The "Race"
You call this a race?? Driving in the wet may be acceptable, but com'on we aren't watching a boat race! What the hell you want the drivers to do in the swimming pool???!! SHAME TO FIA! Get rid of the stupid safety car. It came out after many unsafe moments and went leaving an still unsafe track. You had no alternative but to stop the race. Who cares about the results! Who cares about TV broadcasts and advertisements. We care about the sport. We want a safe sport. We want to see cars finishing the race and not spinning off here and there. You fools in FIA, you aren't fooling anybody but yourselves and you are killing the sport.

Results? What results? There were no results. It wasn't a race. Period.


Austrian GP Highlights

Friday Practice
Jarno Trulli was 11th with 1:14.685 and Olivier Panis was 12th with 1:14.755. David Coulthard was fastest with 1:13.703, followed by Fisichella, Hakkinen, Herbert and Barrichello.

Saturday Qualifying
It's the stupid rain again. Most teams waited for the track to get drier and thus all came out to qualify late in the sessions. Panis was 10th with 1:32.081. Trulli was 16th with 1:32.906. Fisichella took pole and shared the front row with Alesi. They were followed by Hakkinen, M.Schumacher, Barrichello and Salo on the grid.

The Race
Panis' clutch broke down and retired right after the start. Trulli adopted one pitstop strategy and once reached 5th place. But then he didn't get the grip and the car went slower and slower. He finished 10th. Ralf Schumacher finished 5th and for the second time put Jordan on the scoreboard. Hakkinen and Coulthard finished 1 and 2 convincingly. Magnificent effort from Coulthard to catch up from 14th on the grid and an early collision. Irvine slowed down and let M.Schumacher through for 3rd place, and later claimed that he had brake problem. (M.Schumacher was involved in a number of spins and collisions.) Villeneuve was sixth.